Jeff Immelt
Chairman & CEO of General Electric Company (2001–2017)
Jeff Immelt served as Chairman & CEO of General Electric Company for a verified duration of 15 years 10 months (5,807 days), from Sep 7, 2001 until Aug 1, 2017. During this tenure, Jeff Immelt guided General Electric Company across major corporate milestones before retiring from the chief executive role.
Executive Succession & Corporate Facts
- Predecessor
- Jack Welch (Chairman & CEO)
- Successor
- Not recorded
- Database Tenure Rank
- #27 Longest-Serving CEO in Database (View Full Rankings →)
- Company Founded
- Apr 15, 1892 (Evendale, Ohio)
- Known Aliases
- Jeffrey Robert Immelt
Tenure Milestones & Transition Timeline
Jeff Immelt Succeeds Jack Welch as Chairman and CEO of General Electric
Immelt assumed leadership of GE four days prior to September 11, facing immediate crisis management in aircraft engines and reinsurance.
Global Financial Crisis Imperils GE Capital Commercial Paper Funding
The freeze in short-term credit markets threatened GE Capital, forcing Immelt to seek Federal Reserve liquidity backstops and a $3 billion investment from Warren Buffett.
Immelt Announces Plan to Dismantle and Divest GE Capital
Immelt unveiled a landmark plan to sell off $200 billion in finance assets to reduce systemic financial risk and surrender GE's SIFI regulatory designation.
Jeff Immelt Announces Retirement as GE CEO; John Flannery Named Successor
Under activist pressure from Trian Partners, GE announced Immelt would step down on August 1, 2017, succeeded by GE Healthcare CEO John Flannery.
Jeff Immelt Steps Down After 16 Years as GE Chief Executive Officer
Immelt retired on August 1, 2017, concluding a 16-year tenure marked by extensive portfolio repositioning and costly power turbine acquisitions.
Related Leaders & Rankings
Historical and interim leadership succession at General Electric Company.
Rankings of chief executives across Aerospace & Defense.
- • Jack Welch (General Electric Company)
- • Dave Calhoun (The Boeing Company)
- • Dennis Muilenburg (The Boeing Company)
Compare against all 80 permanent executives in our database.