Business News

A Look at Chad Holliday’s 38-Year Career at DuPont

DuPont Chairman and CEO Chad Holliday, a 38-year DuPont veteran, has led the company as CEO since February 1998.

Friday 26. September 2008 - DuPont Chairman and CEO Chad Holliday, a 38-year DuPont veteran, has led the company as CEO since February 1998.

Prior to becoming DuPont’s chairman and CEO, Chad rose through manufacturing positions; led DuPont’s global Nomex and Kevlar businesses; and, from 1990 until 1997, served in a series of leadership positions in Asia culminating with his appointment as chairman of Asia Pacific. He was elected president of DuPont in 1997.
“During the past 10 years, I have had the unique privilege of leading DuPont’s transformation to a market-driven science company that leads the way in solving some of the most difficult and pressing human needs in a resource-constrained world,” Chad said. “Having transformed the company, increased our profitability and returns, and developed a talented and strong next generation of leaders, now is the right time to make a seamless transition to new leadership.”
During his 10-year tenure:
DuPont completed over USD 60 billion in strategic transactions that transformed it to a value-added, science-based products and services company. Since completing these transactions in 2004, pre-tax operating margin has improved 2 percentage points and return on investors’ capital has increased 5 percentage points and earnings per share has grown by an annual rate of 11 percent.
DuPont introduced its newest technology platform, Applied BioSciences, to focus on commercialization of renewably sourced BioMaterials, BioFuels, BioSpecialties, and BioMedical solutions for an energy- and resource-constrained world.
In 2007, DuPont sales from new products accounted for 36 percent of the company’s sales, up from 24 percent in 2001. New product sales grew more than USD 5 billion over five years, with more than USD 10 billion of sales from products introduced in the last five years.
Since November 2005, DuPont delivered USD 1 billion in fixed cost productivity savings, and repurchased USD 5 billion, or 12 percent, of its outstanding common stock.
Chad introduced to industry the goal of “sustainable growth,” leading DuPont in building sustainability as central to its total value proposition and fully integrated into business models. Now as a globally recognized leader, DuPont has built sustainability into its products and operations — impacting customers, value chains and consumers while also dramatically reducing the company’s environmental footprint.
DuPont further demonstrated its confidence that it is positioned for higher growth by adopting earlier this year a new peer group of global high technology companies against which its management and board will benchmark performance. The new peer group generates more than double the earnings growth rate compared to DuPont’s prior peer group.
“I am fortunate to have been able to work at DuPont and join so many dedicated people in making a contribution to the company and to the people and communities we serve around the world,” Chad added. “I have loved leading DuPont. Now is the time for a new generation of talented leadership to advance the company forward on its mission of sustainable growth.”