In direct contrast to the traditional rise through the ranks is the career path in which the CEOs hopped, jumped and zig-zagged their way to the top of a retail organization. These leaders moved with ease between different companies and different industries, rising a little higher with each move until they leap frogged to the top of a major retail operation. This is more common for contemporary CEOs, which gives the impression that today’s retail organizations are less about grooming and more about snatching up the already groomed.
Even though industry jumping is commonplace, retail leaders and analysts are still somewhat shocked when a retail organization appoints a CEO who has no prior retail experience. This was the case with eBay’s Meg Whitman, and both of Home Depot’s last two CEOs, Robert Nardelli and Frank Blake. Whitman had neither technical nor retail experience when she was recruited to lead eBay out of relative obscurity. Nardelli had experience in manufacturing giant, General Electric, and Blake had mostly government experience before they each took over the helm of Home Depot. The zigzag career paths of these three chiefs illustrate how the company-hopping, industry-jumping career path can work.
The Career Path of Margaret (Meg) Whitman, CEO, eBay, 1998-2008
- Born in Long Island, NY
- Graduated from Cold Spring Harbor High School, Cold Spring Harbor, NY
- B.A. degree in Economics, Princeton University
- Advertising sales, Princeton undergraduate magazine
- M.B.A. degree, Harvard Business School
- Brand management for Noxzema, Procter & Gamble
- Consultant, Bain & Company
- Vice president, Bain & Company
- Sr. vice president for marketing, consumer products, The Walt Disney Co.
- President, Stride Rite
- President and CEO, Florist Transworld Delivery
- Global management and marketing, Hasbro CEO, eBay
The Career Path of Robert Nardelli, CEO, Home Depot, 2000-2007
- Born in Old Forge, PA
- Father was a a GE plant manager, mother was a real estate agent
- Graduated from Rockford Auburn High School, Rockford, IL
- B.S. degree in business from Western Illinois University, Macomb, IL
- M.B.A. degree, University of Louisville
- Entry level manufacturing engineer, General Electric
- Management, GE Appliances
- Management, GE Lighting
- Management, GE Transportation Systems
- Executive vice president & general manager, J.I.Case Company / Tenneco
- Executive vice president and CEO, CAMCO
- President and CEO GE Transportation Systems
- President and CEO, GE Power Systems
- Senior vice president, General Electric
- CEO & Chairman, Home Depot
