4 African American CEOs at Publicly Traded Companies
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Kenneth Chenault
American Express
Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer
One of three African American CEOs of a Fortune 500 Company, Chenault increased AMEX’s market share, and two years after being named CEO, the company had $25.9 billion in sales — and had become the world’s No. 1 travel agency. He also led AMEX’s push to forge stronger links with banks and was able to rejuvenate the brand’s image with a younger demographic by issuing the Blue Card and signing golf superstar Tiger Woods as a spokesman.
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Ronald Williams
Aetna
Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer
Williams has focused on technology and innovation in the health care industry, all while maintaining an elevated level of transparency for the consumer. Under Williams’ leadership, Aetna became the first national insurer to offer a consumer-directed health plan and launched an online consumer tool to view physician-specific pricing information. He also helped create Aetna’s Aexcel network to provide access to cost-effective, quality care in high-cost specialties.
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Clarence Otis Jr.
Darden Restaurants Inc.
Chief Executive Officer
With restaurants such as Olive Garden and Red Lobster under the umbrella of Darden Restaurants Inc., Otis oversees a company that employs 150,000 workers and has annual revenues of $6 billion. He hopes to expand Darden’s health-conscious restaurant chain, Seasons 52.
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Steven A. Davis
Bob Evans Farms, Inc.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Overseeing a restaurant and food products company with approximately 1.5 billion in sales, Evans reversed a three-year trend of negative same-store sales with two consecutive years of positive growth. Davis’ approach has yielded more confidence from shareholders, and the board of directors authorized the repurchase of close to three million shares during fiscal 2008 — in addition to the two million shares repurchased in fiscal 2007.
