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Ed Whitacre was elected chairman and CEO of General Motors Company on December 1, 2009. He originally joined GM as chairman when the new company launched in July 2009. In his expanded leadership role, he is driving GM's vision to design, build and sell the world's best vehicles.
As chairman and CEO of AT&T from 1990 until retiring in June 2007, Mr. Whitacre led then-SBC Communications (SBC) on a disciplined growth strategy and through a series of industry-changing mergers and acquisitions, including the 2005 acquisition of AT&T Corporation, after which the company adopted the venerable name, AT&T Inc.
Under Mr. Whitacre's leadership, SBC made significant domestic and international investments. In addition, SBC established several groundbreaking strategic partnerships with companies such as Yahoo! and Echostar, enabling SBC to set the pace for DSL sales as well as enter the video market. SBC joined with BellSouth to create Cingular Wireless, which in 2004 acquired AT&T Wireless. SBC and the new AT&T have been repeatedly named by Fortune magazine as the most admired telecommunications company in America and the world. Forbes magazine named AT&T "Company of the Year" for 2006.
In addition to serving on GM's board, Mr. Whitacre also serves on the boards of Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation, Exxon Mobil Corporation and the PGA Tour. He serves on the board of the Institute for International Economics and is a member of The Business Council. He previously served on the President's National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee and the board of Anheuser-Busch Companies.
Mr. Whitacre's leadership extends into the community where he has been actively involved with the Boy Scouts of America, the Board of Regents of Texas Tech University, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center and United Way.
In recognition of his commitment to business and community, Mr. Whitacre was named one of the Top 25 Executives of the Year by BusinessWeek. He also has earned a number of awards for his contributions to business and civic affairs, including the Corporate Leadership Award from the National Minority Supplier Development Council and the Obelisk Leadership Award.
Mr. Whitacre graduated from Texas Tech University in 1964 with a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering. He began his career with Southwestern Bell Telephone Company in 1963 as a facility engineer in Lubbock, Texas.
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