Ellen J. Kullman
Ellen J. Kullman | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 22, 1956 Wilmington, Delaware, U.S. |
| Occupation | Corporate executive |
| Years active | 1978–present |
| Known for | CEO of DuPont (2009–2015), CEO of Carbon (since 2019) |
Ellen J. Kullman (born January 22, 1956) is an American corporate leader. Since November 2019, she has held the position of chief executive officer at Carbon (company). Previously, she was Chair and CEO of DuPont in Wilmington and served on the board of General Motors. In 2014, Forbes placed her 31st on its list of the 100 Most Powerful Women. Kullman stepped down from DuPont on October 16, 2015.
Early life
Born Ellen Jamison in Wilmington, Delaware, she is the youngest child of Joseph and Margaret Jamison, with two older brothers and a sister. Kullman attended Tower Hill School in Wilmington before earning a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Tufts University in 1978. She later obtained a master's degree in management from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in 1983.
Career
Kullman started her professional journey at General Electric and joined DuPont in 1988 as a marketing manager within its medical imaging division. Rising through the ranks to executive vice president, she managed four business segments and spearheaded global market development.
Effective October 1, 2008, DuPont’s board appointed her President and director, with her CEO role commencing January 1, 2009. She was both the nineteenth CEO and the first woman to lead DuPont in its more than two-century history. Fortune recognized her among the world’s most influential women—ranking her 15th in 2008 and fifth in both 2009 and 2010—while The Wall Street Journal included her eighth on its 2008 "Women to Watch" list. In 2014, she appeared as number 31 on Forbes’ global ranking.
Between 2004 and 2008, Kullman was a board member at General Motors and joined the board of trustees at Tufts University in 2006.
On October 30, 2009, DuPont named Kullman Chair, effective December 31 of that year. From 2011 through 2013, she participated on The Business Council’s Executive Committee and was elected Chair of the US-China Business Council in June 2013.
Her departure from DuPont was announced on October 5, 2015 (effective October 16), following activist investor Nelson Peltz’s efforts to secure board representation aimed at enhancing cost efficiency and financial results.
After leaving DuPont, Kullman became an independent director on the boards of Amgen in October 2016 and Goldman Sachs in December 2016.
Awards and honors
Kullman was honored with Sellinger's Business Leader of the Year award. In 2014, she received the George Washington Carver Award for industrial biotechnology innovation, becoming its first female recipient. The following year, she earned multiple distinctions including the International Palladium Medal from the Société de Chimie Industrielle (American Section), Engineering Leader of the Year Award, Pete du Pont Individual Freedom Award, and Delaware's Order of the First State. Additionally, Catholic Charities presented her with the Msgr. Thomas J. Reese Award.
In recognition of her leadership driving business growth and transforming a global science and engineering enterprise, she was inducted into the National Academy of Engineering in 2015.
In 2020, Comparably listed her among the Top 50 Best CEOs for Small/Mid-Size companies.
Controversy
In October 2019, Kullman responded to allegations claiming that during her tenure as CEO of DuPont, she inappropriately shifted DuPont's environmental responsibilities onto the spin-off entity Chemours. DuPont was confronted with considerable environmental obligations stemming from the contamination of drinking water by Perfluorooctanoic acid, a substance associated with various illnesses, including cancers and birth defects, impacting 2,507 individuals residing in Wood County, West Virginia.
On March 26, 2018, Tufts University, where Kullman graduated, revealed plans to confer an honorary degree upon her. This announcement triggered significant discontent among the student body. At the commencement ceremony, numerous students demonstrated their dissent by holding up protest signs and turning their backs during her address.
Personal life
Kullman is married to Michael Kullman, and together they have three children.