Military veterans who became Fortune 500 CEOs

Members of the armed forces have traded their uniforms for corporate suits for decades, with some making their way to the helm of Fortune 500 companies. 

Companies like General Motors, Verizon, Johnson & Johnson and Anheuser-Busch have all tapped former military members to lead their operations.

Eric Eversole, president of Hiring Our Heroes and vice president at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, told FOX Business that these individuals are highly qualified for executive roles due to their training in adapting quickly and making informed decisions in high-pressure environments.

“Critical skills like leadership, problem-solving, and the ability to work under pressure while handling challenges that are often outside of your control are cultivated in the armed forces,” Eversole said. “I can’t think of a better training ground for a CEO than the U.S. military.” 

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Here are some current and former CEOs who have served in the U.S. military: 

Alex Gorsky

Alex Gorsky was the chairman and CEO of Johnson & Johnson from 2012 to January 2022. 

After graduating from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Gorsky served six years in the Army and even earned the rank of captain, the Ranger tab and Airborne wings, according to Johnson & Johnson. 

Brendan Whitworth 

Brendan Whitworth became the chief executive officer of Anheuser-Busch in July 2021 after serving with the company since 2013. However, well before his corporate days, he attended Officer Candidates School, where graduation candidates are commissioned as officers in the United States Marine Corps. 

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From 1998 to 2001, he served as a first lieutenant in the Marines. For the next five years, he served as an operations officer for the CIA’s counterterrorism center.

Daniel Akerson

Former General Motors CEO Daniel Akerson received a bachelor’s degree in engineering from the United States Naval Academy in 1970 and served in the Navy for five years, according to multiple reports. In an interview with Fortune, Akerson credited his military service for helping him in his business career. 

In 2010, Daniel Akerson took over as CEO of GM, succeeding Edward Whitacre. He held the position until 2014, when he announced his retirement. 

In 2013, GM credited Akerson with guiding the company to “record profits and dramatic improvement in vehicle quality while closing the chapter on government ownership in the company.” 

Immediately after the company’s initial public offering in November 2010, GM said it recorded 15 consecutive quarters of profitability under his leadership. The company also re-invested nearly $9 billion and created or retained more than 25,000 jobs at its U.S. plants. In 2013, it earned the best overall initial vehicle quality scores of any auto manufacturer, the company said. 

Lowell C. McAdam

Lowell C. McAdam is the chairperson and former chief executive officer of Verizon Communications. He sat at the helm of the company between 2011 and 2018.

Verizon credited him as being one of the architects of today’s global wireless industry, having built wireless businesses on three continents since the technology’s development in the 1980s. 

Before his longstanding career within the telecommunications industry, McAdam earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Cornell and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of San Diego, according to Verizon. He spent six years in the U.S. Navy Civil Engineer Corps and became a licensed professional engineer in 1979.

Mark Clouse 

Mark Clouse became the CEO of the Campbell Soup Company in January 2019. He is the 14th leader in the company’s more than 150-year history.

Long before jumping into the food industry, he served in the United States Army as a pilot, eventually completing his service as a captain, according to Campbell. 

He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. 

James D. Taiclet

James “Jim” Taiclet has been the chief executive officer of Lockheed Martin Corp. since June 2020. 

Taiclet started his career as a U.S. Air Force officer and pilot. According to Lockheed Martin, he logged over 5,000 flying hours as an aircraft commander, instructor pilot and unit chief of Standardization and Evaluation.  

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He was a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy and later earned a master’s degree at Princeton University.

Former CEO of Lockheed Martin, Robert J. Stevens, who sat at the helm of the company from August 2004 through December 2012, also served in the U.S. Marine Corps for six years, according to Lockheed Martin. 

Frederick W. Smith 

The founder and former CEO of FedEx, Frederick W. Smith, was an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps before he started the package service company.

Before he started FedEx in 1973, Smith did four years of service in the Marines, which included two tours of duty in Vietnam.

He stepped down as CEO of FedEx in June 2022 after growing the company into a global enterprise for nearly 50 years. 

Ken Hicks

Ken C. Hicks took over as the CEO of PetSmart, the omnichannel pet retailer, in October 2024. He simultaneously joined the company’s board of directors. 

Before that, Hicks served as CEO of Academy Sports + Outdoors. He has been credited with helping the business achieve sales and profit margin growth. According to PetSmart, he also built a strong e-commerce business and completed an initial public offering during his time at Academy Sports. 

Prior to that, he spent five years leading Foot Locker.

Hicks graduated from West Point and served in the U.S. Army, according to Academy. He also received his MBA from Harvard Business School. 

Scott Wine

Scott Wine served as CEO of CNH Industrial, a global capital goods company, from January 2021 to April 2024. 

CNH Industrial announced earlier this year that Wine decided to leave the company after successfully overseeing the execution of its 2021 business plan. 

Prior to that, Wine was the CEO of Polaris Industries Inc. since September 2008. 

Wine has also held roles at defense companies including United Technologies, Danaher Corp. and Allied Signal Corp., which became Honeywell International Inc. 

Wine is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy and an MBA from the University of Maryland.

Sumner Redstone

The late Sumner Redstone was the former chairman and CEO of National Amusements, which eventually took control of Viacom in 1996, and CBS in 2000. The companies operated as ViacomCBS before the name transitioned to Paramount Global in February 2022. 

Skydance Media and Paramount Global merged in July 2024. 

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During his early career, he served in the U.S. Army during World War II, cracking Japanese military codes, according to reports.

Redstone died in 2020 at the age of 97. 

Robert A. McDonald

Robert A. McDonald served as the CEO of Procter & Gamble for four years until retiring in 2013. He had been with the company for over three decades. 

In 2014, then-President Barack Obama tapped McDonald to become the secretary of Veterans Affairs. 

McDonald is a graduate of West Point and served in the U.S. Army with the 82nd Airborne Division, according to his website.

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James A. Skinner

James A. Skinner is the former executive chairman of Walgreens Boots Alliance and former CEO of McDonald’s. 

He served in the U.S. Navy for almost 10 years, including during the Vietnam War, according to Veterans Advantage.