TBHF 30×30: Edward E. Whitacre, Jr.

April 12th, 2023

12:00 pm CST

Zoom

Named one of the Top 25 Executives of the Year by BusinessWeek and the recipient of the Corporate Leadership Award from the National Minority Supplier Development Council, Ed Whitacre has leveraged his considerable corporate leadership skills for such Fortune 500 organizations as General Motors and AT&T.

Ed’s mission as a transformative leader took new shape when he joined GM as Chairman when the new company launched in July 2009 and held that position until the end of December 2010. He also served as Chief Executive Officer from December 2009 through August 2010. In his expanded leadership role, Ed set a clear vision for GM: Design, Build and Sell the World’s Best Vehicles.

As chairman and CEO of AT&T from 1990 until June 2007, Ed led then-SBC Communications (SBC) on a disciplined growth strategy and through a series of industry-changing mergers & acquisitions, including the 2005 acquisition of AT&T Corp., after which the company adopted the venerable name, AT&T Inc. (AT&T).

Under Ed’s leadership, SBC made significant domestic and international investments as well as 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.

Ed previously served as a member of The Business Council, the President’s National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee and the boards of the Institute for International Economics, Anheuser-Busch Companies, Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation, Exxon Mobil Corporation and the PGA Tour.

His book, American Turnaround – Reinventing AT&T and GM and the Way We Do Business in the USA, with Leslie Cauley, was released in February 2013.

Mr. Whitacre is married to Linda Whitacre and they have two daughters and four grandchildren.

This event is generously sponsored by Messick Peacock & Associates.

About Messick Peacock & Associates

Messick Peacock & Associates is a Dallas-based boutique wealth management practice that believes you should never stop growing: financially or personally. They help clients see through the noise of information and provide the courage, clarity and calm to make better decisions.

Please note: this event is offered exclusively to TBHF members. Please do not distribute or share this event with the general public. Only TBHF members will be permitted to join the call.