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| Inducted: |
2009 |
| Region: |
U.S. |
| Industry: |
Communication
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Edward E. Whitacre Jr. began his career with Southwestern Bell Telephone Company in 1963 and progressed through a series of assignments in the company. In 1988, Whitacre became president and chief operating officer, responsible for the SBC's six primary subsidiaries. Within 16 months, he became chairman and CEO.
Whitacre served as chairman and CEO of the company from 1990 until retiring in 2007. In that time, he led then-SBC Communications on a disciplined growth strategy and through a series of industry-changing mergers and acquisitions, including the 2005 acquisition of AT&T Corp. SBC and the new AT&T have repeatedly been named by Fortune magazine as the most admired telecommunications company in America and the world. Forbes magazine named AT&T "Company of the Year" in 2006.
Whitacre currently serves on the boards of Burlington Northern Santa Fe, Exxon Mobil and the PGA Tour. He is also on the board of the Institute for International Economics and is a member of The Business Council.
Whitacre's leadership extends beyond the corporate community - and into the community at-large - where he is actively involved in a wide variety of educational and civic activities. He has earned a number of awards for his contributions including being named one of the Top 25 Executives of the Year by BusinessWeek and in 2006, he was named Texan of the Year by the Texas Legislative Conference. |
