Jeffrey Immelt, who graduated from Dartmouth in 1978, was named the next chairman and chief executive of General Electric in late November and will take office at the end of 2001.
Immelt will follow the highly successful Jack Welch, who also became chief of the company in his mid 40s. The New York Times called Welch "one of the world's most imitated business leaders" and explained that as chief executive, the company grew expansively.
Some critics have wondered whether Immelt will be able to fill Welch's formidable shoes. Under Welch, the company's revenues quadrupled and its earnings increased more than six-fold.
"While Mr. Immelt is inheriting an extraordinarily well-managed company in General Electric, he faces extraordinary expectations from analysts and investors," the New York Times wrote.
However, there are many similarities between the two men who both started out in the plastics division of GE and both rose quickly in the ranks of the company.
Immelt graduated from Dartmouth with a B.S. degree in Applied Mathematics from and later received an MBA from Harvard.
While at Dartmouth, Immelt was a member of Phi Delta Alpha fraternity, which was derecognized last winter by the College. He was president of his fraternity senior year, as well as vice president of the Interfraternity Council.
Immelt also played four years of football for the College and was a member of the secret society called "Dragon."
Immelt began his GE career four years after his graduation from Dartmouth, and following a brief assignment with Corporate Marketing, he held a series of leadership roles with GE Plastics in sales, marketing and global product management.
In 1989, Immelt joined GE Appliances in as Vice President of Consumer Service, and in 1991 was named Vice President of Worldwide Marketing and Product Management. He rejoined GE Plastics in 1992 as vice president and general manager of GE Plastics-Americas Commercial Division.
Immelt was appointed president and CEO of GE Medical Systems in 1997.
Immelt and his wife Andrea have one daughter, Sarah.