Date of Birth: November 19, 1935
Zodiac Sign: Scorpio
Date of Death: March 1, 2020
Biography
John Francis “Jack” Welch Jr. was a renowned American business executive, best known for his role as the Chairman and CEO of General Electric (GE) from 1981 to 2001. Born in Peabody, Massachusetts, Welch grew up in a working-class family. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 1957, and later received his Master’s and PhD from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Welch joined General Electric in 1960 as a junior chemical engineer and quickly rose through the ranks due to his innovative ideas and leadership skills. Under his tenure as CEO, GE’s market value increased from $12 billion to $410 billion, making it one of the most valuable companies in the world. Known for his management style, which emphasized efficiency, meritocracy, and rigorous performance evaluations, Welch left a lasting impact on the business world. He authored several books, including his autobiography “Jack: Straight from the Gut” and “Winning,” co-written with his third wife, Suzy Welch.
5 Interesting Facts about Jack Welch
1. Jack Welch was named “Manager of the Century” by Fortune magazine in 1999.
2. He introduced the “Six Sigma” quality control initiative at GE, which became a benchmark in the industry.
3. Welch was known for his “Rank and Yank” policy, where the bottom 10% of employees were let go annually.
4. He grew GE’s revenues from $25 billion to $130 billion during his tenure.
5. Welch was a significant advocate for globalization and expanded GE’s operations into emerging markets.
5 Most Interesting Quotes from Jack Welch
1. “Change before you have to.”
2. “An organization’s ability to learn, and translate that learning into action rapidly, is the ultimate competitive advantage.”
3. “If you don’t have a competitive advantage, don’t compete.”
4. “Control your own destiny or someone else will.”
5. “Face reality as it is, not as it was or as you wish it to be.”
Highest Net Worth Achieved
At the peak of his career, Jack Welch’s net worth was estimated to be around $720 million.
Children
Jack Welch had four children: John Welch III, Katherine Welch, Anne Welch, and Mark Welch.
Relevant Links
1. [Jack Welch on Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Welch
2. [Jack Welch’s profile on Britannica](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jack-Welch
3. [Jack Welch Institute at Strayer University](https://www.jwmi.com/
5. [Jack Welch’s books on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/Jack-Welch/e/B001H6M8MG
