1.8 trillion dollars. That’s the total revenue of a small but select group of companies—the top 10 companies in the IndustryWeek U.S. 500 list of U.S. public manufacturers. To put that staggering number into perspective, that represents nearly 12% of U.S. GDP, or almost 3% of the total global GDP. If those 10 companies were their own country, they would represent the 11th biggest economy in the world. By any comparative yardstick, then, that’s a lot of money generated by a very small number of companies.
You may be able to instantly recognize media-favorite moguls like Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, Larry Ellison and Jeff Bezos, but how well do you know the people who manage the finances for of the ten biggest U.S. manufacturers? ExxonMobil by itself generates close to half a trillion dollars in revenue, but can you name its CFO? (That’s a trick question, since ExxonMobil doesn’t use the CFO title, opting instead for “principal financial officer.”)
This photo gallery will familiarize you with the top finance professionals at the 10 biggest U.S. manufacturing companies, and give you a sense of the career paths each of them followed to reach their positions.
