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Immelt, the man for GE
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November 27, 2000: 3:30 p.m. ET
A company veteran, Immelt was youngest candidate for firm's top job
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NEW YORK (CNNfn) - Jeffrey Immelt, named successor to John "Jack" Welch as head of General Electric Co. Monday, is a veteran at GE, as was his father before him.
At 44, Immelt is by far the youngest candidate of the front-runners who were vying for Welch's job; despite that, he also was a heavy favorite for the top slot.
Immelt joined the Fairfield, Conn.-based conglomerate in 1982 and most recently served as president and chief executive of GE Medical Systems, a $7 billion GE unit where profit is humming and demand for big-ticket medical imaging and patient-monitoring equipment is roaring.
 Analysts and friends say the 6-foot-4-inch Immelt, whose hobbies include golf and reading, possesses the commanding physical presence of a college football player and the intellectual strength necessary to inspire management and workers at GE, a huge conglomerate that makes everything from light bulbs to medical equipment and also owns the NBC broadcast network.
He has a fine sense of humor and an ability to present himself well, not unlike Welch, the man he will succeed as chairman and chief executive at the end of 2001.
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 IMMELT FACTS
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Born: Feb. 19, 1956
Education: Dartmouth College, B.S., Harvard M.B.A
Joined GE in 1982
Married, one daughter.
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"Jeff Immelt is a natural leader and ideally suited to lead GE for many years," Welch said in a statement announcing the appointment. "He brings a keen strategic intellect, a cutting-edge technological background, strong leadership characteristics and a unique set of team-building skills. We're all extremely excited to have Jeff help move us forward."
The move was not unexpected. Last July, when Immelt and two other GE executives were being touted for Welch's job, in a Reuters poll of nine analysts and GE watchers, six predicted Immelt would get the nod.
"Immelt clearly runs the best business at GE -- GE Medical," Bill Fiala, an analyst at Edward Jones, said at that time. "He's taken it international, and he's done a fantastic job designing new products and capturing market share.
 Under Immelt's leadership, GE's medical systems division has grown and prospered through a series of strategic niche acquisitions and major product launches. In 1996, Immelt completed three acquisitions for $1.3 billion, growing the division into a $6 billion company the size of General Mills.
Born Feb. 19, 1956, Immelt grew up in the suburbs of Cincinnati, where his father Joseph worked for 38 years at GE Aircraft Engines. He earned an applied mathematics degree in 1978 from Dartmouth College, where he also played offensive tackle on the football team. He later earned his MBA from Harvard University. He and his wife Andrea have one daughter.
From 1983 to 1989, Immelt held a variety of positions at GE Plastics, including vice president of consumer service and vice president of worldwide marketing and product management at GE Appliances. From 1991 to 1996, Immelt served as vice president and general manager of GE Plastics Americas Commercial Division.
In afternoon trading, shares of GE (GE: Research, Estimates) were up 56 cents to $49.94 on the New York Stock Exchange. 
--from staff and wire reports
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