CEO OF THE WEEK: Jun 13, 2003 Bob Walter Cardinal Health, Chairman and CEO
Bob Walter founded Cardinal Health as a food wholesaler at age 26 before transforming the company into one of the fastest growing pharmaceutical distributors in the industry. Now No. 19 on the Fortune 500, Cardinal Health employs more than 50,000 people on five continents with annual revenues exceeding $50 billion.
Bob Walter: Bio and Career Highlights Age: 57
Education: Walter graduated with a B.S. in mechanical engineering from Ohio University and received his MBA from Harvard Business School.
Resume: In addition to his duties at Cardinal, Walter sits on the boards of American Express and Viacom.
Corporate culture Board of Directors: Cardinal's board is made up of independent directors, with the exception of Walter.
Stock options: Stock options are not expensed but are reflected the company's 10-K filing.
Charity: The Cardinal Health Foundation, formed in 2001, supports health care, disaster relief programs and children's causes. Past gifts include a $1 million donation to 911 Disaster Relief and $300,000 ($100,000 a year for 3 years) to the United Nations Children's Fund to support an internship program.
Says Walter: "I respect people that can do more than just make money for themselves. I respect people who can actually share some of their talents with the rest of society."
What I'm most proud of
"For the last 60-some quarters, more than 15 years, we've grown our earnings per share at a rate in excess of 20 percent."
What drives me
"I'm very competitive, and if there's anything that would get me upset it's to know that there was an opportunity that I or our company could have achieved but didn't because we either didn't see it or didn't work hard enough."
