Ellen Kullman
Born 1956 · Age 69
American business executive; longtime DuPont leader (President, CEO, Chair), board director, and (since Nov 2019) CEO of Carbon. First woman to lead DuPont; multiple corporate board and public service roles; recipient of several major awards.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in Wilmington, Delaware
Ellen Jamison (later Kullman) was born to Joseph and Margaret Jamison in Wilmington, DE.
Attended/Graduated Tower Hill School (approx.)
Attended Tower Hill School in Wilmington, Delaware (secondary education). Exact graduation year not stated; estimated mid-1970s.
Played college basketball at Tufts (years active, approx.)
Tufts biography notes she was a former basketball player while at Tufts University.
Earned B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Tufts University
Graduated from Tufts University with a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering.
Began career at General Electric (approx.)
Worked at General Electric prior to joining DuPont; exact start year not specified, placed after Kellogg and before 1988 DuPont move.
Earned Master's degree in Management, Kellogg School (Northwestern)
Received a master's degree in management from Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
Joined DuPont as Marketing Manager, Medical Imaging
Joined DuPont in the medical imaging business as a marketing manager — start of a long DuPont career.
Named Vice President & GM, White Pigment & Mineral Products
Became vice president and general manager of DuPont's White Pigment & Mineral Products business.
Assumed leadership of DuPont Safety Resources
Placed in charge of DuPont Safety Resources, a high-growth business within DuPont.
Launched/led DuPont Bio-Based Materials business
Assumed leadership of DuPont's Bio-Based Materials (industrial biosciences) initiative/start-up business.
Named Group Vice President, DuPont Safety & Protection
Promoted to Group Vice President, overseeing the Safety & Protection platform.
Elected Director, General Motors board
Joined the board of directors of General Motors (served 2004–2008).
Named Executive Vice President, DuPont
In 2006 she became Executive Vice President with responsibility for three business platforms and functions including Marketing & Sales.
Elected to Board of Trustees, Tufts University
Joined the board of trustees at her alma mater, Tufts University.
Named by Wall Street Journal as 'Women to Watch' (8th)
Wall Street Journal named her 8th on its 2008 list of Women to Watch.
Named one of Fortune's 50 Most Powerful Women (15th)
Fortune magazine ranked Kullman 15th in its 2008 list of the world's 50 most powerful women.
Resigned from General Motors board
Resigned from the GM board in 2008 (after becoming DuPont President).
Elected President & Director of DuPont (effective Oct 1, 2008)
DuPont's board elected Kullman President and a director effective October 1, 2008.
Ranked 5th on Fortune's 50 Most Powerful Women (2009)
Fortune magazine ranked her 5th in 2009 list of the world's 50 most powerful women.
Became Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of DuPont
Assumed the role of Chief Executive Officer of DuPont effective January 1, 2009; first woman CEO in DuPont's 212-year history.
Elected Chair of DuPont's Board (effective Dec 31, 2009)
DuPont's board elected Kullman as Chair effective December 31, 2009; she served as Chair and CEO.
Public recognition and speaking engagements (e.g., Davos, major conferences)
Spoke at major global forums including the World Economic Forum in Davos (photo dated Jan 30, 2009) and numerous business school events; frequent public speaker during CEO tenure.
Ranked 5th on Fortune's 50 Most Powerful Women (2010)
Fortune magazine again placed her among the top 5 most powerful women in 2010.
Member, Executive Committee of The Business Council (2011–2013)
Served on the Executive Committee of The Business Council between 2011 and 2013.
Member, U.S.–India CEO Forum and other policy groups (approx.)
Listed as member of U.S.-India CEO Forum and other civic/business groups (exact membership dates not fully specified).
Fortune ranking: Top 50 Most Powerful Women (repeat mentions)
Continued recognition in major publications (Fortune/Forbes lists) during CEO tenure.
Named Sellinger's Business Leader of the Year (approx.)
Received Sellinger's Business Leader of the Year (Loyola University Maryland announcement archived 2013).
Elected Chair, US–China Business Council
On June 6, 2013, the US–China Business Council announced Kullman had been elected as its Chair.
Ranked 31st on Forbes' 100 Most Powerful Women (2014)
Forbes ranked her 31st among the World's 100 Most Powerful Women in 2014.
Awarded BIO George Washington Carver Award (2014)
Named recipient of the 2014 Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) George Washington Carver Award for industrial biotech innovation.
International Palladium Medal announced (award 2015)
DuPont announced Kullman would be awarded the International Palladium Medal (Société de Chimie Industrielle); announcement Oct 7, 2014 (award dated 2015).
DuPont stock performance milestone during CEO tenure
Under Kullman's leadership (2009–2015) DuPont's stock price reportedly more than tripled (Tufts citation referencing a >3x increase over her tenure).
Elected Member, National Academy of Engineering
Elected to NAE in 2015 for leadership in growth and transformation of a global science and engineering company.
Received International Palladium Medal (2015)
Recipient of the International Palladium Medal (Société de Chimie Industrielle, American Section) in 2015.
Received Pete du Pont Individual Freedom Award
Named recipient of the Pete du Pont Individual Freedom Award (2015).
Named Engineering Leader of the Year (Drexel University)
Received Drexel University College of Engineering's Engineering Leader of the Year Award (announced Feb 26, 2015).
DuPont announced Kullman's retirement (effective Oct 16, 2015)
DuPont announced her retirement after a battle with activist investor Nelson Peltz and Trian; retirement effective Oct 16, 2015.
Retired as Chair & CEO of DuPont (effective Oct 16, 2015)
Officially stepped down from DuPont leadership after seven years as CEO.
Awarded Delaware's Order of the First State
Received Delaware's highest civilian honor, the Order of the First State, in December 2015.
Named co-chair of Paradigm for Parity (approx.)
Recognized as a co-chair of Paradigm for Parity, a coalition working toward gender parity in corporate leadership (dates cited in Tufts citation; precise start date not given).
Received Msgr. Thomas J. Reese Award (Catholic Charities)
Catholic Charities named Kullman recipient of the Msgr. Thomas J. Reese Award (announcement Jan 2016).
Joined board of Carbon (approx. 2016)
Became a board member of Carbon (3D printing company) in 2016 (Wikipedia/Conference Board indicate Carbon board membership from 2016).
Named to board roles at United Technologies and other firms (ongoing)
Served on the boards of United Technologies (since 2009) and other corporations; Conference Board notes board roles with Dell, Amgen, Goldman Sachs, Carbon, etc.
Philanthropy: Kullman Term Scholarship and gifts to Tufts (timing approx.)
With her husband Michael, created the Kullman Term Scholarship and supported other Tufts gifts (endowed fellowship for Linda Abriola, women's basketball room); dates associated with trustee philanthropy across 2006–2018.
Spoke at Kellogg 'Brave Leader' Series
Delivered 'Leadership in Uncertain Times' talk at Kellogg School of Management on Jan 12, 2016.
Appointed to Amgen Board of Directors
Amgen announced Kullman's appointment to its board on October 14, 2016.
Joined Goldman Sachs Board as Independent Director
Kullman joined the board of directors of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. as an independent director on December 21, 2016.
Commencement speaking engagement at Tufts (May 20, 2018)
Delivered commencement address while receiving honorary degree; speech met with campus protests concerning her DuPont tenure and corporate environmental issues.
Trustee Emerita, Tufts University (term concluded 2016, status noted 2018)
Named trustee emerita upon conclusion of trustee term (term ended 2016; noted in Tufts 2018 citation describing her continued affiliation and philanthropy).
Tufts announced award of honorary degree (Doctor of Science)
Tufts University announced Kullman would be awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree (announcement March 26, 2018).
Received honorary Doctor of Science from Tufts; commencement protest
Awarded an honorary degree at Tufts' commencement; hundreds of students protested her selection and turned their backs during her speech.
Controversy: Chemours environmental liability legal context
Following litigation and reporting about PFOA/PFAS contamination and corporate spin-offs, courts and human-rights outlets documented disputes; Kullman responded to accusations in Oct 2019 regarding DuPont-era liability handling.
Responded publicly to accusations about Chemours environmental liabilities
In October 2019, she addressed accusations that DuPont (during her tenure) had inappropriately delegated environmental liabilities to spin-off Chemours.
Carbon company valuation cited at over $2.5 billion
CNBC reported Carbon was worth over $2.5 billion at the time Kullman became CEO (Nov 2019).
Named CEO of Carbon (effective Nov 2019)
Took the reins as Chief Executive Officer of Carbon, a 3D-printing company, in November 2019.
Ongoing board and advisory roles (Goldman Sachs, Amgen, United Technologies, Carbon, Dell)
Continues serving on multiple corporate boards and advisory councils including Goldman Sachs, Amgen, United Technologies (and others noted by Conference Board).
Named one of Top 50 Best CEOs for Small/Mid-Size Companies (Comparably)
Comparably named Kullman among the Top 50 Best CEOs for Small/Mid-Size companies in 2020.
Key Achievement Ages
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