Ellen Kullman ’83, Former Chair and CEO DuPont

Ellen Kullman

"Leadership in Uncertain Times"

01/12/16 - When Ellen Kullman ‘83 was named CEO (and later, Chair) of DuPont in October of 2008, barely two weeks had passed since Lehman Brothers’ bankruptcy sent Wall Street into a panic. Over the next seven years, Kullman would shepherd DuPont through one of the toughest economic periods in modern history, tripling its stock price by doubling down on research and development and moving away from some of the company’s legacy products.

Kullman spoke with Dean Sally Blount ’92 about being a female executive, facing the uncertainty of the 2007-2008 financial crisis and dealing with activist investors, during the Brave Leader Series, made possible by the generosity of Donna and Lloyd Morgan, BBA '62 & KSM ’63.


Former DuPont CEO Ellen Kullman ‘83 On Rising Up the Ranks as a Female Engineer:

Former DuPont CEO Ellen Kullman ‘83 On Knowing What Your Reputation Is:

Former DuPont CEO Ellen Kullman ‘83 On Her First Lessons as a CEO:

Former DuPont CEO Ellen Kullman ‘83 On Her No-Regrets Policy:

Kellogg Leader events

The Brave Leader 2019-2020 series has featured:

Shannon Sedgwick Davis, CEO, Bridgeway Foundation & Author, To Stop A Warlord (1/13)

Hiro Mizuno ’95, Executive Managing Director, Global Pension Investment Fund of Japan (9/25)

About the Series

Kellogg hosts prominent leaders from business, government and civil society who engage the community in thought-provoking discussions about key issues facing the business community and the world at large.