Douglas R. Oberhelman: CAT Man

Douglas R. Oberhelman was born in February 25, 1953 and hails from Woodstock, Illinois. His father was a John Deere salesman.  Douglas earned a bachelor’s degree in 1975 from the Milikin University.

Upon graduation he joined earth-moving giant Caterpillar (CAT). Douglas has never been employed anywhere else.  He has held various positions such as senior finance representative based in South America for Caterpillar Americas Co. Douglas was region finance manager and district manager for Caterpillar’s North American Commercial Division and was managing director and vice general manager for strategic planning at Caterpillar Japan Ltd (CJL) – Tokyo, Japan. 

Having a good deal of experience and handling of the different business of the company Douglas continued his rise through the ranks with his promotion as vice present in 1995. In this capacity he served as the company’s chief financial officer with administrative responsibility for Caterpillar’s accounting, information services, tax, treasury, investor relations and marketing support services.

More promotions came along the way until the big one came in July 1, 2010 when he was elected CEO and a member of the Board of Directors. Douglas also became chairman on November 1, 2010.

Being loyal to one company has its rewards.