Douglas Oberhelman: Caterpillar CEO

Douglas Oberhelman was born on February 25, 1953 in the state of Illinois. His father was a John Deere salesman and Douglas was raised in Woodstock, Illinois. He earned a bachelor’s degree at Millikin University in 1975.

He is a career Caterpillar employee joining the company right after graduation in 1975 in the Caterpillar treasury department. Over the years he has worked in or led in a wide variety of business across the firm.  In 1995 he was named vice president and chief financial officer. He was elected a group president in 2002 and oversaw Caterpillar’s engine and power systems businesses. Douglas has worked and lived in North America, South America and Asia over the course of his career at Caterpillar.

Douglas became the CEO in July 1, 2010 and chairman on November 1, 2010.  Among others he is a member of the Board of Directors of Eli Lilly and Company, chairman of the National Association of Manufacturers and vice chairman of the Business Council.

Caterpillar recorded sales and revenue of $55.6 billion in 2013. It is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of construction and mining equipment.