The Business Council is a nonpartisan organization of business leaders headquartered in Washington, D.C. [1] [2] [3] [4] It holds meetings several times a year for high-level policy discussions. [5]
The Business Council allows global CEOs to gather and network along with leaders in politics, science, and academia. [6] The organization is guided by the belief that the business community's contributions to public discourse and governance are in the interest of the common good of the American people. [7] [8]
Membership is by invitation-only and limited to CEOs of leading multinational businesses personally selected by fellow members of The Business Council. [1] [5] [9] [10] The organization is strictly nonpartisan and headquartered in Washington, D.C. [5]
During the COVID-19 pandemic, The Business Council helped global companies navigate the public health crisis. [11] The organization conducted weekly CEO calls at the height of the pandemic, inviting chief executives and other experts to discuss COVID vaccines, treatments, and other topics. [12]
In collaboration with The Conference Board, The Business Council issues a quarterly “Measure of CEO Confidence,” surveying more than 100 CEOs about current economic conditions and expectations about the future. [13] The chief executives also share their sentiments about U.S. employment, recruiting, wages, capital spending, and other economic indicators. [14] Roger W. Ferguson, Jr., vice chairman of The Business Council, has appeared on CNBC to discuss the survey findings. [15]
Marlene Colucci serves as CEO of The Business Council. [16] Appointed in 2013, Colucci has held leadership positions in public policy at the White House, U.S. Department of Labor, and American Hotel and Lodging Association. [17] She describes the organization as "an important voice for the business community with a high level of personal engagement by its members.” [18]
Prior to Colucci, Philip Cassidy served as executive director of The Business Council for more than two decades. [19]
The Business Council was founded by Secretary of Commerce Daniel C. Roper and investment banker Sidney Weinberg as the Business Advisory Council for the United States Department of Commerce in 1933, under President Franklin D. Roosevelt. [1] [2] [3] [20] It formed the Industrial Advisory Board for the National Recovery Administration during the Great Depression. [1] It also established committees to discuss the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Banking Act of 1935 and the Social Security Act. [20]
According to the Detroit Free Press , the organization was designed “for corporate titans to offer counsel and advise to the federal government.” [21] It was renamed The Business Council as an organization independent from the Department of Commerce in 1961, under President John F. Kennedy. [22] In 2009, then-President Barack Obama claimed, “Every President since Franklin Delano Roosevelt has sought the advice of the Business Council.” [23]
The executive committee is composed of the following people: [24] [25] [26]
Lee Roy Raymond is an American businessman and was the chief executive officer (CEO) and chairman of ExxonMobil from 1999 to 2005. He had previously been the CEO of Exxon since 1993. He joined the company in 1963 and served as president from 1987 and a director beginning in 1984.
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The Business Roundtable (BRT) is a nonprofit lobbyist association based in Washington, D.C. whose members are chief executive officers of major United States companies. Unlike the United States Chamber of Commerce, whose members are entire businesses, BRT members are exclusively CEOs. The BRT lobbies for public policy that is favorable to business interests, such as lowering corporate taxes in the U.S. and internationally, as well as international trade policy like the North American Free Trade Agreement.
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Angela Fick Braly is an American executive. She served as president and chief executive officer of WellPoint, a large U.S.-based provider of health insurance, and was a member of the company's board of directors. She assumed those responsibilities on June 1, 2007, following several high-profile roles for the company. She resigned in August 2012 due to shareholder criticism. Since May 2016, she has been a member of the board of directors of ExxonMobil.
Steven S. Reinemund is an American businessman who was chairman and chief executive officer of PepsiCo between 2001 and 2006 and dean of the Schools of Business at Wake Forest University between 2008 and 2014. Reinemund spent 22 years working for PepsiCo in various capacities. During his CEO tenure at PepsiCo, revenues grew by $9 billion, net income rose 70%, earnings per share were up 80% and PepsiCo's market cap exceeded $100 billion. He led the acquisitions of several other food and beverage companies including Quaker Oats, Naked Juice, Izze and Stacy's Chips.
ExxonMobil Corporation is an American multinational oil and gas corporation and the largest direct descendant of John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil. The company, which took its present name in 1999 per the merger of Exxon and Mobil, is vertically integrated across the entire oil and gas industry, and within it is also a chemicals division which produces plastic, synthetic rubber, and other chemical products. ExxonMobil is headquartered near the Houston suburb of Spring, Texas, though officially incorporated in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The company is the largest oil and gas company based in the US, America's third largest by revenue among all industries, and the eighth largest in the world.
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