Apple appoints Ronald D. Sugar to its board of directors

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
Apple on Wednesday announced that Dr. Ronald D. Sugar, former Chairman of the Board and CEO of Northrop Grumman Corporation, was appointed to the company's board of directors.



Sugar will serve as the Chair of the Audit and Finance Committee for Apple. He served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at Northrop Grumman Corporation from 2003 until his retirement in 2010. Previous to Northrop, he held executive positions at Litton Industries and TRW Inc., where he served as chief financial officer.



"Ron is an engineer at heart, who then became a very successful business leader. We are very excited to welcome him to Apple?s Board," said Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs. "In addition to having been the CEO of a high-tech Fortune 100 company, Ron has a Ph.D. in engineering and has been involved in the development of some very sophisticated technology."



Sugar is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and a fellow of both the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and the Royal Aeronautical Society. He is also a director of Chevron Corporation, Amgen Inc. and Air Lease Corporation, and serves as a senior advisor to the private investment firm Ares Management LLC.



"I have always had enormous admiration for the people of Apple," Sugar said. "It is a special privilege to serve on the board of such an amazing company."



Sugar is a trustee of the University of Southern California, where he also holds the Judge Widney Chair as Professor of Management and Technology. He is a member of the boards of UCLA Anderson School of Management, the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra and several other philanthropic organizations focused on children and education.



He graduated summa cum laude in engineering in 1968 from the University of California, Los Angeles, where he also received master?s and doctorate degrees in the same field. He subsequently completed executive programs at Stanford, Wharton and Harvard.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 26
    Hope this former airplane builder exec makes more contributions to Apple Inc than a notorious sugar water salesman did.



    Guess I'll have to look at his bio to see specifically what computer and marketing qualifications he brings to the table.
  • Reply 2 of 26
    He seems like a nice pick but I'd like someone who is more educated.
  • Reply 3 of 26
    zoetmbzoetmb Posts: 2,654member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Felix01 View Post


    Hope this former airplane builder exec makes more contributions to Apple Inc than a notorious sugar water salesman did.



    Guess I'll have to look at his bio to see specifically what computer and marketing qualifications he brings to the table.



    There's a big difference between a Board Member and a CEO. Members of the Board get involved only in very large strategic and policy decisions (such as acquisitions) as well as corporate governance and big legal issues. In addition, they hire the CEO. And they only work for the company part-time, usually just showing up for monthly or quarterly Board meetings.



    A CEO runs the company day-to-day, although many CEOs only involve themselves in overall strategy and the biggest sales relationships. Obviously, Jobs is a very hands-on CEO. Board Members do not need specific computer or marketing qualifications.
  • Reply 4 of 26
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by tabletop96 View Post


    He seems like a nice pick but I'd like someone who is more educated.



    You kidding me? more educated? the guy is a phd in engineering which is incredibly hard to earn
  • Reply 5 of 26
    iF-16.



    Cool.



    Lockheed, start your photocopiers!
  • Reply 6 of 26
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by FastRunner View Post


    You kidding me? more educated? the guy is a phd in engineering which is incredibly hard to earn



    I think he was being sarcastic...
  • Reply 7 of 26
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by zoetmb View Post


    There's a big difference between a Board Member and a CEO. Members of the Board get involved only in very large strategic and policy decisions (such as acquisitions) as well as corporate governance and big legal issues. In addition, they hire the CEO. And they only work for the company part-time, usually just showing up for monthly or quarterly Board meetings.



    A CEO runs the company day-to-day, although many CEOs only involve themselves in overall strategy and the biggest sales relationships. Obviously, Jobs is a very hands-on CEO. Board Members do not need specific computer or marketing qualifications.



    Many Board Members seem to be seat-fillers and add no value to companies. They exist to collect a check for agreeing with the people who brought them in. ...No bitterness here, but most of these people exist for dubious reasons.
  • Reply 8 of 26
    citycity Posts: 522member
    Apple Jet?
  • Reply 9 of 26
    malaxmalax Posts: 1,598member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SpamSandwich View Post


    Many Board Members seem to be seat-fillers and add no value to companies. They exist to collect a check for agreeing with the people who brought them in. ...No bitterness here, but most of these people exist for dubious reasons.



    I get the sense that the Apple board is rather important. If nothing else it's a sounding board of very powerful "grownups" for Jobs. This choice is interesting in that the conventional wisdom is that Apple is intentionally giving up on business markets (e.g., through it's handling of xServe) in favor of consumer goods. Obviously this guy has zero experience on the consumer goods side and it a classic big-business guy.
  • Reply 10 of 26
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by city View Post


    Apple Jet?



    Oh come on, you mean iJet !



    Actually, I like iFighter better.
  • Reply 11 of 26
    quinneyquinney Posts: 2,528member
    degrees from UCLA and trustee at USC?

    Maybe he is being brought in to smooth things over with Adobe
  • Reply 12 of 26
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    . . .
  • Reply 13 of 26
    This site needs more grown ups as well.
  • Reply 14 of 26
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by quinney View Post


    Maybe he is being brought in to smooth things over with Adobe



    Fat chance.



    As long as Steve Jobs is CEO, Apple's relationship with Adobe will continue to be prickly.
  • Reply 15 of 26
    Interesting that we seem to have higher standards for those who sit on ceremonial corporate boards than we do for those who run (or run for running) our country. "I've got opinions and a BA from Spearfish State College so I am qualified to run the free world!"
  • Reply 16 of 26
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by cvaldes1831 View Post


    Fat chance.



    As long as Steve Jobs is CEO, Apple's relationship with Adobe will continue to be prickly.



    I think you missed his joke. USC . . . UCLA . . . famous rivalry . . . ? He's associated with both schools . . .
  • Reply 17 of 26
    Northrop Grumman Corporation - A Leader in Global Security

    Designer, systems integrator and manufacturer of military aircraft, defense electronics, precision weapons, commercial and military aerostructures.



    "We must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist. We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together."



    -President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Republican, five-star general, Supreme Commander of the Allied forces in Europe, Supreme Commander of NATO
  • Reply 18 of 26
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by malax View Post


    I get the sense that the Apple board is rather important. If nothing else it's a sounding board of very powerful "grownups" for Jobs. This choice is interesting in that the conventional wisdom is that Apple is intentionally giving up on business markets (e.g., through it's handling of xServe) in favor of consumer goods. Obviously this guy has zero experience on the consumer goods side and it a classic big-business guy.



    Perhaps he keeps Apple in good stead with the military and government procurement offices..?
  • Reply 19 of 26
    Sweet!
  • Reply 20 of 26
    Hey Sugar!
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