Osamu Suzuki (1930–2024), chairman of Suzuki Motor Corporation

Osamu Suzuki was the longtime head of Suzuki Motor Corp., serving at various times as its CEO, chairman, and president until his retirement in 2021, and helping turn the company from a small Japanese manufacturer into a global giant. 

Clifton R. Wharton Jr. (1926–2024), former president of MSU

Clifton R. Wharton Jr. was a former Michigan State University president and deputy secretary of state who broke racial barriers when he took the MSU post in 1970.

Ben Baldanza (1961–2024), former Spirit Airlines CEO

Ben Baldanza was the former president and CEO of Spirit Airlines, best known for helping pioneer the budget airline model.

Bernard Marcus (1929–2024), co-founder of The Home Depot

Bernard Marcus was a billionaire and philanthropist who was co-founder of The Home Depot hardware stores.

Walt Ehmer (1966–2024), Waffle House CEO

Walt Ehmer was the CEO of the popular restaurant chain Waffle House from 2012 until his death.

Leonard Riggio (1941–2024), turned Barnes & Noble into a giant

Leonard Riggio was a businessman who, starting in 1971, expanded Barnes & Noble from a single Manhattan store into a nationwide book giant. 

Susan Wojcicki (1968–2024), former YouTube CEO

Susan Wojcicki was a Silicon Valley executive and the former CEO of YouTube, responsible for urging Google to purchase the then-new streaming giant in 2006.

Mary Wells Lawrence (1928–2024), legendary advertising exec

Mary Wells Lawrence was a groundbreaking advertising executive who founded Wells Rich Greene and was known for quotable ad slogans like “I ♥ NY” and “Plop, plop, fizz, fizz.” 

Kris Hallenga (1985–2024), CoppaFeel! breast cancer awareness founder

Kris Hallenga was a writer who promoted early breast cancer detection for young women after her own diagnosis at the age of 23.

Gerald M. Levin (1939–2024), exec who made Time Warner a powerhouse

Gerald M. Levin was a corporate executive who helped create the Time Warner powerhouse by guiding the merger between Time Inc., and Warner Media before leading the disastrous merger between Time Warner and AOL. 

Frank Borman (1928–2023), commander of historic Apollo 8 mission

Frank Borman was an astronaut who commanded Apollo 8, the first mission to fly around the moon. 

Florine Mark (1933–2023), former Weight Watchers president and CEO

Florine Mark was a businesswoman, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and a former president and CEO of Weight Watchers. 

Patricia Bragg (1929–2023), Bragg Live Food Products CEO

Patricia Bragg was the longtime CEO of Bragg Live Food Products, known for their apple cider vinegar and other health food staples.

Sam Zell (1941–2023), billionaire real estate tycoon 

Sam Zell was a billionaire real estate investor who was nicknamed “the Grave Dancer” for his tactic of acquiring distressed companies.0

Bill Oesterle (1965–2023), cofounder of Angie’s List 

Bill Oesterle was an online entrepreneur and influential political activist as well as the cofounder and CEO of Angie’s List, a pioneering website that was devoted to connecting users to local home improvement contractors. 

Morris Tanenbaum (1928–2023), inventions led to medical imaging tech

Morris Tanenbaum was an innovative thinker in the world of science and technology, helping the legendary Bell Labs make several technological leaps forward in the 1950s and 1960s. They include spearheading the creation of the first silicon transistor and gas-infused silicon transistor, and helping lead the team that invented the first high-field superconducting magnets. That advancement eventually led to the invention of today’s cutting edge medical imaging devices.

Gordon Moore (1929–2023), tech giant and creator of Moore’s Law

Gordon Moore’s legacy as co-founder of Intel alone made him a giant in the tech industry, helping launch one of the most successful and influential companies in the world. However, it may be the principle named after him, Moore’s Law, which will prove to be his true legacy. In layman’s terms, Moore’s Law posits that semiconductor technology will double in complexity each year (later revised to every two years). The idea held from 1975 at least into the 2010s.

Jerry Richardson (1936–2023), Carolina Panthers founder

Jerry Richardson was the founder and longtime owner of the Carolina Panthers, the second former NFL player to own a team.

James “Buster” Corley (1951–2023), co-founder of Dave & Buster’s 

James “Buster” Corley  was the co-founder of the Dave & Buster’s chain of restaurants with arcades.

Frances Hesselbein (1915–2022), former Girl Scouts CEO

Frances Hesselbein was the CEO of Girl Scouts of the USA in the 1970s and ‘80s, leading the group through notable changes.

John Y. Brown Jr. (1933–2022), former KFC owner and Kentucky governor

John Y. Brown Jr. was a businessman and politician who built KFC into a fast-food empire and went on to be elected governor of Kentucky.

Robert Toll (1940–2022), co-founder of Toll Brothers homebuilders

Robert Toll was the co-founder and former CEO of Toll Brothers, the luxury homebuilding company.

Herb Kohler Jr. (1939–2022), Kohler Co. billionaire and golf patron

Herb Kohler Jr. was the former CEO of Kohler Co., known for their plumbing products.

Bruton Smith (1927–2022), NASCAR track owner and Hall of Famer

Bruton Smith was the founder and CEO of Speedway Motorsports, who owned NASCAR tracks including the Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Chris-Tia Donaldson (1979–2021), founder and CEO of Thank God it’s Natural haircare

Chris-Tia Donaldson was the founder and CEO of Thank God it’s Natural (TGIN) haircare.

Brian Goldner (1963–2021), Hasbro CEO

Brian Goldner was the longtime CEO of the toys and games giant Hasbro, as well as a film producer.

Richard Robinson (1937–2021), CEO of children’s book publishing company Scholastic

Richard Robinson was the CEO of the children’s book publishing company Scholastic for decades, where he introduced book series including Harry Potter and the Hunger Games to the U.S.

Tony Hsieh (1973–2020), longtime Zappos CEO

Tony Hsieh was the longtime CEO of Zappos, who built the online shoe retailer into a billion-dollar business.

Paul O’Neill (1935–2020), former Secretary of the Treasury and Alcoa CEO

Paul O’Neill was U.S. Secretary of the Treasury during President George W. Bush’s first term. He was also chairman and CEO of industrial corporation Alcoa in the 1980s and ‘90s.

Earl Graves Sr. (1935–2020), founder of Black Enterprise magazine

Earl Graves Sr. was the founder and publisher of Black Enterprise magazine, focusing on Black entrepreneurs and businesses.

Jack Welch (1935–2020), former chairman and CEO of General Electric

Jack Welch was the chairman and CEO of General Electric from 1981 to 2001, a time of prosperity for the company. Welch is considered one of the successful and influential business leaders of his time.

Leila Janah (1982–2020), Samasource CEO who employed the poor

Leila Janah was an entrepreneur who founded Samasource with the goal of raising up deeply impoverished people in Africa and India by giving them jobs. Janah had been working as a consultant for an outsourcing firm, which employed middle-class Indian workers to do digital jobs like tagging and annotating images. She wondered why those jobs couldn’t be done by the poor, who desperately needed the employment — so she founded Samasource, providing training and living wages to thousands of women and others in poverty. The work they do generates data used for video game technology, self-driving car research, and more. Janah later founded the luxury cosmetics line LXMI, which also employs the poor to harvest and process ingredients.

Barron Hilton (1927–2019), hotel heir and Los Angeles Chargers founder

Barron Hilton was the son of Conrad Hilton who took over the Hilton Hotels business and expanded it to include casinos. He was also a founding owner in the American Football League as the original owner of the Los Angeles Chargers.

Lee Iacocca (1924–2019), iconic leader of Ford and Chrysler

Lee Iacocca was the iconic automaker who helped create Ford models including the Escort and Mustang. Later, he headed Chrysler, helping turn the company from near failure to great success.

Herb Kelleher (1931–2019), colorful co-founder of Southwest Airlines

Started the successful airline with a business plan on a cocktail napkin.

They Don't Make Them Like They Used To

Retired General Motors president and former CEO died June 13, 2010, at the age of 87. Reading his obituary provided a lesson in how much Detroit CEO culture and corporate careerism in general have changed since the post-war auto boom of the 1950s.