Ellen J. Kullman | |
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 Kullman in 2010 | |
| Born | Ellen Jamison (1956-01-22)January 22, 1956 (age 69) Wilmington, Delaware, US |
| Alma mater | Tufts University Northwestern University |
| Occupation | Business executive |
| Title | CEO ofCarbon |
| Board member of |
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| Spouse | Michael Kullman |
Ellen J. Kullman (born January 22, 1956) is a United Statesbusiness executive. Since November 2019, she has been thechief executive officer ofCarbon (company).[1] She was formerlyChair andChief Executive Officer ofE. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company ("DuPont") in Wilmington and is a former director ofGeneral Motors.Forbes ranked her 31st of the 100 Most Powerful Women in 2014.[2] Kullman retired from DuPont on October 16, 2015.[3]
Kullman was born Ellen Jamison inWilmington, Delaware,[4][5] the younger daughter of Joseph and Margaret Jamison.[4] She has two older brothers and an older sister.[4] Kullman attendedTower Hill School in Wilmington and then studiedmechanical engineering atTufts University, where she received her bachelor's degree in 1978.[4] In 1983, she received a master's degree in management fromKellogg School of Management atNorthwestern University.[4]
Kullman began her business career atGeneral Electric and joined DuPont in 1988 as marketing manager in the company'smedical imaging business.[4][5] In her later role as executive vice president she was responsible for four ofDuPont's business platforms as well as for leading the company's growth in markets outside the USA.[4]
DuPont'sboard of directors elected Kullman President and a director of the company, coming into effect October 1, 2008, andChief Executive Officer, coming into effect January 1, 2009.[6] She was the nineteenth executive, and the first woman, to lead the company in its 212-year history.[7]Fortune magazine named Kullman fifteenth in its list of the world's fifty most powerful women for 2008,[8] and fifth on the list for 2009[9] and 2010.[10] In 2014 she was ranked as the 31st most powerful woman in the world, up from 42nd in 2013.[2]The Wall Street Journal named her eighth on its 2008 list of "Women to Watch".[11]
Kullman was a director of General Motors from 2004 to 2008[12][13] and was elected to the board of trustees of Tufts University in 2006.[14]
On October 30, 2009, DuPont announced that its board of directors had elected Kullman as Chair of the company effective December 31, 2009.[15][16]
She was a member of the Executive Committee ofThe Business Council for 2011 - 2013.[17]
On June 6, 2013 the US-China Business Council announced that Kullman had been elected as its Chair.[18]
Kullman's retirement was announced by DuPont on October 5, 2015 (effective October 16, 2015) following a battle with activist investorNelson Peltz andTrian Fund Management, his investment firm. Peltz sought 4 board seats and argued that DuPont needed to cut costs and meet financial targets, but had lost a shareholder vote earlier in the year.[3]
On October 14, 2016,Amgen appointed Kullman to its board of directors.[19]
On December 21, 2016, Kullman joined the board of directors ofThe Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. as an independent director.[20]
| External videos | |
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 "George Washington Carver Award acceptance speech", Ellen Kullman, Biotechnology Innovation Organization |
Kullman has been awarded Sellinger's Business Leader of the Year.[21]In 2014, she was given the George Washington Carver Award for innovation in industrial biotechnology. She is the first woman to receive the award.[22]In 2015, Kullman received theInternational Palladium Medal from theSociété de Chimie Industrielle (American Section),[23] the Engineering Leader of the Year Award,[24] the Pete du Pont Individual Freedom Award,[25] and Delaware's Order of the First State.[26] She is also a recipient of the Msgr. Thomas J. Reese Award from Catholic Charities.[27]
Kullman was elected a member of theNational Academy of Engineering in 2015 for leadership in the business growth and transformation of a global science and engineering company.
In 2020, Kullman was named as one of the Top 50 Best CEOs for Small/Mid-Size companies by Comparably.[28]
In October 2019, Kullman responded to accusations that in her role as CEO ofDuPont, she inappropriately delegated DuPont's environmental liabilities to a spin-off company,Chemours.[29] DuPont incurred environmental liabilities[30] as a result of contaminating drinking water withPerfluorooctanoic acid, a chemical which is harmful to humans and the environment, and is known to be the cause of multiple diseases in humans and animals, including cancers and birth defects,[31] and has resulted in cancer in 2,507 individuals living in Wood County, West Virginia.[32]
On March 26, 2018, Kullman's alma materTufts University announced they would be awarding her an honorary degree. In the weeks leading up to graduation, this was met by University-wide outrage.[33][34] During her speech at the University's graduation, hundreds of students protested with signs and turned their backs to her.[35]
Kullman is married to Michael Kullman and they have three children.[4][5]
