Tenneco Chairman Mead Receives McCloy Award For Contributions to German-American Relations
11 March 1998
Tenneco Chairman Mead Receives McCloy Award For Contributions to German-American Relations
GREENWICH, Conn., March 11 -- Tenneco Chairman
and Chief Executive Officer Dana Mead this evening will receive the sixth
annual John J. McCloy Award from the American Council on Germany for
outstanding contributions to American-German economic and business relations.
Also receiving the John J. McCloy Award with Mead is Dr. Manfred
Schneider, Chairman of the Board of Management of Bayer AG. John J. McCloy
was the first United States High Commissioner in Germany after World War II
and was instrumental in re-establishing democracy and a free market economy in
Germany. Advisor to seven U.S. presidents, McCloy was chairman of the Chase
Manhattan Bank, and with his wife, Ellen, was among the founders of the
American Council on Germany in 1952.
"It is a great honor to accept the John J. McCloy Award on behalf of
Tenneco and our 50,000 employees worldwide who all contribute daily to the
success of Tenneco and our global strategies in packaging and automotive
parts," said Mead.
Mead has been an outspoken advocate of free trade worldwide, particularly
between the U.S. and Germany. He is former chairman of the U.S. delegation of
the Transatlantic Business Dialogue and a member of the Action Committee for
Strengthening the U.S.-German Partnership.
Tenneco is a $7 billion global manufacturing company headquartered in
Greenwich, Conn. Tenneco Automotive is one of the largest producers and
marketers of ride control products and exhaust systems in the world. Tenneco
Packaging is among the world's leading and most diversified packaging
companies. Tenneco operates 12 automotive parts and packaging facilities in
Germany, employing 2,500 people. Tenneco products made in Germany generate
more than $500 million of revenues annually, of which approximately one
quarter are in exports.
Tenneco's roots in Germany include important acquisitions the company has
made as part of its aggressive growth strategy. In 1994, Tenneco acquired the
German firm Heinrich Gillet Gmbh & Company, a technological leader in exhaust
systems, initially founded in 1860. In 1997, Tenneco purchased the protective
and flexible packaging businesses of KNP BT, a Dutch packaging firm with
important facilities in Germany.
"Our strategy has been to acquire businesses that closely fit our core
packaging and automotive parts operations, and to make the best use of the
important resources, both people and technologies, of the companies which
become part of Tenneco," Mead said. "This approach gives us great competitive
advantage, and has proven particularly successful in Germany, which is a great
testament to the hard work and ingenuity of the German people."
The American Council on Germany also will honor former President of the
United States George Bush for the unique role he played in the reunification
of the Federal Republic of Germany. President Bush will be the principal
speaker for the evening and will receive a special recognition.
Mead joined Tenneco and became chief operating officer and president in
1992. He became chief executive officer and chairman in 1994. A graduate of
the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, Mead holds a doctorate in political
science and economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His
first foreign post following graduation from West Point was in Germany.
Mead served in the White House from 1970 to 1974, first as White House
Fellow and then as associate and deputy director of the Domestic Council. He
returned to West Point as a tenured professor and deputy head of the social
sciences department from 1974 until 1978, when he retired from the Army.
Prior to joining Tenneco, Mead spent 14 years with International Paper,
last serving as executive vice president and corporate director.
Mead also is a trustee of the George C. Marshall Foundation, and past
chairman and currently a director of the National Association of
Manufacturers. He serves on the boards of Textron Inc., Pfizer Inc., Zurich
Insurance and Zurich Life Insurance companies, and Unisource Worldwide, Inc.,
in addition to Newport News Shipbuilding, a former Tenneco subsidiary.
For more information about Tenneco, visit the Tenneco website at
http://www.tenneco.com.
SOURCE Tenneco, Inc.
