10 - TONY VERNON, CEO, Kraft Foods Group
Next we move to Kraft Foods Group CEO Tony Vernon, the only executive on our list with a history degree…
Pathway to the top: Vernon learned his trade at Johnson & Johnson, where he spent more than two decades moving up the ranks in roles including president of McNeil Consumer Products and Nutritionals; president of The Johnson and Johnson-Merck Joint Venture; president of Centocor; and chairman of DePuy Orthopedics.
His next move was to private equity firm Ripplewood Holdings, where he was healthcare industry partner for three years before joining Kraft in 2009 as president of Kraft Foods North America. He became the CEO of the newly formed Kraft Foods Group in 2012, when Kraft split its snack and grocery divisions into two independent public companies.
Education: Vernon has a bachelor’s degree in history from Lawrence University and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
