Durk I. Jager (born 30 April 1943 - April 3, 2022) was a Dutch and

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

businessman, private investor and consultant.Durk I. Jager
Forbes.com. As of 2012, he was the director of

Chiquita Brands International Chiquita Brands International Sàrl (), formerly known as Chiquita Brands International Inc. and United Fruit Co., is a Swiss-domiciled American producer and distributor of banana A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botan ...

(since December 2002). He was the

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

Procter & Gamble The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G) is an American multinational consumer goods corporation headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, founded in 1837 by William Procter and James Gamble. It specializes in a wide range of personal health/consumer hea ...

from 1 September 1999 to 2000. He has served on the board of directors of

Eastman Kodak The Eastman Kodak Company (referred to simply as Kodak ) is an American public company that produces various products related to its historic basis in analogue photography. The company is headquartered in Rochester, New York, and is incorpor ...

United Negro College Fund UNCF, the United Negro College Fund, also known as the United Fund, is an American philanthropic organization that funds scholarships for black students and general scholarship funds for 37 private historically black colleges and universities. ...

, on the board of governors of

The Nature Conservancy The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a global environmental organization headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. it works via affiliates or branches in 79 countries and territories, as well as across every state in the US. Founded in 1951, The Natu ...

, as the chairman of the Japan America Society of Greater Cincinnati, and a member of the International Council, J.P. Morgan & Co. Durk I. Jager was indicated in the

Doe v. Chiquita Brands International ''Doe v. Chiquita Brands International'' is a class-action lawsuit brought in the United States District Court of New Jersey, filed on June 13, 2007. The suit was filed by Colombian families represented by EarthRights International (ERI), togeth ...

in which he was accused of supplying the far-right wing terrorist group United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia with US$1.7 million, 3,400 AK-47 rifles and 4 million rounds of ammunition.

Biography

Durk Jager is a native of Haskerland,

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. He joined Procter & Gamble in 1970, after graduating from the Erasmus University Rotterdam in the same year. He became a general manager of the company's Japan subsidiary in 1985, and then Vice President in 1987. In 1988, he was made responsible for the company's

Far East The ''Far East'' was a European term to refer to the geographical regions that includes East and Southeast Asia as well as the Russian Far East to a lesser extent. South Asia is sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons. The ter ...

and Asia Pacific divisions. In 1989, he was elected to the Board of Directors. In 1990, Jager became the executive vice president with responsibility for the Soap, Chemicals, Health Care and Beauty Care divisions. He was given the responsibility for the company's US business in 1991. In 1995, he was named president and

chief operating officer A chief operating officer or chief operations officer, also called a COO, is one of the highest-ranking executive positions in an organization, composing part of the "C-suite". The COO is usually the second-in-command at the firm, especially if t ...

. Durk became the CEO of P&G in 1999, at a time when P&G was in the midst of a corporate restructuring exercise started in September 1998. He decided to overhaul the product development, testing and launch processes. He believed that there was a need to change the P&G employees who had been used to lifetime employment and a conservative management style. He led an ambitious six-year restructuring effort called "Organization 2005", which intended to boost sales and profits via introduction of new products as well as elimination of unnecessary jobs. However, the $1.9 billion effort cut into P&G profits, and Jager resigned abruptly in 2000.Profit expected to be flat compared with year ago; CEO Jager resigns abruptly
CNN Money. 8 June 2009.

Positions held

* CEO, President and Chairman of Board of Directors, Procter & Gamble (1999–2000) * President, (1995–2000) * Executive Vice President (EVP), Procter & Gamble (1990–95) * Vice President (VP), Procter & Gamble (1987–90) * Member of the Board of Directors, Chiquita Brands International (December 2002–present) * Member of the Board of Kodak Eastment (1998–2007) * Member of the Board of Polycom (2003–08)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jager, Durk 1943 births Living people American chief executives of manufacturing companies Dutch corporate directors Erasmus University Rotterdam alumni People from Skarsterlân American chief operating officers