Robert W. Lane (born November 14, 1949), served as chief executive officer of Deere & Company from 2000 to 2009 and retired as the

chairman The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...

of the board in February 2010. He served on several boards including: The Northern Trust Company,

General Electric Company The General Electric Company (GEC) was a major British industrial conglomerate involved in consumer and defence electronics, communications, and engineering. The company was founded in 1886, was Britain's largest private employer with over 250 ...

, BMW AG and Verizon Communications. He was ranked 10th by ''Forbes'' Magazine's Top CEOs based on compensation in 2009.

Early life and career

Lane was born in Washington, D.C. in 1949. He graduated with high honors from

Wheaton College Wheaton College may refer to: * Wheaton College (Illinois), a private Christian, coeducational, liberal arts college in Wheaton, Illinois * Wheaton College (Massachusetts) Wheaton College is a private liberal arts college in Norton, Massachus ...

in Illinois in the year 1972, and he went on to receive a Master of

Business Administration Business administration, also known as business management, is the administration of a commercial enterprise. It includes all aspects of overseeing and supervising the business operations of an organization. From the point of view of management ...

degree from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business in 1974. Lane joined

First National Bank of Chicago First Chicago Bank was a Chicago-based retail and commercial bank tracing its roots to 1863. Over the years, the bank operated under several names including The First National Bank of Chicago and First Chicago NBD (following its 1995 merger with ...

after his MBA. He served in the capacity of Vice President when he quit the job in 1982.

Board memberships

Lane served on several boards before retiring for health reasons: * BMW AG (2009 - May 2018) *

(2005–2017) * The Northern Trust Company (2009–2015) * Verizon Communications (2004–2017)

Deere & Company

Lane came to Deere & Company in 1982 from a commercial banking career with First National Bank of Chicago. On his first assignment at Deere, Lane was responsible for managing U.S. government and national account sales. In 1992, he joined the Worldwide Agricultural Equipment division as senior vice president where he directed equipment operations in Latin America, Australia, East Asia and South Africa. Lane became Chief Financial Officer of Deere in 1996, and two years later moved to Germany as Managing director where he led Deere's agricultural equipment operations in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, India and the nations of the former Soviet Union. He returned to the United States as president of the Worldwide Agricultural Equipment Division in 1999; subsequently he was elected Deere & Company's President and Chief Operating Officer. In June 2000 Lane was named president and CEO of Deere & Company, and he was elected chairman of the board the following August. He was also a trustee for the Committee for Economic Development. During his tenure the revenues of the company doubled its net income to more than $2 billion.

Awards

* Corporate Award by University of Chicago Booth School of Business, 2007 * Chicago Bridge Award, 2007 * Lane was inducted as a Laureate of

The Lincoln Academy of Illinois The Lincoln Academy of Illinois is a not-for-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to recognizing contributions made by living Illinoisans. Named for Abraham Lincoln, the Academy administers the ''Order of Lincoln'', the highest award given ...

and awarded the Order of Lincoln (the State's highest honor) by the Governor of Illinois in 2013 in the area of Business & Industry.

References

External links

Deere Chairman Robert Lane Speaks on Human Flourishing in Business

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lane, Robert W American chief executives of Fortune 500 companies 1949 births Living people American chief operating officers Wheaton College (Illinois) alumni University of Chicago Booth School of Business alumni American chief executives of manufacturing companies