Businesspeople & Entrepreneurs, BER-COO
Explore the notable businesspeople and entrepreneurs whose ambition, risk-taking, and innovation built companies, transformed industries, and changed the way people live and work.
Businesspeople & Entrepreneurs Encyclopedia Articles By Title
Bernays, Edward
Edward Bernays was a pioneer American publicist who is generally considered to have been the first to develop the......
Bernbach, William
William Bernbach was an American advertising executive and copywriter, a pioneer of the subtle, low-pressure advertising......
Berry, Mary Frances
Mary Frances Berry is an American professor, writer, lawyer, and activist whose public service included work in......
Bettencourt, Liliane
Liliane Bettencourt was a French business executive and heiress to the LâOrĂ©al cosmetics fortune. Lilianeâs mother,......
Bezos, Jeff
Jeff Bezos is an American entrepreneur who played a key role in the growth of e-commerce as the founder and chief......
Biddle, Nicholas
Nicholas Biddle was a financier who as president of the Second Bank of the United States (1823â36) made it the......
Biden, Hunter
Hunter Biden is an American attorney and businessman and the sole surviving son of Joe Biden, 46th president of......
Bill Ackman
William Albert âBillâ Ackman (born May 11, 1966, Chappaqua, New York, U.S.), is an American billionaire hedge fund......
Bing, Sir Rudolf
Sir Rudolf Bing was a British operatic impresario who oversaw the Metropolitan Opera in New York City for 22 years......
Birt, John Birt, Baron
John Birt, Baron Birt is a British businessman who heavily influenced the broadcasting industry by means of his......
Black, Conrad
Conrad Black is a Canadian-born British businessman who built one of the worldâs largest newspaper groups in the......
Black, Eugene Robert
Eugene Robert Black was an American financier who, as the third president of the International Bank for Reconstruction......
Black, George
George Black was a British manager and producer of entertainments. Black originated the brilliant, long-lived âCrazy......
Blair, James
James Blair was a clergyman and founder (1693) of the College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Va., the second......
Blakely, Sara
Sara Blakely is an American inventor and entrepreneur who created Spanx, a brand of body-slimming womenâs undergarments,......
Blankfein, Lloyd
Lloyd Blankfein is an American business executive who served as chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of the......
Blatter, Sepp
Sepp Blatter is a Swiss sports executive who served as president (1998â2015) of FIFA (FĂ©dĂ©ration Internationale......
Blazejowski, Carol
Carol Blazejowski is an American basketball player and sports executive whose playing career featured a number......
Bloomberg, Michael
Michael Bloomberg is an American businessman and politician, who founded a financial data-services firm and served......
Blunt, Roy
Roy Blunt is an American politician who was elected as a Republican to the U.S. Senate in 2010 and represented......
Boesky, Ivan
Ivan Boesky was an American investment banker convicted of insider trading in 1986. The proceedings of his trial......
Bolden, Charles
Charles Bolden is an American astronaut who served as the first African American administrator of the National......
Bondar, Roberta
Roberta Bondar is a Canadian neurologist, researcher, and astronaut. She was the first Canadian woman and the first......
Bosch, Robert
Robert Bosch was a German engineer and industrialist who was responsible for the invention of the spark plug and......
Boudreau, Lou
Lou Boudreau was an American professional baseball player and manager who led the Cleveland Indians to the 1948......
Boulton, Matthew
Matthew Boulton was an English manufacturer and engineer who financed and introduced James Wattâs steam engine.......
Bourdet, Ădouard
Ădouard Bourdet was a French dramatist noted for his satirical and psychological analyses of contemporary social......
Boussac, Marcel
Marcel Boussac was a French industrialist and textile manufacturer whose introduction of colour into clothing ended......
Bowles, Chester
Chester Bowles was an American advertising entrepreneur, public official, and noted liberal politician. After graduating......
Boycott, Charles Cunningham
Charles Cunningham Boycott was a retired British army captain who was an estate manager in Ireland during the agitation......
Brabeck-Letmathe, Peter
Peter Brabeck-Letmathe (born November 13, 1944, Villach, Austria) is an Austrian business executive who served......
Bradley, Edward Riley
Edward Riley Bradley was a U.S. sportsman, gambler, philanthropist, owner and racer of Thoroughbreds, four of whom......
Bradley, James
James Bradley was an English astronomer who in 1728 announced his discovery of the aberration of starlight, an......
Brady, James Buchanan
James Buchanan Brady was an American financier and philanthropist, noted for his lavish lifestyle, fondness for......
Branson, Richard
Richard Branson is a British entrepreneur and adventurer, head of Virgin Group Ltd., known for his publicity stunts......
Brennan, John
John Brennan is an American intelligence officer who served as director (2013â17) of the Central Intelligence Agency......
Brewster, Kingman, Jr.
Kingman Brewster, Jr. was an American educator and diplomat who as president of Yale University (1963â77) was noted......
Brin, Sergey
Sergey Brin is an American computer scientist and entrepreneur who created, along with Larry Page, the online search......
Broadwood, John
John Broadwood was a British maker of harpsichords and pianos and founder of the oldest existing firm of piano......
Brougham, John
John Brougham was an Irish-born American author of more than 75 popular 19th-century plays. He was also a theatre......
Browne, John, Lord Browne of Madingley
John Browne, Lord Browne of Madingley is a British businessman best known for his role as chief executive officer......
Brundage, Avery
Avery Brundage was an American sports administrator who was the controversial and domineering president of the......
Bruner, Jerome
Jerome Bruner was an American psychologist and educator who developed theories on perception, learning, memory,......
Buffett, Warren
Warren Buffett (born August 30, 1930, Omaha, Nebraska) is an American businessman and philanthropist, widely considered......
Buick, David Dunbar
David Dunbar Buick was a pioneer American automobile manufacturer, after whom the Buick line of automobiles is......
Burbidge, Margaret
Margaret Burbidge was an English-born American astronomer who was the first woman to be appointed director of the......
Burnett, Leo
Leo Burnett was a pioneer American advertising executive who founded a worldwide agency that ranks among the giants......
Burns, Sir George, Baronet
Sir George Burns, Baronet was a Scottish shipping magnate and one of the founders of the Cunard Line. Burns was......
Burns, Ursula
Ursula Burns is an American business executive who served as CEO (2009â16) and chairman (2010â17) of the international......
Burpee, W. Atlee
W. Atlee Burpee was an American seedsman who founded the worldâs largest mail-order seed company. After completing......
Busby, Sir Matthew
Sir Matthew Busby was a British football (soccer) player who achieved acclaim as manager (1945â71), director (1971â82),......
Busch, Adolphus
Adolphus Busch was a German-born American cofounder, with Eberhard Anheuser, of the firm later to be known as Anheuser-Busch......
Busch, August Anheuser, Jr.
August Anheuser Busch, Jr. was an American beer baron, president (1946â75) of Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc., who......
Bush, Prescott S.
Prescott S. Bush was an American investment banker, politician, and patriarch of a family that created a Republican......
Butler, Henry Montagu
Henry Montagu Butler was the headmaster of Harrow School in England from 1859 to 1885, who reformed and modernized......
Butler, Nicholas Murray
Nicholas Murray Butler was an American educator, publicist, and political figure who (with Jane Addams) shared......
Butterfield, Stewart
Stewart Butterfield is a Canadian entrepreneur who cofounded both Flickr (2004), a photo-sharing site, and Slack......
Cadbury, George
George Cadbury was an English businessman and social reformer who, with his elder brother, Richard, took over their......
Cain, Herman
Herman Cain was an American businessman and conservative political pundit who sought the Republican presidential......
Candler, Asa Griggs
Asa Griggs Candler was a U.S. soft-drink manufacturer who developed Coca-Cola. Born on a farm, Candler studied......
Cantillon, Richard
Richard Cantillon was an Irish economist and financier who wrote one of the earliest treatises on modern economics.......
Caragiale, Costache
Costache Caragiale was an actor-manager who helped to encourage the development of a unique Romanian drama. Caragiale......
Carmack, John
John Carmack is an American computer-game designer whose pioneering work on three-dimensional game design led to......
Carmichael, Leonard
Leonard Carmichael was a U.S. psychologist and educator who, as secretary of the Smithsonian Institution from 1953......
Carnegie, Andrew
Andrew Carnegie was a Scottish-born American industrialist who led the enormous expansion of the American steel......
Carney, Mark
Mark Carney is a Canadian economist who became prime minister of Canada in March 2025 after he was elected leader......
Carol Tomé
Carol Tomé is the chief executive officer of United Parcel Service (UPS), where she has overseen efforts to make......
Carr-Saunders, Sir Alexander
Sir Alexander Carr-Saunders was a sociologist, demographer, and educational administrator who, as vice chancellor......
Carroll, Earl
Earl Carroll was an American showman, theatrical producer, and director, best known for his Earl Carrollâs Vanities......
Carter, Billy
Billy Carter was a farmer and businessman who rose to national prominence when his older brother, Jimmy, was elected......
Cartes, Horacio
Horacio Cartes is a Paraguayan businessman and politician who was elected president of Paraguay in 2013, thereby......
Case, Steve
Steve Case is an American entrepreneur who cofounded America Online, Inc. (AOL), the worldâs foremost Internet......
Castelli, Leo
Leo Castelli was an art dealer of Hungarian and Italian descent whose promotion of American painters helped contemporary......
Cerf, Vinton
Vinton Cerf is an American computer scientist who is considered one of the founders, along with Robert Kahn, of......
Chandrasekaran, Natarajan
Natarajan Chandrasekaran is an Indian businessman and chairman (2017â ) of Tata Sons, the holding company that......
Chang, Morris
Morris Chang is a Chinese-born engineer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist who founded (1987) Taiwan Semiconductor......
Charleston, Oscar
Oscar Charleston was an American baseball player and manager who was one of the best all-around ballplayers in......
Charlton, Bobby
Bobby Charlton was a football (soccer) player and manager who is regarded as one of the greatest English footballers.......
Charnock, Job
Job Charnock was a controversial administrator in the British East India Company who is credited with establishing......
Cheever, Ezekiel
Ezekiel Cheever was a leading schoolmaster in colonial British America. Cheever was the son of a weaver and was......
Chen, Perry
Perry Chen is an American entrepreneur who created and cofounded Kickstarter, an Internet company that specialized......
Chenault, Kenneth
Kenneth Chenault is an American businessman and one of the first African Americans to become the chief executive......
Child, Sir Josiah, 1st Baronet
Sir Josiah Child, 1st Baronet was an English merchant, economist, and governor of the East India Company. The son......
Chouteau, Pierre, Jr.
Pierre Chouteau, Jr. was an American western entrepreneur who started in the Indian trade and died a multimillionaire.......
Chris Gardner
Chris Gardner is an American businessman, author, and motivational speaker whose path into finance drew national......
Chrysler, Walter P.
Walter P. Chrysler was an American engineer and automobile manufacturer, founder of Chrysler Corporation. (Read......
Chung Mong-Joon
Chung Mong-Joon is a South Korean businessman, politician, and sports official who was involved in various ventures......
Citroën, André-Gustave
AndrĂ©-Gustave CitroĂ«n was a French engineer and industrialist who introduced Henry Fordâs methods of mass production......
Claiborne, Liz
Liz Claiborne was an American fashion designer who revolutionized the womenâs apparel industry in the U.S. as the......
Clough, Anne Jemima
Anne Jemima Clough was an English educator and feminist who was the first principal of Newnham College, Cambridge.......
Coeur, Jacques
Jacques Coeur was a wealthy and powerful French merchant, who served as a councillor to King Charles VII of France.......
Cohn, Harry
Harry Cohn was the cofounder and president of Columbia Pictures and winner of 45 Academy Awards for films he produced.......
Cole, Johnnetta
Johnnetta Cole is an anthropologist and educator who was the first African American woman president of Spelman......
Collins, Edward Knight
Edward Knight Collins was a shipowner who in 1847 founded the government-subsidized United States Mail Steamship......
Colman, George, the Elder
George Colman the Elder was a leading English comic dramatist of his day and an important theatre manager who sought......
Colman, George, the Younger
George Colman, the Younger was an English playwright, writer of scurrilous satiric verse, and theatre manager whose......
Cone, Fairfax M.
...
Conran, Terence
Terence Conran was an English designer, restaurateur, and businessman credited with making stylish housewares and......
Conway, Jill Ker
Jill Ker Conway was an Australian-born American scholar, the first woman president of Smith College (1975â85),......
Cook, Thomas
Thomas Cook was an English innovator of the conducted tour and founder of Thomas Cook and Son, a worldwide travel......