NACD 2008 2008 Public Company Director of the Year Award Winner: Andrew J. McKenna
Quick Links
A Public Leader
Andrew J. McKenna
The National Association of Corporate Directors is honored to award the title of 2008 Public Company Director of the Year to Andrew J. McKenna, in recognition of his long career as a model of public company governance.
Mr. McKenna has been championed by many of his colleagues as the exemplification of leadership with integrity. In the words of one fellow board member at McDonald's Corporation, John W. Rogers, Jr., chairman and CEO of Ariel Investments, "Andy exemplifies everything that you would hope a director would be.he is a wonderful communicator, thoughtful and smart."
Mr. McKenna has demonstrated his governance knowledge on a number of public boards. He currently serves as lead director of Aon Corporation, where he has led the charge in board peer evaluations and management succession planning, according to current Aon president and CEO Gregory C. Case. Through tough financial markets and reputation risks, Mr. McKenna has been a steady hand in keeping management focused on representing the best interests of company shareholders.
As chairman of the board at McDonald's Corporation, Mr. McKenna once again earned great respect for his strong leadership through very turbulent times. The untimely passing of two CEOs in the early 2000s posed difficult challenges to the company's board. Mr. McKenna demonstrated great compassion during these events and his pragmatic leadership helped keep the board focused on business objectives. He was instrumental in the development of the corporation's succession plan, and it held up through these ultimate tests.
Current McDonald's CEO Jim Skinner notes how Mr. McKenna has an "uncanny ability to bring a variety of perspectives together to address [the] important issues."
His leadership and patience are also seen in his dedication to mentoring future leaders. Mr. McKenna's hectic schedule allows for little free time, but he has taken the lead on several occasions to identify executives for outside board positions and to recruit talent for the boards of Aon Corporation and McDonald's Corporation.
Other boardroom activities include being the chairman of Schwarz Supply Source and a director at Skyline Corporation. Mr. McKenna's previous board services include directorships with Bank One, Dean Foods and the Tribune Company.
A humanitarian at heart, one of the most important motivations in Mr. McKenna's life has been his commitment to social development, particularly within his hometown city of Chicago . His economic-oriented engagements include having served as chairman of the Economic Club of Chicago and currently serving as chairman of the Civic Committee of The Commercial Club of Chicago. Mr. McKenna's valuable business insight, combined with his honest demeanor, has allowed him to promote best-practice strategies in these and other organizations.
His philanthropic work includes being a director of the Children's Memorial Hospital of Chicago and the United Way of Metropolitan Chicago.
In the field of education, Mr. McKenna serves as trustee and chairman emeritus of both The University of Notre Dame and The Museum of Science and Industry.
Even in matters of recreation, Mr. McKenna has found ways to become involved. He is a director of the Chicago Bears Football Club, Inc., and has acted as chairman of the Chicago White Sox and the Chicago Cubs.
Friend and colleague Dipak C. Jain, Dean of the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, notes that "such accomplishments allow [Andy] to stand as an exemplar of what we hope all future business leaders can become."
NACD will recognize Mr. McKenna at the 2008 NACD Director of the Year Awards Banquet on Oct. 20 in Washington , D.C.
