Business Roundtable President John Engler Announces Plans for Retirement

WASHINGTON – Business Roundtable President John Engler announced on Thursday, December 15 his plans to retire in mid-2017.

Engler, 68, said he was staying on through July 1, 2017, at the latest to ensure a successful transition to a new president and to lead Roundtable policy efforts in support of strengthening the economy and creating more good-paying jobs.

“The outlook in early 2017 to achieve passage of major components of the Business Roundtable economic growth agenda is very bright,” he said. “Tax reform, regulatory relief and immigration reform are all possible with the new Administration and Congress. I expect the pace to be brisk as everyone gets to work next year.”

A former three-term governor of Michigan, Engler assumed leadership of Business Roundtable in January 2011 after serving six years as President and CEO of the National Association of Manufacturers.

He informed Roundtable Chairman Doug Oberhelman, Chairman & CEO of Caterpillar, and incoming Chairman Jamie Dimon, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of JPMorgan Chase & Co., of his plans earlier this week.

“Under John’s stellar leadership, Business Roundtable has enhanced its reputation as a credible voice for an economy that serves all Americans,” Oberhelman said. “He has focused on giving policymakers solid research and arguments, reaching across party lines and always keeping a deep belief that the United States is the world’s greatest land of opportunity.”

On January 1, 2017, Dimon will succeed Oberhelman – who is retiring from Caterpillar – as Chairman of the Roundtable, which represents 196 CEOs of America’s leading companies, crossing all sectors of the economy.

“John has earned an enormous amount of respect with the CEO members of Business Roundtable, within the D.C. political community and in the broader business arena for his sound judgment and depth of experience,” Dimon said. “He has also shown deep integrity and a fierce commitment to serving our country. I think of John Engler as a true patriot.”

Engler said the chairmanship transition provided an opportunity to solidify his existing plans for retirement. In addition, he said, family considerations were a factor. He and his wife, Michelle Engler, have triplet daughters who will graduate college this spring.

Engler said he was confident the Roundtable would continue to be a leading voice in Washington with Dimon as Chairman and his successor as President.

“I am proud to leave Business Roundtable financially strong, with a sterling reputation and focused on the priorities that our CEOs have established,” Engler said. “My successor will inherit an organization of talented and dedicated staff prepared to deliver on those priorities.”

Engler’s Business Roundtable biography is available online here.