Symposium 2010 Keynote Speakers:
John
C. Lechleiter, Ph.D.
Eli Lilly and Company
Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer
John C. Lechleiter, Ph.D., is chairman, president, and chief executive officer of Eli Lilly and Company. Lechleiter served previously as president and chief operating officer of Lilly, beginning in 2005, when he also joined the board. In 2004, he became Lilly�s executive vice president for pharmaceutical operations. Prior to that, he had served as executive vice president for pharmaceutical products and corporate development since 2001.
Lechleiter received a bachelor of science degree in chemistry from Xavier University (Cincinnati, Ohio) in 1975. He subsequently studied organic chemistry as a National Science Foundation Fellow at Harvard University, where he received his master�s and doctorate degrees. In 2006, Lechleiter received an honorary doctorate of business administration from Marian University (Indianapolis).
Joining Lilly in 1979 as a senior organic chemist in process research and development, Lechleiter became head of that department in 1982. In 1984, he began serving as director of pharmaceutical product development for the Lilly Research Centre Limited in Windlesham, England.
He returned to the United States in 1986 as manager of research and development projects for Europe. In 1988, he became director of development projects management, and in 1989, he assumed additional responsibility for pharmaceutical regulatory affairs. In 1991, he was named executive director of pharmaceutical product development, and in 1993, he became vice president. He was appointed vice president of regulatory affairs in 1994. In 1996, he was named vice president for development and regulatory affairs. Lechleiter became senior vice president of pharmaceutical products in 1998.
He is a member of the American Chemical Society; Business Roundtable; and Business Council. Currently, Lechleiter serves on the boards of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA); Nike, Inc.; Xavier University; Fairbanks Institute (Indianapolis); Indianapolis Downtown, Inc.; the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership; and the United Way of Central Indiana.
Don
Walker
Magna International Inc.
Co-Chief Executive Officer
Don Walker was named Co-Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Directors for Magna International on April 3, 2005. As Co-CEO, Walker leads Magna, a $26- billion global automotive supplier that designs, develops and manufactures components and systems for the world�s leading auto makers.
Prior to being named Co-CEO, Walker was Chairman and CEO of Intier Automotive, a public company majority-owned by Magna International. Prior to taking Intier public, Walker was President and CEO of Magna from 1994-2001.
Walker joined Magna in 1987. Before joining Magna, Walker spent seven years at General Motors in various engineering and manufacturing positions, including involvement in a new vehicle launch and new assembly plant.
Walker graduated from the University of Waterloo with a BA Science Mechanical Engineering degree in 1980.
Walker is a founding member of the Yves Landry Advisory Foundation, which promotes the value of technical education. He is a past Chairman of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers Association (APMA) and remains active in industry initiatives.
In 1995, he was a recipient of the Top 40 Under 40 Awards in Canada and The Wall Street Transcript selected him as the Gold Award winner in the automotive parts industry. Walker was also named a �Global Leader for Tomorrow� in 1998 by the World Economic Forum, and in 1999 he received the Professional Engineers of Ontario Gold Medal Award.
In July 2002, Walker became Co-Chair of the newly-formed Canadian Automotive Partnership Council (CAPC) with the Federal and Provincial Governments to identify both short- and long-term priorities that will help ensure the future health of the automotive industry in Canada. In 2007, Walker became a member of the Dean's Advisory Council, Faculty of Engineering, University of Waterloo.
A native of Canada, Walker was born in 1956.