James E. Burke

ABOUT JAMES E. BURKE

CEO of Johnson & Johnson who led the company's rise and handled its stumble with the Tylenol poisonings of the 1980s.

He was troubled in his early years at Johnson & Johnson by what he saw as a company-wide distancing from its credo to focus on the customer, so he challenged everyone to recommit themselves.

He ordered a recall of all Tylenol pills after several were found to be spiked with deadly cyanide. This was at a cost of approximately $100 million. He admitted he should have acted sooner.

He had one daughter with his wife Didi.

He was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian award, by Bill Clinton .