Inspirational Quotes by Robert Nardelli (American Business Executive)

Robert Louis Nardelli (b.1948) is an American businessman who served as CEO of Home Depot 2000–07 and Chrysler 2007–09. Previously, Nardelli held executive positions at General Electric.

Born in Old Forge, Pennsylvania, Nardelli served in the Reserve Officers Training Corp while getting a bachelor’s degree, and earned an MBA while working at General Electric (GE.) By age 40, Nardelli had become a company vice president. However, when GE failed to move him into a general management position, he left to take a management position at the construction equipment manufacturer Case Equipment Co.

In 1991, Nardelli returned to GE and held successive leadership positions in GE’s appliance, transportation, and power systems businesses. Under his leadership, GE Power Systems’s sales grew from $5 billion to $20 billion. Nardelli became a leading contender for the job of the CEO of GE—to succeed the legendary Jack Welch.

When passed over for that job in 2000, Nardelli became CEO of the home-improvement store Home Depot. Nardelli reduced costs, revamped purchasing systems, upgraded communications and information-technology infrastructure, and opened numerous stores, but many of his initiatives drove customers away and infuriated employees. Rivals such as Lowe’s and Menards cut into Home Depot’s market share. Its value sank, and Nardelli became increasingly unpopular. He quit in 2007 to become CEO of Chrysler but was sharply criticized over his $210-million severance package.

During his leadership at Chrysler, Nardelli improved operations to turn the struggling firm into a profitable car manufacturer. But Chrysler’s sales declined, and the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in April 2009, despite receiving a government loan in 2008. Two months later, Chrysler was sold to the Italian automaker Fiat SpA, and Nardelli stepped down as CEO.

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