George Barrett
George Barrett is a healthcare industry leader, business executive, and frequent speaker on leadership and healthcare. He served as chairman and chief executive officer of Cardinal Health, a multinational healthcare services and products company, from 2009-2017, when he became executive chairman of the board until November 2018.
Under his tenure, Cardinal Health grew to 15th on the Fortune 500, was recognized as one of Fortune’s World’s Most Admired Companies, Forbes America’s Best Employers, and received numerous awards for its public health, corporate social responsibility, and philanthropic initiatives. Barrett was personally recognized multiple times by Institutional Investor as a Top CEO on the All-America Executive Team and as a Top CEO in the annual Glassdoor Employees’ Choice Awards based on anonymously submitted employee ratings.
Prior to Cardinal Health, he spent a decade at global pharmaceutical manufacturer Teva Pharmaceutical Industries as CEO of its North American business and corporate executive vice president for global pharmaceuticals. Barrett also held various senior positions with Alpharma, including president of U.S. pharmaceuticals.
Barrett serves on several boards of directors, including: Target Corporation; Resilience, a first-of-its kind biopharmaceutical manufacturing and technology company dedicated to broadening access to complex medicines and protecting supply chains; and Olive, a healthcare-focused artificial intelligence company; and formerly served as a director of Easton Corporation. He serves on the Advisory Board of InStride, a public benefit corporation that provides workforce education. He is vice chair of the board of trustees of The Conference Board and a trustee of the Committee for Economic Development. He is member of the governing committee of The Columbus Foundation, one of the largest community foundations in the United States.
Barrett teaches at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and is a frequent lecturer at other leading American universities. Additionally, Barrett is an advisory member of the United States Tennis Association Player Development Champions Council, which focuses on the leadership skills and professional development of elite athletes.
Barrett served as a member of President Obama's White House Business Council, a network of CEOs that engaged with the president and his senior economic team on various policy issues, and on the board of the Fourth District of the Federal Reserve Bank. He served on the executive committee of Columbus Partnership, a non-profit organization of CEOs focused on the economic vitality of the Columbus, OH region, and co-chaired the board of FutureReady Columbus, an education initiative focused on birth to age five, together with the Mayor of Columbus.
A performing musician and lifelong supporter of the arts, Barrett founded the Arts Innovation Fund to support Central Ohio’s leading artistic directors, is a trustee of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and a member of Americans for the Arts’ Business Committee for the Arts.
Barrett earned his bachelor’s degree from Brown University with a dual concentration in history and music, and an MBA from New York University. He served as a Trustee of Brown University from 2014 to 2020, and currently serves on the Committee on the Warren Alpert Medical School and the Watson Institute of International and Public Affairs Board of Overseers, both at Brown. He holds multiple Honorary Doctorates and is the recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor and the Peter G. Peterson Business Statesmanship Award, among other honors for a life dedicated to statesmanship and community service.