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John Hammergren

b. 1959

American businessperson, former Chairman, President, and CEO, McKesson Corporation

Manager McKesson Corporation
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About John Hammergren

Born 1959. John Hammergren is an American manager and mcKesson Corporation.

John H. Hammergren is an American businessman. He is best known for his role as chairman and CEO of McKesson Corporation since 1999. On November 1, 2018, Hammergren announced his plan to retire. On April 1, 2019, he officially retired from McKesson. He was succeeded by Brian Tyler.

Early life and education Hammergren was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, on February 20, 1959. His father was a traveling salesman in the healthcare industry.

After attending the University of Minnesota, Hammergren received an MBA from William College Of Business at Xavier University.

Career Hammergren began his career at American Hospital Supply, which was subsequently purchased by Baxter Healthcare.

McKesson Corporation In 1996, Hammergren was hired by McKesson Corporation to run the Pharmaceutical division at McKesson.

Hammergren was elected president and CEO of McKesson in 2001 and chairman in 2002.

Lawsuits alleged that McKesson directors paid little attention to oversight of opioid sales after a 2008 settlement centering on the company's insufficient monitoring of such shipments. The lawsuit involved ten existing and former executives and directors, including Hammergren.

Hammergren was criticized for his pay given the controversy surrounding the company's role in the opioid epidemic and failure to report suspicious opioid orders.

Hammergren's annual bonus pay was increased to amount of $1.1 million in 2017. The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, who own shares in the company, said of the bonus pay issue: "It is staggering that Hammergren received a $1.1 million boost to his bonus just months after the company announced it had reached a record $150 million settlement with the DEA in a year the company faces mounting litigation, negative press and Congressional scrutiny." The union urged shareholders to vote against Hammergren's compensation package at the company's annual shareholder meeting.

Highest paid CEO In December 2011 it was revealed that Hammergren was the highest paid CEO in the U.S. with total remuneration in excess of $700 million.

+ Annual total compensation payouts 1999 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 p 2015 2016 (in million $) 0.692 46

In June 2014, Glenn Gray, a former employee at McKesson returned to the company's annual meeting to ask that Hammergren's $292 million severance package be redistributed to low-paid employees. The proposal was defeated by the shareholders. He had also earlier, in 2013, 4 months before being relieved from his duties at McKesson, asked for wage raises during the company's annual meeting too.

According to a Bloomberg Pay Index, Hammergren had taken home $781 million as of July 2017, since becoming sole CEO at McKesson in 2001.

Hewlett-Packard In 2005, Hammergren was elected to Hewlett-Packard's board of directors. Hammergren served until 2013 when he left the board. New York City's public pension funds supported the efforts to oust Hammergren and G. Kennedy Thompson because of their support for the company's 2011 acquisition of British software maker Autonomy and "their failure to protect investors from costly, misguided acquisitions." Hammergren received less than 60 percent of the vote for reelection at the 2013 annual shareholder vote and subsequently resigned.

Awards Best-performing CEOs in the world by the Harvard Business Review, ranked #53 in 2014 and #63 in 2015. )

Other tenures Chairman of the supervisory board of Celesio AG Member of the Healthcare Leadership Council Member of the board of trustees for the Center for Strategic and International Studies Member of Hewlett-Packard's board of directors (2005-2013)

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Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Education
University of Minnesota, Carlson School of Management
Also known as
John H. Hammergren

People in John Hammergren's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped John Hammergren's

Frequently asked questions

Who is John Hammergren?

American businessperson, former Chairman, President, and CEO, McKesson Corporation

When was John Hammergren born?

John Hammergren was born on 20 February 1959 in Saint Paul.

What is John Hammergren's occupation?

John Hammergren is a manager and mcKesson Corporation.

What nationality is John Hammergren?

John Hammergren is American.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: John Hammergren

· Wikidata: Q1700352

· DBpedia: John Hammergren

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). John Hammergren. https://biography.guide/john-hammergren/

MLA: "John Hammergren." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/john-hammergren/.

Chicago: "John Hammergren." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/john-hammergren/.

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