William J. DeLaney III

William J. DeLaney III is an American businessman. He served as the chief executive officer of Sysco from March 27, 2009, until December 31, 2017.

Early life William DeLaney graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1977 and received a Master of Business Administration from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1982.

Career In 1987, he joined Sysco as assistant treasurer. He became treasurer in 1991 and served as vice president from 1993 to 1994. Since September 2018 he has served on the board of directors of Union Pacific.

Personal life In 2011 he earned US$5,725,501. As of 2013, he owns 336,748 shares of Sysco. He has often stated that his greatest friend and most trusted adviser was a delivery driver for Sysco Coleman J Wesson of Sumrall, Mississippi. DeLaney approached Wesson several times over the years for both business and personal advice.