John F. (Jack) Welch is chemical engineer and leading businessman.

Born in Salem, Massachusetts, Welch recieved his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Massachusetts. He went on to recieve his M.S. and PhD. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Illinois. He began his career as a chemical engineer for General Electric Plastics in Pittsfield, MA, and he rose to prominence as CEO of General Electric, one of the world's largest and most successful companies.

Welch joined GE's Plastics Division in 1960, and ran the division and the development of Noryl, a material that continues to be a billion-dollar best seller for GE. He was elected GE's youngest vice president in 1972, and was named vice chairman in 1979. In 1981 Welch succeeded Reginald H. Jones as GE's eighth Chairman and CEO in the company's 121-year history.

Welch retired in 2001 after growing the company's market value from $13 billion to $400 billion.

During his GE career, Welch was very supportive of a number of plastics industry initiatives, including the National Plastics Center and Museum, the Society of the Plastics Industry, and the National Plastics Exposition.

Welch was named Manager of the Century by Fortune magazine (2000) and named Most Admired CEO in past 20 years by Chief Executive magazine readers (2005). He is author of Winning and Jack: Straight from the Gut.