Paul H. O'Neill
On October 25, 2016, the Deming Center honored Paul O’Neill, 72nd secretary of the US Treasury, with its inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award. Together with the Deming Cup for Operational Excellence, this award represents Columbia Business School’s drive to honor leaders who not only promote excellence in operations, but also, create lasting impact through the practice of their leadership.
O’Neill’s leadership—spanning over 5 decades across the public and private sectors—has embodied the essence of Deming’s principles, proving time and again that business success can be driven by a values-based, employee-oriented culture. The Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes O’Neill’s significant achievements as a leader, saluting the unflinching integrity and data-driven approach that has guided the practice of his leadership. Joining Professor Nelson Fraiman, director of the Deming Center with their tributes (in person and through video), were the Honorable George Shultz, US Secretary of State, 1982-89; Klaus Kleinfeld, chairman and CEO at Alcoa; Terry Lundgren, chairman and CEO at Macy’s; and Ron Suskind, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author.