Click here to view what Board Members are saying about World Business Chicago

Mayor Rahm Emanuel today announced a dramatic expansion of the World Business Chicago board, which will now feature nearly 50 of the leading businesspeople in Chicago.

“The new board leadership and structure of World Business Chicago will strengthen its ability to attract new businesses and create jobs here,” said Mayor Emanuel. “The new structure will directly link World Business Chicago to the Mayor’s office, fostering close collaboration to advance Chicago as a global economic leader.”

Mayor Emanuel is chair of World Business Chicago’s board. Michael Sacks, CEO of Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P., will be the new Vice-Chairman of the World Business Chicago board.

“I am honored to be joining the board of World Business Chicago as Vice-Chairman,” Sacks said. “I look forward to working with the Mayor’s Office and the city’s private sector business community to bring jobs to Chicago and increase the economic vitality of the city.”

Under its new leadership, World Business Chicago will be focused on job creation and conducting economic development activities around the world on behalf of the city of Chicago. Each board member has been asked to work with the Vice-Chairman and staff of World Business Chicago to provide assistance with respect to opportunities to bring business to Chicago, to sell and promote Chicago and Chicago business around the world, and to provide ideas for economic development that enhance the city.

Sacks will represent World Business Chicago in the Mayor’s Office as the newest member of the Mayor’s Economic Council. On the Council, he will provide input on economic development strategies, job growth activities, and new business opportunities for the city, as part of an ongoing effort to align the city’s strategies with the current business climate.

The board members include CEOs and other top executives from around the city of Chicago. 

“I thank Michael D. O’Halleran for his more than a decade of service as co-chair of World Business Chicago, and I am grateful he and 15 existing board members will  continue to serve on the board,” Mayor Emanuel said.

The majority represent private sector companies, as public-private partnerships are a crucial focus of World Business Chicago. The new board is effective immediately.

The board of World Business Chicago is:

• Mayor Rahm Emanuel, City of Chicago (Chair)
• Michael Sacks, CEO, Grosvenor Capital Management L.P. (Vice-Chair)
• Anthony K. Anderson, Vice Chair and Midwest Managing Partner, Ernst & Young LLP Jeff Aronin, Chairman and CEO, Paragon Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
• James Bell, Executive Vice President, The Boeing Company Norman Bobins, Chairman, The Private Bank Marshall Bouton, President, Chicago Council on Global Affairs
• Bill Brodsky, Chairman and CEO, Chicago Board Options Exchange
• Greg Brown, Chairman and CEO, Motorola Solutions
• Debra Cafaro, Chairman and CEO, Ventas, Inc.
• James S. Crown, President, Henry Crown and Company
• Deborah DeHaas, Vice Chairman and Midwest Regional Managing Partner, Deloitte & Touche LLP
• Craig J. Duchossois, CEO, The Duchossois Group
• Terrence Duffy, Chairman, CME Group
• Donald Edwards, Managing Principal, Flexpoint Ford LLC
• George Farr, Senior Executive Vice President, Veolia Environment & Veolia Environmental Services, North America
• Michael W. Ferro, Jr., Chairman and CEO, Merrick Ventures, LLC
• James T. Glerum, Chairman, Civic Consulting Alliance
• Antonio Gracias, Founder, CEO and Chief Investment Officer, Valor Equity Partners
• Daniel M. Hamburger, President and CEO, DeVry, Inc.
• Mellody Hobson, President, Ariel Investments
• Mark S. Hoplamazian, President and CEO, Hyatt Hotels Corporation
• Steve Koch, Vice Chairman, Credit Suisse
• Paul A. Laudicina, Managing Officer and Chairman of the Board, A.T. Kearney
• Eric Lefkofsky, Co-founder and Executive Chairman, Groupon
• Sam Mencoff, Co-CEO, Madison Dearborn Partners
• Michael H. Moskow, Former President, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago T
• homas F. Motamed, Chairman and CEO, CNA
• William A. Osborn, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Northwestern University
• Michael D. O’Halleran , Executive Chairman, Aon Benfield Corporation
• Hank Paulson, Former Secretary, United States Department of the Treasury J.B. Pritzker, Co-founder and Managing Partner, The Pritzker Group
• Bruce V. Rauner, Principal, GTCR LLC
• Jim Reynolds, Co-founder, Chairman, and CEO, Loop Capital
• Desiree Rogers, CEO, Johnson Publishing Company, Inc.
• John W. Rowe, Chairman CEO, Exelon Corporation
• Pat Ryan, Jr., Co-founder and CEO, Incisent Technologies
• Muneer A. Satter, Managing Director, Goldman Sachs Group Inc.
•  James Skogsbergh, President and CEO, Advocate Health Care
• Jeffery Smisek, President and CEO, United Continental Holdings, Inc.
• David B. Speer, Chairman and CEO, Illinois Tool Works
• David P. Storch, Chairman and CEO,  AAR Corporation
• Glenn Tilton, Chairman of the Midwest, JPMorgan Chase
• Charles A. Tribbett III, Managing Director, Russell Reynolds Associates
• Byron Trott, Founder and Managing Partner, BDT Capital Partners LLC
• Glen E. Tullman, CEO, Allscripts
• Gregory D. Wasson, President and CEO, Walgreen Co.
• Thomas J. Wilson, Chairman, President, and CEO, Allstate Corporation

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