Consumer >> CEO Interviews >> July 30, 2001
ROBERT J. LAWLESS is Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of
McCormick & Company, Inc. He is a member of the Corporate Board of
Directors of McCormick & Company, Inc., and has served as its Chairman
since March 17, 1999. He was first appointed President on January 1,
1996, and assumed the additional duties of Chief Executive Officer on
January 1, 1997. Mr. Lawless joined Club House Foods, Inc., McCormick's
Canadian subsidiary, in 1977 and served in many capacities, including
Vice President of Sales, Operations and Logistics, and for two years as
President and Chief Executive Officer. In 1991, he was named Chairman of
the Board, a position which he held until 1997. In 1991, he was named
Vice President and Deputy Managing Director for the International Group
of McCormick and in 1993 became Group Vice President-Europe. He was
appointed Senior Vice President-The Americas Zone and head of the
McCormick/Schilling Division in 1994. In 1995, he was named Executive
Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the corporation. He
currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Kennedy
Krieger Institute, and as a member of the Board of Directors of the
Grocery Manufacturers of America, Inc., Believe In Tomorrow National
Children's Foundation, Maryland Business Roundtable for Education, Inc.
and the Junior Achievement of Central Maryland Executive Council. In
addition, he serves on the corporate Boards of Constellation Energy
Group of Central Maryland and The Baltimore Life Companies of Owings
Mills, Maryland. In November 2001, Loyola College in Maryland selected
Mr. Lawless as 'Business Leader of the Year.' Mr. Lawless attended
Lambton Central Collegiate Institute in Petrolia and graduated from St.
Clair College in Windsor, Ontario, Canada with a major in Chemistry. Profile
Mr. Lawless: We operate, obviously, on a worldwide basis, globally. We
run four basic business units. We have a consumer business,
