Bob Chapman

Recently named the #3 CEO in the world in an “Inc.” magazine article and a Top 10 Social Capital CEO by the “International Business Times,” Bob Chapman is very intentional about using his platform as Chairman and CEO of Barry-Wehmiller to build a better world.

He became the senior executive of the organization in 1975 at age 30, when the 90-year-old business had $20 million in revenue, outdated technology and a very weak financial position. Despite the obstacles, Bob applied a unique blend of strategy and culture, and has since led Barry-Wehmiller through more than 115 successful acquisitions and to $3 billion in revenue.

Over the past two decades, a series of realizations led him away from traditional management practices to a people-centric style, which he calls Truly Human Leadership -- an approach with the goal of making team members feel valued, cared for and that they are an integral part of the company’s purpose. At Barry-Wehmiller, there is a unique measure of success: by the way we touch the lives of others.

Bob’s experiences and the cultural transformation he championed were the inspiration behind his “Wall Street Journal” bestseller “Everybody Matters: The Extraordinary Power of Caring for Your People Like Family.” The book is co-authored by Raj Sisodia, founder and co-author of “Conscious Capitalism.”

In 2010, Bob and his wife, Cynthia, launched a nonprofit, the Chapman Foundation for Caring Communities, to bring the company’s groundbreaking Listen Like a Leader training to communities at no charge. And, in 2015, the Chapman & Co. Leadership Institute was founded to bring Barry-Wehmiller’s trademark culture transformation and leadership training to for-profit organizations.

Bob regularly writes about the powerful intersection of people-centric leadership and good business strategy on his blog, TrulyHumanLeadership.com. In 2016, Harvard Business School released a case study illustrating how Barry-Wehmiller applies its people-centric approach to business decision-making.

Bob has a Bachelor of Arts from Indiana University Bloomington and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Michigan. He spent his early career as an accountant with Price Waterhouse.