Jennifer Rumsey has been named the next president and CEO of Cummins, succeeding Tom Linebarger, who will continue to serve as chairman of the board of directors and in an executive chairman role.
Rumsey, who has been with Cummins for 22 years, most recently served as president and chief operating officer. She will be the seventh CEO and first woman to lead the company since it was founded in 1919.
Linebarger joined Cummins in 1993 and has served as the company’s president and CEO since 2012. Over the coming months, Linebarger and Rumsey will work together on initiatives that position the company for continued success, including completing the pending acquisition of electric axle and brake manufacturer Meritor, Cummins says.
“Jen is a once-in-a-generation talent and the right leader for Cummins at this important time in our history,” said Linebarger. “Her background as an engineer and technology expertise provides her a deep understanding of the major technical changes taking place and how to capitalize on them. Jen uniquely understands our customers and business, having worked in many different parts of the business during her more than 20-year career, and in every role, she has consistently delivered results.”
Rumsey was elected to Cummins' board of directors in February and will maintain her seat on the board, the company says.
“Growing up in Columbus, Indiana, where Cummins was founded and spending most of my career here makes this announcement incredibly meaningful,” said Rumsey. “My technical background, business experience and focus on people, purpose and impact have prepared me for this moment. At a time when technology is evolving more rapidly than at any point in our history, we must emphasize the critical role people play in our collective success.”
Rumsey joined Cummins in 2000, working in research and technology. In that role, she was focused on advancing technology to reduce criteria pollutants from diesel engines. Since then, she has held numerous positions of increasing responsibility and impact, including president of components and chief technical officer. Rumsey will continue to champion Cummins’ Destination Zero strategy, which sets forth a path to decarbonization.
Prior to Cummins, Rumsey worked for a fuel cell technology company. She earned a master’s in mechanical engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and holds a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from Purdue University. She is a member of the Society of Women Engineers, Society of Automotive Engineers, the Purdue Engineering Advisory Council and Women in Trucking Association.
The announcement comes after Cummins shareholders rejected a proposal to split the chairman and CEO roles during the company’s annual shareholder meeting in May, according to a report from the Daily Journal. Linebarger and Rumsey are the only Cummins executives on the company’s 13-member board.
“While our board believes that there may be circumstances which warrant separation of our chairman and chief executive officer roles, our board currently believes it is in the best interests of our company for the roles of our chairman and chief executive officer to be combined and to appoint a lead director from among our independent directors,” Cummins said in a proxy statement.
