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Conversations From the Corner Office
BIO
Amgen Chairman, President and CEO Kevin Sharer
Even while attending the U.S. Naval Academy in the early 1970s, Kevin Sharer knew he wanted to be a leader, not a follower. To that end, he earned bachelor's and master's degrees in aeronautical engineering, and oversaw construction and crew training of a nuclear "fast-attack" submarine. By the time he left the Navy in 1978, he had risen to the rank of lieutenant commander.
For his next challenge, Sharer set his sights on the corporate world. After stints at management consulting firm McKinsey & Company and AT&T -- during which he earned an MBA from the University of Pittsburg -- Sharer took a job in corporate development at General Electric in 1984. He was eventually offered a chance to lead GE's jet engine division, but he passed, deciding that the job was too low-profile for his career goals.
Sharer returned briefly to MCI before joining Amgen in 1992 as president and chief operating officer. It was at the biotech company that Sharer clearly saw the potential to match his ambitions. In May 2000, Sharer was named CEO of Amgen, and he set out to transform Amgen into a major player in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industry, on par with industry giants like Johnson & Johnson. During his time at the helm, revenue has grown from $4 billion to more than $14 billion. Around Amgen's campus-like headquarters in Thousand Oaks, Calif., Sharer is known as a straight-talking, efficient and confident leader.
Sharer was born and raised in Iowa and now lives in Southern California with his wife, Carol. He has five children.
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