- Gregg Steinhafel, Target
Steinhafel became CEO of Target in 2008, the year the Great Recession began to set in. But despite sinking sales figures, Steinhafel chose to continue the retailer’s longstanding practice of donating 5% of the company’s earnings to charity. He has also had the opportunity to prove his moral fiber thanks to an in-house dispute with a major stockholder and a controversy over a donation to an anti-gay politician. Steinhafel protected the shareholders by winning the battle but still shook hands with the combative shareholder. And to prove Target’s commitment to gay rights, he approved an increase in donations to gay rights groups to more than half a million dollars in 2011. He resigned from his position in May of 2014.
Image credit: CC by Kevin Dooley