Bill George was chief executive of Medtronic, the world's leading medical technology company, from 1991 until 2001 and chairman of the board from 1996 to 2002. He has been named one of the "Top 25 Business Leaders of the Past 25 Years" by PBS, "Executive of the Year-2001" by the Academy of Management, and "Director of the Year-2001-2002" by the National Association of Corporate Directors. Under his leadership, Medtronic's market capitalization grew from $1.1 billion to $60 billion, averaging 35 percent a year.

George is the author of the bestselling books Authentic Leadership: Rediscovering the Secrets of Creating Lasting Value and True North, Discover Your Authentic Leadership. He has made frequent appearances on television and radio, and his articles have appeared in Fortune, The Wall Street Journal, and Harvard Business Review, among numerous other publications.

Currently, George is a professor of management practice at Harvard Business School. He also serves on the boards of directors of ExxonMobil, Goldman Sachs, and Novartis, and is a trustee of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and the World Economic Forum USA.