The Cummins board of directors has unanimously elected Cummins President and CEO Jennifer Rumsey as chair of the board, effective Aug. 1, the engine manufacturer announced Wednesday. Rumsey succeeds Tom Linebarger, who is retiring from both his Cummins positions as executive chairman and chairman of the board, effective July 31.
Rumsey was first appointed to the Cummins board in February 2022 and has served as president and CEO since August 2022. During her more than two decades with Cummins, she has held numerous roles, including chief technical officer, president of the components business, and chief operating officer. According to a Cummins press release, the combined roles of Chair and CEO will position Rumsey to continue leading the company into the future, leveraging her technical expertise, deep understanding of Cummins’ business, and powering customers’ success throughout the energy transition.
“Jennifer’s appointment as chair comes at a pivotal time for Cummins and the entire industry,” said Linebarger. “Her strategic vision for Cummins, centered on delivering solutions that meet our customers' needs while reducing our impact on the environment, will help lead our company in the transition to a decarbonized future.”
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"I am deeply humbled to assume the role of Chair," said Rumsey. "As we look ahead, we will continue to create innovative solutions that effectively address our customers' needs while making a positive impact on the communities we serve. When I became CEO one year ago, I said that we would continue to put people at the center of everything we do, and I am proud to say that our dedicated employees continue to work tirelessly to ensure we remain on course for our ambitious goals as a company. At the top of that list is our commitment to Destination Zero, our strategy to achieve a zero-emissions future, power our customers' success, grow our business, and deliver strong returns to our investors."
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A co-architect of Destination Zero, Rumsey has worked on the company's decarbonization strategy in her first year as CEO while garnering three consecutive quarterly revenue records in late 2022 and early 2023. Cummins focused more heavily on decarbonized powertrain solutions during this time, including its first fuel-agnostic internal combustion engine platform.
Linebarger was Cummins' Chair and CEO from 2012 to 2022 and the company's executive chairman for the past year. During his 10-year tenure, the company grew its revenue from $17.3 billion to a record $28.1 billion last year. The company evolved under Linebarger's leadership, including the formation of Accelera by Cummins, its zero-emissions solutions business segment, and the expansion of its product portfolio through mergers and acquisitions, including the largest merger ever in Cummins' history with the acquisition of Meritor.
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Rumsey is a Columbus, Indiana, native and member of the Society of Women Engineers, Society of Automotive Engineers, and Women In Trucking Association. She holds a bachelor's in mechanical engineering from Purdue University and a master's in mechanical engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She resides in Columbus with her husband and has two college-age daughters.
