McKinsey conversations with global leaders: Jim Owens of Caterpillar

Caterpillar’s former chairman and CEO reflects on an unconventional career path, organizational change, and how and where to stay competitive over the long term.

During his 38-year tenure at Caterpillar, Jim Owens saw the construction-equipment company recover from the financial brink to become an industry archetype in today’s emerging-market growth story. In this video, the latest in our interview series McKinsey conversations with global leaders, Owens—who retired as chairman on October 31—talks about that evolution, his own journey, and the role business leaders play in rebalancing new economic realities. Hans-Werner Kaas, a director in McKinsey’s Detroit office, conducted the interview in September 2010.