William R. Johnson
UPS Chairman and Former Chairman, President & Chief Executive Officer, H.J. Heinz Company
William Johnson is UPS’s Chairman of the Board and the former Chairman, President and CEO of the H. J. Heinz Company, a global packaged foods manufacturer, from 2000 until his retirement in 2013. From his first year at Heinz in 1982, Bill held a number of management positions.
In 1993, Bill was named Senior Vice President of Heinz and joined the company's Board of Directors. His responsibilities included Heinz operations in the Asia/Pacific area, including Australia, New Zealand, China, Thailand and South Korea, in addition to the canned tuna and pet food businesses of Star-Kist Foods, Inc.
Bill became President and Chief Operating Officer of Heinz in 1996, and assumed the position of President and Chief Executive Officer in 1998. He was named Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer in 2000. Prior to joining Heinz, Bill was employed by Drackett, Ralston Purina and Anderson-Clayton.
Bill is an active supporter of community organizations, and has served as a member of the national Athena Awards committee, chaired the 2001 annual campaign for the United Way of Western Pennsylvania, and chaired numerous local events including the 2004 Pittsburgh Cultural Trust gala event. In 2006, he received the inaugural Global Visionary Award from Helen Keller International for Heinz's micronutrient program for combating childhood anemia. He also received the Marco Polo Award, the highest honor bestowed by the Chinese government on foreign business leaders, for Heinz's support of the development of the Chinese food industry.
Bill is an operating partner at Advent International, and currently serves on the Board of Directors of Sovos Brands, Inc. In 2007, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame at the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas.
Bill joined the UPS Board of Directors in 2009. He is a member of the Executive Committee and is Chairperson of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee.
He earned his undergraduate degree from UCLA and his Master of Business Administration from the University of Texas.
