Jim Ryan, chairman, president and CEO of Grainger announced in August that the board of directors approved his nomination of DG Macpherson, currently chief operating officer, to become chief executive officer and a member of the board of directors effective October 1, 2016. 

This is the penultimate step in the multiyear succession process and will conclude with Macpherson taking on the chairman role upon Ryan’s retirement.  Macpherson became COO in 2015 as part of the CEO succession process and as such, no replacement COO will be named. 

Ryan’s transition will bring to a close a career of nearly 36 years of continuous service and eight years as CEO. 

“Jim Ryan, only the fourth CEO in the company’s 89-year history, has done an outstanding job leading Grainger through both growing and challenging economic times, as well as during market transitions,” said Stu Levenick, lead director of the board.  “The board is incredibly grateful for his innumerable contributions to the company and his distinguished tenure as CEO, and we look forward to his continued leadership as Chairman during this succession process. “

“I’ve been privileged to work at Grainger for my entire career,” said Ryan.  “I’ve worked with DG for many years, and I’m confident that he is the right person for this job and now is the right time for this transition.  We have a sound business, a solid strategy, a competitive advantage and a long-term plan in place to extend our leadership in this industry.” 

“It is my privilege to guide our 23,000 team members worldwide in support of our purpose of helping professionals keep their operations running and their people safe, while creating a company where dedicated, talented people can thrive,” said Macpherson.  “I’m humbled to take on this role and am incredibly grateful to Jim and the board for their mentorship and support in preparing me for this responsibility.”

Macpherson joined Grainger in 2008 after working closely with Grainger for six years as a partner and managing director at Boston Consulting Group, where he was a member of the Industrial Goods Leadership Team. 

Macpherson holds a bachelor’s degree from Stanford University and an MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management.