Jim Cornelius is the recently retired Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Bristol-Myers Squibb, the specialty biopharmaceutical company headquartered in New York City. Jim still serves as Board Chairman of Mead Johnson Nutrition, a global leader in infant and children’s nutritional products headquartered in Chicago. He previously had a productive 28 year career with Eli Lilly and Company in Indianapolis, retiring from the Board of Directors and as CFO in 1995.
Born in Kalamazoo, Michigan, he attended Michigan State University earning both a BA in accounting (Magna cum Laude) and an MBA degree. He served on active duty as a Lieutenant in the US Army Finance Corps, where he met his wife, Kathy, who is an award winning Indiana artist. They are long-time residents of Zionsville, Indiana with two adult children, Andrew in NYC and Lindsay, who lives nearby in Zionsville.
Mr. Cornelius has received honorary Doctorate degrees to recognize his civic and philanthropic activities from Michigan State University, the University of Indianapolis and Marian University. He received the Anti-Defamation League’s 2003 Man of Achievement Award, the 2005 Hoosier Heritage Lifetime Achievement Award, the Boys & Girls Club 2007 Outstanding CEO Award, and was honored as New Alternative’s for Children, Man of the Year, in October, 2014. The family conducts its philanthropic activities through the Cornelius Family Foundation (Indianapolis).
Jim stays active with investments in several local life science start-ups and mentoring of younger management talent. The family has been avid football fans and season ticket holders of the Indianapolis Colts since 1984.
