Miles D. White is an American businessman. He is currently chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Abbott Laboratories.
White joined Abbott in 1984, serving there in management positions including senior vice president of diagnostic operations and executive vice president. He was elected to the board of directors in April 1998, to chief executive officer in January 1999, and to chairman of the board in April 1999.
He previously worked at McKinsey & Co.
White serves as a director of McDonald's, Caterpillar Inc. and Northwestern Memorial Hospital. He also serves on the board of trustees of the Field Museum, of which he is immediate past chair, and sits on the boards of the Museum of Science and Industry (Chicago), the Joffrey Ballet, and the Lyric Opera of Chicago. He is Chairman of the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago, the Dean's Advisory Board at Kellogg School of Management and the Culver Educational Foundation, and is on the board of trustees of Northwestern University. He is former Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, The Economic Club of Chicago and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA).
White holds two degrees from Stanford University, a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering and an M.B.A.
White was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
In 2007, White had the highest total compensation of all CEOs in the Chicago metropolitan area.[1] While CEO of Abbott Laboratories in 2008, White earned a total compensation of $25,104,085, which included a base salary of $1,795,471, a cash bonus of $4,200,000, stocks granted of $7,499,925, and options granted of $10,757,796.[2]
White has been listed in Forbes' list of America's Most Powerful People and recognized as one of the world's 30 Best CEO's by Barron's (newspaper) and Executive of the Year by Scrip. In April 2011, White was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.