David Blakeney Speer (April 6, 1951 – November 17, 2012) was an American businessman, best known as the CEO of Illinois Tool Works from 2005 to 2012.
His father, Richard N. Speer Sr. was a metallurgical engineer educated at Queens University, Canada who held various management positions with Chromium Mining & Smelting, Calumet & Hecla Corp. eventually became an executive vice president with Universal Oil Products (UOP).
[2] [3] Speer attended Vanderbilt University after graduating high school in Barrington and transferred to Iowa State University after two years, where he earned a degree in industrial engineering in 1973.
[4] Speer began his career working for Precision Paper Tube in Wheeling, Illinois, and was hired in 1978 by Illinois Tool Works as a marketing manager.
He held a variety of different positions during his 34-year career with the company, and was named CEO in 2005, and chairman of the board in 2006, succeeding Jim Farrell.