Harold Geneen

Harold "Hal" Sydney Geneen (January 22, 1910 – November 21, 1997), was an American businessman most famous for serving as president of the ITT Corporation.

Between 1956 and 1959 he was senior vice president of Raytheon, developing his management structure, allowing a large degree of freedom for divisions while maintaining a high degree of financial and other accountability, which was surprising as he had been ejected from his prior employer, Jones and Laughlin Steel Company, for reckless management of the company books.

He extended its interests from manufacturing of telegraph equipment into insurance, hotels, real estate management, and other areas.

[3] Declassified documents released by the CIA in 2000 reveal that ITT financially helped opponents of Salvador Allende's government prepare a military coup.

In his obituary, The New York Times stated that he remained active in business and on the boards of several educational institutes until his death, and had said "his post-retirement deal-making had earned him far more than he ever made at ITT.