[8] Flannery received a bachelor's degree in finance[9] from the Fairfield University Dolan School of Business[6] in 1983.

He spent over 20 years at GE Capital holding various leadership roles in the United States, Latin America, and Asia.

Flannery helped oversee changes in the portfolio, including acquisitions and divestitures in financial services and industry.

[12] Before his appointment as CEO of General Electric, Flannery led the turnaround of GE Healthcare, focusing on core imaging, creating digital platforms and solutions, and expanding its Life Sciences and cell therapy systems businesses.

[3] On October 1, 2018, he was unanimously voted out by the board of directors, "effective immediately" and replaced by board member and former longtime Danaher Corp. CEO, H. Lawrence Culp, Jr.[14][15] Flannery became GE's eleventh CEO and the company's tenth chairman.