# Joe Creed

> Joe Creed is chairman and chief executive officer of Caterpillar Inc. He joined the company in 1997, advanced through finance and energy operations, became COO in 2023 and CEO in May 2025, and added the chairmanship in April 2026. His current agenda spans power generation, industrial AI, autonomous equipment and workforce development.

- **Role:** Chairman & CEO at Caterpillar Inc.
- **Organizations:** Caterpillar Inc., US-India Strategic Partnership Forum, Western Illinois University President’s National Advisory Council (documented in 2023), Caterpillar Foundation (executive board service documented in 2023), Easterseals of Central Illinois (former chairman and board member)
- **Education:** Bachelor’s degree in accounting, Western Illinois University, Caterpillar executive leadership program (non-degree), Stanford University
- **Known for:** Advanced from a 1997 hire to chairman and CEO of Caterpillar., Led Energy & Transportation during a period of record financial performance and establishment of a battery and advanced power organization., Oversaw Caterpillar as it reported record 2025 sales and revenues of $67.6 billion; became CEO in May of that year.

## Career timeline

- **1997** — Graduated from Western Illinois University’s accountancy program and joined Caterpillar.
- **2013** — Became CFO of Energy & Transportation.
- **2017** — Promoted to vice president of Finance Services.
- **2018** — Served as interim Caterpillar CFO.
- **2019** — Moved into senior leadership of Oil & Gas and Marine and Electric Power.
- **2021** — Became group president of Energy & Transportation.
- **2023-11** — Became Caterpillar’s chief operating officer in a newly created position.
- **2025-05** — Became Caterpillar CEO and a board director on May 1.
- **2025-07** — Joined the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum board.
- **2026-04** — Became Caterpillar chairman on April 1, succeeding Jim Umpleby.

## Achievements

- Advanced from a 1997 hire to chairman and CEO of Caterpillar.
- Led Energy & Transportation during a period of record financial performance and establishment of a battery and advanced power organization.
- Oversaw Caterpillar as it reported record 2025 sales and revenues of $67.6 billion; became CEO in May of that year.
- Presented Caterpillar’s CES 2026 keynote, including industrial AI, expanded NVIDIA collaboration and a $25 million workforce challenge.
- Certified public accountant, as documented in Caterpillar’s 2023 COO announcement.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — Discussed strategy, capacity expansion, power demand and construction customers at a Wells Fargo-hosted virtual headquarters visit on September 10.
- **2026-07** — Caterpillar announced up to $10 million for workforce development in Illinois within its broader workforce initiative.
- **2026-05** — Caterpillar opened registration for the global workforce challenge first discussed during Creed’s CES keynote.
- **2026-04** — Assumed the chairmanship on April 1.
- **2026-01** — Delivered the CES keynote on January 7; Caterpillar introduced its AI Assistant and expanded NVIDIA collaboration.

## Links

- Website: https://www.caterpillar.com/en/company/governance/officers/joseph-e-creed.html
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-creed

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/joe-creed
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-21