Richard J. Mahoney

Richard J. Mahoney

During his 13 years as CEO of Monsanto, Richard J. Mahoney transformed the St. Louis-headquartered organization into a broad-based life sciences and specialty chemical company with major programs in pharmaceuticals, food and nutritional ingredients and world leadership in agricultural products and sciences. Mahoney received an honorary doctor of science degree in 2012.

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The company grew rapidly in those years, based largely on its major increases in research investment and the successful commercial development of its results.

Since his retirement from Monsanto in 1995, Mahoney has served as distinguished executive in residence at the Weidenbaum Center on the Economy, Government, and Public Policy and as executive in residence at Olin Business School.

Mahoney is an emeritus member of WUSTL’s Board of Trustees and serves on the board’s committee for Medical School Finance and Planning.

Sharing the views of leaders

Over a period of two years, he wrote a series of editorial columns for The New York Times’ Sunday business section, titled “Viewpoint.”

For several years, he produced The CEO Series for the Weidenbaum Center, a collection of more than 30 original essays written by CEOs of major corporations.

He later published In My Opinion, a collection of his writings on public policy, corporate strategy, management, trade and other topics.

Richard MahoneyA Churchill Fellow at the National Churchill Museum, Mahoney produced in 2005 The Quotable Winston Churchill, a volume of memorable commentary from one of the world’s great leaders.

Mahoney graduated from the University of Massachusetts in 1955 with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and holds honorary degrees from the University of Massachusetts, the University of Missouri-St. Louis and Westminster College and is an honorary fellow of Exeter College, University of Oxford.