Jim Whitehurst

James "Jim" Whitehurst was president and CEO of Red Hat, the world’s leading provider of open source enterprise IT products and services. He is an avid advocate for open software as a catalyst for business innovation. With a background in business development, finance, and global operations, Jim has proven expertise in helping companies flourish—even in the most challenging economic and business environments. Since joining in January, 2008, he has more than quadrupled the company’s revenue. Under his leadership, Red Hat was named to Forbes’ list of “The World’s Most Innovative Companies” in 2016, 2015, 2014 and 2012; added to Standard and Poor’s (S&P) 500 stock index in 2009; and named one of the best places to work by Glassdoor.

In June 2015, Jim published a book with Harvard Business Review Press entitled "The Open Organization: Igniting Passion and Performance" showing how open principles of management—based on transparency, participation, and community—can help organizations navigate and succeed in a fast-paced connected era.

Prior to Red Hat, Jim spent six-years at Delta Air Lines where he oversaw all aspects of airline operations and drove significant international expansion as chief operating officer. Before Delta, he held several corporate development leadership roles at The Boston Consulting Group, working in the Chicago, Hong Kong and Shanghai offices, and as a partner in the Atlanta office with numerous clients across a wide range of industries.

A native of Columbus, Georgia, Jim graduated from Rice University with a bachelor's degree in computer science and economics. He also attended Erlangen Nuremberg University in Erlangen, Germany, holds a general course degree from the London School of Economics and an MBA from Harvard Business School.