Bible, Geoffrey C. 1937-

Geoffrey C. Bible
1937-

Cha1rman and ceo of philip morris

Formative Experiences

Born in Australia in 1937, Geoffrey C, Bible worked his way up the corporate ranks and eventually became CEO of one of the largest U.S. tobacco firms. One of his most formative experiences, however, took place far from corporate headquarters. From 1959 to 1964 he lived among Palestinian refugees while working for a United Nations relief agency, an experience that left a deep and lasting impression. "I've seen a lot of misery in my life," he recalled in an interview with Business Week in 1998. "If you see these little toddlers with flies all over their eyes, a rag over them and nothing else in 100-degree heat, you sort of get a real taste of what hunger is." He joined Philip Morris in 1968. In charge of overseas tobacco operations between 1987 and 1990, Bible championed the acquisition of local cigarette companies in former communist countries, a bold but risky venture that paid off, enabling Philip Morris to command the tobacco markets throughout Eastern Europe. Named CEO in 1994, Bible by the end of the decade had spent thirty-one years with the company. He had intended to retire in 1997 but agreed to stay on to guide Philip Morris through the most tumultuous period in its history. Not inclined to respond passively to conflict and controversy, Bible has come out fighting, consistently aggressive not only in his defense of Philip Morris but in his efforts to diversify and strengthen the company.

Under Fire

Probably no head of a major corporation during the 1990s was as embattled as Bible. Critics regarded him as nothing less than a villain, perhaps the devil incarnate. Bible's uncompromising defense of Philip Morris earned him the sobriquet "the Crocodile Dundee of the tobacco industry." When presented with damning documents that spelled out historical industry tactics of targeting young smokers, he said he was embarrassed and claimed that the company under his direction would never engage in such practices. During a deposition in Florida in 1997, he became the first executive of a major tobacco company to admit that cigarettes "might have" contributed to thousands of deaths.

Waging War

Behind the controversial public figure who waged unrelenting war on his critics, filing lawsuits against both the American Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), is a more complicated private man. When, in 1995, Bible learned that more than one thousand senior citizens in New York City were on a waiting list to participate in the Meals-on-Wheels program, he took immediate action. Within a few months a $1.3 million check arrived from Philip Morris to eliminate the waiting period. That act of charity, however, did not eliminate the many problems that Philip Morris had to confront. In 1997 Bible joined tobacco industry negotiations to fashion the most contentious peace treaty in business history. To the consternation of many Philip Morris executives, Bible agreed, first, to eradicate the venerable Marlboro Man from advertisements and, second, to have the company pay an estimated $175 billion of the $368.5 billion tobacco settlement. Announced with considerable fanfare, the deal that Bible helped broker collapsed within ten months, the victim of political and public opposition. The failure of the agreement, and the continued vilification of Philip Morris, left Bible bloodied but unbowed. "This company is filled with decent, hardworking people, no different than any other," he repeats. "We go to church. Our children go to school. We need to do more to restore self-pride amongst our employees … and to have our place at the table like any other corporation.… We are working all over the world in the most genuine, upright, forthright, honest fashion that we possibly can."

The Future at Philip Morris

Bible acknowledges that Philip Morris faces a long and difficult struggle to regain public confidence. Yet, as of 1999, he expressed no plans to transform the basic portfolio of company businesses with acquisitions outside its core interests in tobacco, food, and beer, or to divide the company into separate divisions. Bible's strategy for Philip Morris has not changed since the day he took over as chairman and CEO. He has vowed to fight hard and win in the courts. "We will come out of it," he promised, "about that I have no doubt at all"

Sources:

John A. Byrne, "Philip Morris: Inside America's Most Reviled Company," Business Week (29 November 1999): 176-186.

Bill Dedman, "Executive Says He's Uncertain About Tobacco's Harm," New York Times, 3 March 1998.

Dedman, "Tobacco Chief ''Horrified' Over Evidence," New York Timesy 4 March 1998.

Leslie Wines, "Geoffrey C. Bible: Up in Smoke?" Journal of Business Strategy, 16 (September/October 1995): 45.