Jon M. Huntsman

Jon M . Huntsman

Jon M. Huntsman is founder and Chairman of Huntsman Corporation, a global manufacturer and marketer of differentiated chemicals.

In 1970, Mr. Huntsman began a small entrepreneurial plastics packaging business which is now a global manufacturer and marketer of differentiated chemicals. Its operating companies manufacture products including chemicals, plastics, automotive, aviation, textiles, footwear, paints and coatings, construction, technology, agriculture, health care, detergent, personal care, furniture, appliances and packaging. Originally known for pioneering innovations in packaging and, later, for rapid and integrated growth in petrochemicals, Huntsman today has 13,000 employees and operates from multiple locations worldwide. The Company had 2007 revenues of approximately $10 billion.

Mr. Huntsman earned his undergraduate degree at The Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, and subsequently earned an MBA. He has been awarded thirteen honorary doctorate degrees at various universities. Mr. Huntsman was a U.S. Naval Gunnery Officer and served under President Nixon as Special Assistant to the President and as White House Staff Secretary.

Jon Huntsman authored a book on corporate ethics entitled, Winners Never Cheat: Everyday Values We Learned as Children (But May Have Forgotten).

Mr. Huntsman is widely recognized as one of America’s foremost concerned citizens and philanthropists. His lifetime humanitarian giving, including contributions to the homeless, the ill and the underprivileged, exceeds $1.2 billion and has assisted thousands, both domestically and internationally. In 2001, Mr. Huntsman was presented with Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award. In 2003, he received the Humanitarian of the Year Award from CNN’s Larry King. His collective gifts to colleges and universities alone exceed $300 million. The Chronicle of Philanthropy placed Mr. Huntsman in the second place position on their 2007 list of largest donors. (Dec 2007)

Mr. Huntsman and his wife, Karen, founded the Huntsman Cancer Institute in 1995 to accelerate the work of curing cancer through human genetics. The Institute is now one of America's major cancer research centers dedicated to finding a cure for cancer, as well as a state of the art clinic and treatment center for cancer patients.

Jon and Karen Huntsman are the parents of nine children and grandparents to 56.