Jack Welch: Legendary GE boss dies at 84
Jack Welch, the charismatic boss who transformed General Electric (GE) into America's most valuable company, has died aged 84.
Mr Welch, who ran the US conglomerate from 1981 until 2001, was once named "manager of the century" for his successes.
Nicknamed "Neutron Jack" for his cost-cutting, he become a best selling author and confidante of US presidents.
Under him, GE's market value grew from $12bn to $410bn (£321bn).
Mr Welch joined GE as a chemical engineer in its plastics division at Pittsfield, Massachusetts, before being elected the company's youngest vice-president in 1972.
In 1979 he became vice-chairman and by the end of 1980, it was announced that he was to become chairman and CEO of the firm, a position he held for 20 years before retiring in 2001.
While at the helm in the 1980s and 1990s, he bought and sold scores of businesses, expanding GE into financial services and consulting.
A guru to thousands of management hopefuls, his books "Winning" and "Jack: Straight from the Gut" were bestsellers during his retirement.
