President and CEO, Africa
Jay Ireland is the President and CEO of GE Africa (appointed in 2011), based in Nairobi, Kenya. He leads GE’s operations across the subcontinent, spanning power generation, healthcare, transportation, oil and gas, and aviation. He is a GE officer and a member of GE’s Corporate Executive Council.
Prior to this role, Ireland managed GE Asset Management (GEAM), a global investment firm with nearly US $120 billion in assets under management. Before heading GEAM, he served as President of NBC Universal Television Stations and Network Operations, where he was responsible for 10 NBC Universal television stations, the Telemundo network, and its 16 Spanish-language stations. Before joining NBC in 1999, he was Chief Financial Officer of GE Plastics. Ireland began his career at General Electric in 1980 through the Financial Management Program after serving three years as an officer in the U.S. Army.
Jay Ireland serves as Vice Chairman of the Corporate Council on Africa (CCA) Board of Directors. He is a member of the Private Investors for Africa (PIA) and of the World Economic Forum’s Business Working Group for regional projects in Africa. He is also a board member of the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation and a trustee of St. Lawrence University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1977.
A frequent speaker, Jay Ireland was named “International Business Leader of the Year” in 2013 for the second consecutive year. Jay and his wife have two children.