Ned Rowe

Oakland, CA

My business experience

I have 30 years’ experience as an operating executive, with successful MBO/turnaround experience as CEO of a West Coast distribution business, sold to an industry consolidator. This includes diverse functional experience—in sales, marketing, operations, engineering, manufacturing, construction and international—provides a practical background that enables me to quickly grasp essential business issues within the context of a “big picture” overview framework.

My Vistage experience

Since 1999, I have been a Chair for Vistage groups of CEOs and business owners with annual revenues ranging from $1 million to $750 million. I have assisted numerous members with the sale of their businesses, acquisitions, turnarounds, start-ups and executive development in a wide range of industries. I have facilitated over 200 executive meetings with more than 5,000 hours of personal coaching experience and I have been consistently rated as a high-performing Vistage Chair.

My objective is to assemble good people from a wide range of backgrounds, who are interested in fresh thinking and learning from one another. Members “tell it like it is,” providing candid and direct feedback to one another in order to receive the perspective they need to make better decisions and grow as leaders.

My Vistage groups

Member companies in my groups represent a broad range of industries and professional services. Members range in age from thirties to sixties.

Who is the “ideal” Vistage member?

We look for business leaders who are not yet as good as they want to be, who are open to being challenged and who are willing to learn from others. We actively seek to achieve a diversity of industries, complementing our current members' experience, which allows for "out of the box thinking".

More about Ned Rowe

I am affiliated with the Boy Scouts and the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology. I enjoy travel, reading, Stanford athletics and spending time with family.

My formal education includes Stanford Business School, MIT and WPI. However, the knowledge I use in my Vistage work comes from thirty years of diversified experience.