John H. Hammergren was exalted as "squeaky clean with a knack for complexity" in an era following not-so-squeaky-clean executives of companies such as Enron, Tyco, World-Com, and even former executives of his own company. Hammergren was president, chairman, and CEO of McKesson Corporation, the country's largest supplier of software solutions, technological innovations, and comprehensive services to the healthcare industry and a wholesale distributor of prescription drugs. He took over following McKesson's January 1999 scandal-ridden acquisition of HBOC in which accounting irregularities inflated HBOC's revenues. Although initially Hammergren doubted he could repair the damage, he did so. He also took on the larger task of restoring confidence in company leadership: "The reputation of Corporate America has been sullied and the reputation of CEOs has been tarnished and it makes the complexity of our job even greater" ( Chief Executive , August-September 2003).

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