William Brown
Chief Executive Officer
2024 – Present
2 years (current)
Key Decisions & Impact
Upon taking the helm in 2024, Brown made immediate strategic decisions centered on operational simplification and portfolio prioritization. He decided to focus growth investments on high-priority end markets, such as semiconductor process technologies and electric vehicle materials. In a significant financial move, he made the decision to reduce 3M's dividend following the Solventum spinoff—the first such reduction in modern history—prioritizing balance sheet health and operational reinvestment over short-term investor payouts.
Legacy
William Brown joined 3M as CEO in May 2024 following his tenure leading Corning Incorporated, bringing a focused materials science company perspective to 3M's restructuring challenge. Brown has implemented a strategy centered on portfolio prioritization, operational simplification, and targeted growth investment in high-priority end markets including electric vehicle materials and semiconductor process technologies. His willingness to reduce 3M's dividend — the first such reduction in the company's modern history — following the Solventum spinoff reflected a clear-eyed assessment of 3M's financial position and a prioritization of balance sheet health and operational reinvestment over short-term income investor satisfaction. Brown's background at Corning, a company that has maintained premium technical positioning in specialty glass and optical science despite intense competition, makes him philosophically aligned with 3M's core differentiation model.