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Cummins Inc.

Heavy Machinery & Engine ManufacturingFounded 1919
Reviewed by Swet Parvadiya
Company data updated: October 2026

Leadership History

Cummins: CEO History

4 leaders · 1947 to present

Who is the CEO of Cummins?

Jennifer Rumsey is the CEO of Cummins, in the role since 2022. The first chief executive was J. Irwin Miller, from 1947.

Current CEO
Jennifer Rumsey (since 2022)
First CEO
J. Irwin Miller (1947)
Leaders documented
4
Founded
1919
NameRoleFromToYears in role
Jennifer RumseyChair and Chief Executive Officer2022Present4
Tom LinebargerChairman and Chief Executive Officer2012202210
Tim SolsoChairman and Chief Executive Officer2000201111
J. Irwin MillerChairman and CEO1947197730
Who was CEO of Cummins before Jennifer Rumsey?
Tom Linebarger was CEO of Cummins from 2012 to 2022, before Jennifer Rumsey took over in 2022.

Company Overview

Cummins does not build the trucks you see on the highway; it builds the engines, axles, aftertreatment, and generators that go inside them and around them. Its products power Ram Heavy Duty pickups, Kenworth and Peterbilt trucks, transit buses, mining haul trucks, locomotives, boats, and the standby generator sets that keep hospitals and data centers running during outages. Cummins Inc. is listed on the NYSE as CMI and is part of the S&P 500. The company is headquartered in Columbus, Indiana.

Jennifer Rumsey

Chair and Chief Executive Officer

2022 – Present

4 years (current)

Legacy

Rumsey joined Cummins in 2000 and held roles including chief technical officer, president of the Components segment, and president and COO before becoming CEO on August 1, 2022, and chair in 2023. She is the first woman to lead Cummins. Under her leadership Cummins closed the Meritor deal, launched Accelera, separated Atmus, expanded data center power capacity, and in 2025-2026 scaled back hydrogen by exiting electrolyzers and selling the fuel cell business. She holds mechanical engineering degrees from Purdue University and MIT.

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Tom Linebarger

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

2012 – 2022

10 years

Legacy

Led Cummins through emissions regulation, global expansion, supply disruption, and the early new-power pivot. Linebarger joined Cummins in 1993 after beginning his career at Prudential Financial, rising through supply-chain, CFO, and power-generation leadership roles before becoming president and COO in 2008 and chairman and CEO on January 1, 2012, a role he held for a decade before Rumsey succeeded him in 2022. During his tenure, Cummins expanded significantly into natural gas engines and began early investment in hydrogen fuel-cell and electrolyzer technology, positioning the company for the eventual energy transition in heavy-duty transportation well before many competitors made comparable investments. He also chaired the Business Roundtable's International Engagement Committee and led its International Trade Subcommittee, giving Cummins a prominent voice in national trade-policy discussions, and after leaving Cummins he became CEO of Mainspring Energy, a company developing flexible power-generation technology.

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Tim Solso

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

2000 – 2011

11 years

Legacy

Built Cummins into a stronger global industrial compounder with disciplined manufacturing and distribution execution. Solso joined Cummins in 1971 after earning an MBA from Harvard and a psychology degree from DePauw University, rising from personnel roles into operations leadership before becoming chairman and CEO in 2000, a position he held until retiring in 2011. Solso led Cummins through the 2008-2009 financial crisis, during which heavy-truck demand collapsed industry-wide, while maintaining the company's investment in emissions-control technology needed to meet increasingly stringent EPA diesel-engine regulations. He also served on General Motors' board starting in 2012, becoming non-executive chairman in 2014 before transitioning to lead independent director when Mary Barra became chairman in 2016, and separately served on Ball Corporation's board beginning in 2003.

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J. Irwin Miller

Chairman and CEO

1947 – 1977

30 years

Legacy

Grand-nephew of co-founder William G. Irwin, Miller joined Cummins in 1934, became president in 1947, and served as chairman until 1977, building it into a global engine maker. He was also known for civil rights advocacy and for the Cummins Foundation program that paid architects' fees for modernist public buildings in Columbus, Indiana.

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Challenges & Strategic Context

Key risks include weaker truck demand, emissions regulation, electrification timing, hydrogen adoption uncertainty, commodity costs, and OEM customers choosing more vertically integrated powertrains.

Cummins CEO and Leadership FAQ

Who is Jennifer Rumsey and what is her historic legacy as CEO of Cummins?

Jennifer Rumsey is the Chair and Chief Executive Officer of Cummins Inc. A native of Columbus, Indiana, Rumsey earned degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University and MIT. Joining Cummins in 2000, she worked as Chief Technical Officer, President of the Components segment, and Chief Operating Officer before becoming CEO in August 2022 and Chair in 2023 as the first woman to lead the company.

What major strategic accomplishments define Jennifer Rumsey's leadership at Cummins?

Under Jennifer Rumsey, Cummins completed the Meritor acquisition, launched Accelera, separated Atmus Filtration, expanded data center power capacity, and in 2025-2026 exited electrolyzers and sold its fuel cell business. Cummins posted record Q2 2026 revenue of $9.5B and raised its 2030 targets.

Who was Tom Linebarger and what was his leadership impact as CEO from 2012 to 2022?

Tom Linebarger was CEO of Cummins from 2012 to 2022 and chairman until 2023. Revenue grew from about $18B in 2011 to about $24B in 2021, he launched the Destination Zero strategy, and he led the Hydrogenics deal and the agreement to buy Meritor. He later became CEO of Mainspring Energy.

Who was Tim Solso and what was his role as CEO from 2000 to 2011?

Tim Solso was chairman and CEO from 2000 to 2011. He expanded Cummins in China, India, and Brazil and steered it through the 2008-2009 downturn and tougher U.S. diesel emissions standards. He later chaired the General Motors board.

Who was J. Irwin Miller and why is he considered one of America's greatest corporate statesmen?

J. Irwin Miller (1909 to 2004, great-nephew of co-founder William G. Irwin) led Cummins from 1934 to 1977. Miller transformed Cummins into a Fortune 500 leader, turned Columbus, Indiana into an architectural capital by sponsoring high-quality architects for civic buildings, and marched alongside Martin Luther King Jr. as a national champion of civil rights.

Who serves as Chief Financial Officer of Cummins Inc.?

Mark Smith serves as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Cummins Inc., having served as CFO since 2019. Smith, who joined Cummins in 1995 after senior finance roles in the UK, oversees global financial strategy, treasury, and investor relations.

Who serves as Chief Technical Officer of Cummins?

Jonathan Wood serves as Vice President and Chief Technical Officer of Cummins, directing global research, development, and engineering across advanced internal combustion, fuel-agnostic architectures, and zero-emissions technologies.

What corporate governance excellence characterizes Cummins' Board of Directors?

Cummins' board has an independent lead director and independent audit, compensation, and governance committees, with Jennifer Rumsey serving as chair and CEO.

Who is the CEO of Cummins?

Jennifer Rumsey currently serves as CEO, becoming the first woman to lead the company. An engineer who started at Cummins in 2000, she is aggressively executing their "Destination Zero" strategy to pivot the diesel giant toward hydrogen fuel cells and battery-electric platforms.

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Content is for informational purposes only. Not financial advice. Data sourced from SEC filings, annual reports, and public records. See our full disclaimer and methodology.