BYU Marriott Honors David N. Weidman

PROVO, Utah – Sep 24, 2018 – Brigham Young University’s Marriott School of Business named David N. Weidman, retired chairman and CEO of Celanese Corporation, as its 2018 International Executive of the Year. Weidman was honored at a banquet on 21 September for demonstrating exceptional leadership and high ethical standards during his time as an executive.

“I was shocked when (former dean) Lee Perry called and indicated that this prestigious award was being given to me,” Weidman said in an address given to BYU students earlier that day. “In all cases where there is an individual recognition, it is a team recognition in reality. And in my case, I have the good fortune of representing great people here today.”

Throughout his career, Weidman worked in the pharmaceutical, specialty chemical, and ag chemical industry. From 2004 to 2012, he was CEO and a member of the board of directors at Celanese Corporation, and he also served as chairman of the board from 2007 until his retirement.

In addition to professional positions, Weidman and his wife, Rachel, served as mission president and companion in the California Los Angeles Mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 2013 to 2016. After returning, the couple spent time in the Provo Missionary Training Center presidency, and Weidman now serves as the director of missionary effectiveness in the Missionary Department of the Church of Jesus Christ.

All of these experiences and more have provided Weidman with numerous opportunities to develop his leadership skills. In his address to students, Weidman stated that his ability to lead has grown from both his personal experiences as well as the examples of others. He then encouraged students to develop the traits of integrity, knowledge, and persistence, which traits he identified in successful people throughout his career.

“These traits span the globe,” Weidman said. “There is no gender bias or basis for them. These traits do not depend on the individual. They’re not based on good fortune either. These characteristics of success are based solely on you and your personal choices—the decisions that you will make.”

Since 1974 when the IEY award was established, the school of business—in conjunction with its National Advisory Council and the university administration—has named numerous recipients who have made a significant impact on individuals throughout the world. Some who have received the award previously are George Bodenheimer of ESPN, Rex Tillerson of ExxonMobil, and Stanley C. Gualt of the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company.

The BYU Marriott School of Business prepares men and women of faith, character, and professional ability for positions of leadership throughout the world. Named for benefactors J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott, the school is located at Brigham Young University, the largest privately owned, church-sponsored university in the United States. BYU Marriott has four graduate and ten undergraduate programs with an enrollment of approximately 3,300 students.