Since joining Google in 2001, Eric Schmidt has helped grow the company from a Silicon Valley startup to a global leader in technology. As executive chairman he is responsible for external matters—building partnerships and broader business relationships, government outreach and technology thought leadership—as well as advising the CEO and senior leadership on business and policy issues. From 2001 to 2011, he was Google’s chief executive officer, overseeing the company’s technical and business strategy alongside founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page. Under his leadership, Google dramatically scaled its infrastructure and diversified its product offerings while maintaining a strong culture of innovation.

Prior to joining Google, Dr. Schmidt was the chairman and CEO of Novell and chief technology officer at Sun Microsystems. Previously, he served on the research staff at Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC), Bell Laboratories, and Zilog.

Dr. Schmidt is a member of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology and the Prime Minister’s Advisory Council in the United Kingdom. He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2006 and inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences as a fellow in 2007. He also chairs the board of the New America Foundation, and since 2008 has been a trustee of the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey. In 2012 he became a member of Khan Academy’s board of directors and in 2013 he joined the board of The Economist.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Princeton University and a master’s degree and PhD in computer science from the University of California, Berkeley.