Riley P. Bechtel

In March 1989, he was elected president and chief operating officer of Bechtel Group, Inc. He became president and chief executive officer in June 1990, and chairman and chief executive officer in January 1996. In February 2014, Mr. Bechtel stepped down as Bechtel’s chief executive officer and continued to serve as chairman of its board. In April 2017, he retired as chairman of the board, but remains active as a non-executive director. Fourth-generation head of engineering giant Bechtel Corp., firm that built Hoover Dam and Chunnel. Father, Stephen, became president 1960, chairman 1973. Riley started as mechanic's helper at age 14; still has first Bechtel paycheck. Chairman and chief executive in 1990. Sales up 32% to $27 billion in 2007; firm booked $34 billion in new work last year. New jobs include a 1,600-megawatt, coal-fired power plant in Illinois and a liquefied natural gas processing plant in Angola. Completed U.K.'s first high-speed rail line and Tacoma Narrows Bridge near Seattle earlier this year. Believed to still have stake in privately held money management firm Fremont Group. Mr. Bechtel is a director of Fremont Investors, Inc. and a member of Fremont Group’s Board of Advisors. He is a member of the Conservation Fund's Corporate Council, and The Thacher School Board of Trustees. He is an associate member of the American Society of Corporate Executives.