Jeffrey Joerres, executive chairman of Milwaukee-based ManpowerGroup, will retire at the end of the year, according to an announcement made by the company today.
Joerres, whose retirement will go into effect on Dec. 30, has worked for ManpowerGroup since 1993. He became chairman of the board in 2001 and served as chief executive officer from April 1999 until May 2014.
After ensuring a smooth leadership transition with the appointment of Jonas Prising to CEO in May 2014, Joerres said his role of guiding that transition is complete.
The transition has been “solid,” he said, and “as a result, it’s time to move on.”
Prising, who has worked for ManpowerGroup for more than 15 years, will take over as chairman in Joerres’ place beginning Dec. 31.
Under Joerres’ guidance, ManpowerGroup jumped from an $8 billion temporary staffing company to a $20 billion company with multiple focal points on workforce solutions. The company has also stretched its presence from 50 companies to 80 companies under four brands – Manpower, Experis, ManpowerGroup Solutions and Right Management.
Joerres said the passion he developed for the company’s mission to pair people and jobs kept him at the helm.
“Very rarely can you work for and be associated with a company so large that has such a committed mission as well,” Joerres said in a phone interview. “We’re extremely fortunate to be in a business that gives people jobs and trains them. So it becomes a real passion once you get into it and believe in something like that. From my perspective, there was no other organization once I kind of caught the fever…that I would have wanted to lead.”
He is certain that Prising will enable ManpowerGroup to remain agile while also continuing to please its shareholders.
“There is a secret sauce within that company, and I’m confident that Jonas has the recipe to keep that going,” Joerres said.
As for Joerres’ next steps, he does not plan to retain involvement with ManpowerGroup in any capacity but is committed to keeping in touch with company leadership.
Joerres said he has no plans to vacate Milwaukee, a city he loves. While he won’t pivot into a job similar to the one he is leaving, neither will he “go read books on the beach,” he said.
He prefers to settle down and find different ways to contribute to the community.
In wrapping up a close to 15-year career as chairman, he added that “it’s gratifying when it ends on a positive note.”
