3M names Thulin to replace retiring Buckley as CEO

NEW YORK — The maker of Post-Its and Scotch Tape has named a new chief executive.

With his employment contract set to expire this month, 3M Co. announced Wednesday that CEO George Buckley will retire on June 1. The company named chief operating officer Inge Thulin to replace him, effective Feb. 24. Thulin will also join 3M's board.

Wall Street has been waiting for the Maplewood, Minn., company to name a new CEO. After Buckley hit 3M's mandatory retirement age of 65, analysts clamored for information about a succession plan. Published reports suggested that some 3M board members wanted the popular CEO to stay on despite the company's age cap.

Buckley, too, did not seem eager to leave.

"Unless I drop dead first I'm going to work here as long as the board wants me to work here," he said last year. "I'm not anxious to go fishing just yet."

In an interview with The Associated Press, incoming CEO Thulin said he has the backing of 3M directors.

"While people looked in from the outside, George and I have been on the inside, (preparing for) a very orderly transition," he said. "There's no doubt for me in terms of having full support from the board."

Buckley will remain chairman until the company's annual shareholder meeting in May, when Thulin is expected to be elected to that post.

Thulin has been COO since May 2011. Before that he was executive vice president of international operations. 3M gets about two-thirds of its revenue from products sold outside the U.S. and the company credits Thulin with building its international sales to nearly $20 billion annually.

Thulin, a native of Sweden, has been with 3M for 32 years. He began his career there with 3M in sales and marketing. Thulin says he was attracted to 3M by its innovations and focus on sustainability.

Besides its trademark Post-Its and Scotch Tape, 3M also makes a slew of products ranging from stethoscopes to films for LCD televisions. During Buckley's tenure as CEO, 3M's total sales grew by 40 percent to $29.61 billion in 2011.

Buckley, a straight-shooting Englishman, came to the company in 2005 from boat maker Brunswick Corp. At the time, some observers questioned the choice of an outsider from a much smaller company for 3M CEO, although Buckley had proven himself in the boat industry.