The Mayo Society of Greater Cleveland has chosen Christopher M. Connor as their 2017 Person of the Year.

Mr. Connor is the former Executive Chairman of The Sherwin-Williams Company, a 150 year old, $11 billion global leader in the paint and coatings industry.  Most recently, he served as Chairman and CEO from 1999 to 2016 before taking on his assignment as Executive Chairman.  He retired from the company on December 31, 2016.

Of note, Business Week Magazine has frequently included Sherwin-Williams in their top 50 performing companies in America, Fortune Magazine has recognized the company on three recent occasions as one of our nation’s top 100 places to work and Harvard Business Review has identified Mr. Connor as one of the top 100 best performing CEO’s in the world for the past three consecutive years.

Mr. Connor currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Eaton Corporation, Yum Brands Inc. and is Chairman of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.  His many civic and community board engagements include University Hospitals Health System, The Playhouse Square Foundation and The Fisher College of Business at The Ohio State University.

Mr. Connor is a 1974 graduate of Walsh Jesuit High School and a 1978 graduate of The Ohio State University.  He and his wife Sara have three adult children.

On Saturday, October 7, 2017, Connor will be honored at the Society’s Annual Ball.  This year it will be held at Cleveland’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  Part of the Mayo Society’s mission is to promote cultural and literary exchanges between people of the United States and people of Ireland, with particular emphasis on County Mayo.

The Mayo Society of Greater Cleveland has donated to many local Cleveland charities such as the Irish Cultural Garden, the Johnny Kilbane Battery Park Sculpture project, the Achill Tourism Project, adding up to a total of $250,000.00 since becoming a 501C3 organization.

Begun in 2012, we sponsor John Carroll students at the National University of Ireland, Galway.  These cultural exchanges enrich both the John Carroll and Irish communities by helping prepare students to lead and serve by engaging the world and around the globe.  Two students representing the Galway University Foundation will be here as 2017/2018 scholarship recipients.