September 13, 2012 | Terry Waghorn
When Douglas Conant was brought in from Nabisco to be chief executive officer of the Campbell Soup Co. in 2001, Campbell had devolved into what one magazine called "a beleaguered old brand." Eight years later, Conant is well on his way to fulfilling the mission he then set for himself, taking what he called a "bad" company and lifting its performance to "extraordinary." He has done it with cost-cutting, smart innovations, increased marketing and, especially, a concerted effort to reinvigorate the workforce.