College of Engineering Award Recipients
Professional Achievement Award
EDMUND R. STEINIKE, ENG '85
Roswell, Ga.
Ed Steinike’s former boss used to say, “Control your own destiny or someone else will.” That boss was Jack Welch of General Electric.
It’s something Ed took to heart, working his way through Marquette, then working his way up the ladder. Today, he is vice president and chief information officer of the Coca-Cola Co., leading the company’s information technology strategy, services and operations worldwide.
Another philosophy Ed took to heart was Marquette’s mission and the pillars of excellence, faith, leadership and service. “Marquette provided the balance in education that turns out to be so valuable in the business world,” he explains. “It really helps build leadership skills.”
Ed used those leadership skills at General Electric from 1976–2002, eventually becoming chief information officer of GE Energy Services and GE Medical Systems.
He began his tenure at the Coca-Cola Co. as chief technology officer in 2002, responsible for all technology, including networks, data centers, operations, data warehousing and systems architecture. From 2004–07, he was chief development officer and CIO for Coca-Cola North America. In this role, he helped leverage technology to deliver business results and introduced key applications in finance, business planning, consumer Web services, customer relationship management, supply chain and innovation.
From 2007–10, Ed was executive vice president and chief information officer at ING Insurance, for which he was responsible for all aspects of customer and information technology systems and services.
Echoing Welch, Ed has advice for young professionals. “Set some goals, and go after them,” he says. “It helps if you really like what you do — that keeps the energy level up. In the end, nothing beats good preparation and hard work.”
Fun fact: Two of Ed’s favorite books are Guns, Germs and Steel, the Fate of Human Societies and Outliers, the Story of Success. He also recommends to any young professional Good to Great by Jim Collins.
