Greg Brown Named CEO of the Year
Apr 08 | General
Longtime Rutgers Athletics supporter recognized for transforming Motorola Solutions into the backbone of America’s public safety infrastructure
Greg Brown, Motorola Solutions Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, was named the 2026 Chief Executive of the Year by his peer CEOs, according to Chief Executive magazine. Brown was selected by an independent committee of CEOs for his work leading the organization's transformation into the world's most advanced safety and security company.
"I'm honored and humbled by this recognition by my peers, which is a testament to the passion and performance of the entire Motorola Solutions team," said Brown in an article in Chief Executive magazine. "Everything we do is driven by our unwavering focus on helping people be safer in the moments that matter. It's my privilege to lead this iconic company as we continue to build and expand the technology bedrock of public safety and security. Our best work is still ahead of us."
A 1982 graduate of Rutgers' Livingston College, Brown and his wife Anna, have been fervent supporters of University initiatives, including their significant philanthropic contributions to the athletic department. The couple were recognized with the 1869 Legacy Award, the most distinguished honor bestowed to an athletics supporter who has made a lifetime impact on the lives of Rutgers student-athletes through generosity, involvement and commitment.
The recruiting pavilion at SHI Stadium and football locker room bears the Brown Family name as signature capital investments the pair have made to athletics. Their interests and support of the University extend beyond sports, including their contributions to the Rutgers Psychological Clinic at the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology, Anna is the granddaughter of Henry and Anna Starr, who founded the original clinic in 1929. They also created the Gregory Q. Brown Chair in Cell Biology and Neuroscience in honor of his mother, Winifred Brown.
The former chairman of the Rutgers University Board of Governors, Brown served on the University's Board of Trustees and on the Rutgers University Foundation Board of Overseers. In 2010, he was inducted into the Rutgers Hall of Distinguished Alumni, an honor bestowed on Rutgers graduates who have devoted time and energy to the greater good of society and the University.
Brown, who joined Motorola as a division president in 2003, became CEO of the original Motorola in 2008 before engineering one of the boldest strategic reinventions in modern American business history: splitting the company in two and spinning off the consumer handset division to build Motorola Solutions from the public safety and enterprise technology assets that remained.
Over the last 18 years, Brown has transformed what was once a struggling cellular handset manufacturer into the backbone of America's public safety infrastructure—a company whose technology powers the majority of 911 systems in the United States and serves police and emergency response organizations worldwide.
Under Brown, Motorola Solutions has delivered a total shareholder return exceeding 1,400 percent since the 2011 spin-off, with the stock gaining 50 percent in 2024 alone. He has completed more than 55 acquisitions, expanding aggressively into video security, command center solutions software, and most recently a new defense market through the $4.4 billion acquisition of high-speed mobile ad-hoc network technology maker Silvus Technologies in 2025.
Brown's selection as 2026 CEO of the Year is scheduled to be celebrated at an invitation-only event hosted by Chief Executive Group this October.
About Chief Executive of the Year
Since 1986, Chief Executive of the Year honorees have been a who's who of American business leadership, including Dave Ricks, Lisa Su, Ed Bastian, Marc Benioff, Ken Frazier, Bill Gates, Brian Moynihan, Arne Sorenson, Michael Dell, A. G. Lafley, Marillyn Hewson, John Chambers, Fred Smith, Bob Iger, Anne Mulcahy, Larry Bossidy, Andy Grove, Herb Kelleher and many more. The honor recognizes courageous, long-term executive leadership in the service of shareholders and society. Learn more: ChiefExecutive.net/CEO-of-the-Year/
"I'm honored and humbled by this recognition by my peers, which is a testament to the passion and performance of the entire Motorola Solutions team," said Brown in an article in Chief Executive magazine. "Everything we do is driven by our unwavering focus on helping people be safer in the moments that matter. It's my privilege to lead this iconic company as we continue to build and expand the technology bedrock of public safety and security. Our best work is still ahead of us."
A 1982 graduate of Rutgers' Livingston College, Brown and his wife Anna, have been fervent supporters of University initiatives, including their significant philanthropic contributions to the athletic department. The couple were recognized with the 1869 Legacy Award, the most distinguished honor bestowed to an athletics supporter who has made a lifetime impact on the lives of Rutgers student-athletes through generosity, involvement and commitment.
The recruiting pavilion at SHI Stadium and football locker room bears the Brown Family name as signature capital investments the pair have made to athletics. Their interests and support of the University extend beyond sports, including their contributions to the Rutgers Psychological Clinic at the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology, Anna is the granddaughter of Henry and Anna Starr, who founded the original clinic in 1929. They also created the Gregory Q. Brown Chair in Cell Biology and Neuroscience in honor of his mother, Winifred Brown.
The former chairman of the Rutgers University Board of Governors, Brown served on the University's Board of Trustees and on the Rutgers University Foundation Board of Overseers. In 2010, he was inducted into the Rutgers Hall of Distinguished Alumni, an honor bestowed on Rutgers graduates who have devoted time and energy to the greater good of society and the University.
Brown, who joined Motorola as a division president in 2003, became CEO of the original Motorola in 2008 before engineering one of the boldest strategic reinventions in modern American business history: splitting the company in two and spinning off the consumer handset division to build Motorola Solutions from the public safety and enterprise technology assets that remained.
Over the last 18 years, Brown has transformed what was once a struggling cellular handset manufacturer into the backbone of America's public safety infrastructure—a company whose technology powers the majority of 911 systems in the United States and serves police and emergency response organizations worldwide.
Under Brown, Motorola Solutions has delivered a total shareholder return exceeding 1,400 percent since the 2011 spin-off, with the stock gaining 50 percent in 2024 alone. He has completed more than 55 acquisitions, expanding aggressively into video security, command center solutions software, and most recently a new defense market through the $4.4 billion acquisition of high-speed mobile ad-hoc network technology maker Silvus Technologies in 2025.
Brown's selection as 2026 CEO of the Year is scheduled to be celebrated at an invitation-only event hosted by Chief Executive Group this October.
About Chief Executive of the Year
Since 1986, Chief Executive of the Year honorees have been a who's who of American business leadership, including Dave Ricks, Lisa Su, Ed Bastian, Marc Benioff, Ken Frazier, Bill Gates, Brian Moynihan, Arne Sorenson, Michael Dell, A. G. Lafley, Marillyn Hewson, John Chambers, Fred Smith, Bob Iger, Anne Mulcahy, Larry Bossidy, Andy Grove, Herb Kelleher and many more. The honor recognizes courageous, long-term executive leadership in the service of shareholders and society. Learn more: ChiefExecutive.net/CEO-of-the-Year/
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