The Arizona Beta Chapter of
Sigma Phi Epsilon
The University of Arizona
Brother Eckert joined the chapter in 1973. He graduated in 1976 with a B.S. in Business Administration and received an M.B.A. in marketing and finance from Northwestern University in 1977.
Bob is chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Mattel, Inc., the worldwide leader in the design, manufacture and marketing of toys with $5.9 billion in annual sales. Brother Eckert joined Mattel in May 2000 from Kraft Foods, Inc., the largest U.S.-based packaged food company in the world. A 23-year veteran of Kraft, he most recently served as its president and chief executive officer, a position he had held since October 1997. In that role, he was responsible for overseeing all of Kraft’s business units and for leading the company’s policy decision-making board, the Operating Committee.
Previous positions include serving as group vice president of Kraft Foods, Inc. and being responsible for the company’s Oscar Mayer Foods and North American Foodservice Division, along with the Operations, Sales and Customer Service, Technology, Marketing Services and Business Development staff functions. In addition, Eckert held the position of president of Oscar Mayer Foods, and in that role significantly accelerated its performance with steady improvements in market share. He also oversaw the introduction of new varieties of Oscar Mayer Lunchables Lunch Combinations, which consistently delivered double-digit volume growth. Eckert joined Kraft Foods in 1977 and held a variety of marketing positions until he was named vice president, Strategy and Development for Kraft’s Grocery Products Division in 1987, vice president, Marketing for Refrigerated Products in 1989, and executive vice president of Kraft Foods and general manager of the Kraft Cheese Division in 1990.
Brother Eckert serves on the McDonald’s Corporation Board of Directors, the Levi Strauss & Co. Board of Directors, the Pacific Council on International Policy Board of Directors, is a member of the Board of Visitors at The Anderson School at UCLA, the J. L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management Advisory Board at Northwestern University and the Board of the Los Angeles World Affairs Council. He also serves as a member of The Business Council, the American Society of Corporate Executives and the World Presidents’ Organization in Los Angeles.
The Exceptional Children’s Foundation awarded Bob the Community Leader Award in 2011 acknowledging his leadership and ongoing commitment to shaping the development of generations of children, inspiring creativity and innovation and for demonstrating what’s possible through a world of play. He received the School of American Ballet “Corporate Leadership Award” and the University of Arizona, Eller College “Lifetime Achievement Award.” In 2002, Business Week named Eckert in its “Top Twenty-Five Managers of the Year” issue.
Mattel is “Creating the Future of Play.” As the worldwide leader in play, the Mattel family comprises such best-selling brands as Barbie®, Hot Wheels®, American Girl® and Fisher Price® brands, which includes Little People®, Power Wheels® and a wide array of entertainment-inspired toy lines. In 2011, Mattel was named as one of FORTUNE Magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” for the fourth consecutive year, and also was ranked among Corporate Responsibility Magazine’s “100 Best Corporate Citizens.” With worldwide headquarters in El Segundo, Calif., Mattel employs approximately 30,000 people in 43 countries and territories and sells products in more than 150 nations.
Bob says, “ I was so very proud to belong to Sig Ep, while I was at U of A. We were the ‘go-to’ house academically and socially. Looking back, my experience and personal growth at the chapter had a profound and positive influence on my career and life. I’m deeply honored to join the Hall. I knew at the time that being a Sig Ep brother was a big deal on the campus. What I didn’t realize until late in life was how the experiences I had there would so positively impact my life and career.”