G. Kennedy Thompson G. Kennedy Thompson G. Kennedy "Ken" Thompson (born November 25, 1950) is an American businessman who was previously chairman, president, and CEO of Wachovia Corporation, formerly First Union Corporation, from 2000 through 2008. First Union Corporation acquired Wachovia Corporation and changed its name to Wachovia in September 2001 after fending off a hostile takeover attempt by SunTrust Bank. Thompson succeeded Edward E. Crutchfield in 2000, who stepped down due to health reasons. Previous positions at First Union included vice chairman of the corporation and head of Global Capital Markets; president, First Union-Florida; senior vice president and head of First Union
G. Kennedy Thompson Human Resources; president, First Union Georgia. Thompson previously served as president of the Federal Reserve Board's Federal Advisory Committee. Thompson serves on the Boards of Directors Florida Rock Industries, Inc., (NYSE) and Atrium Health. Professional affiliations include Board member, Financial Services Roundtable; vice chairman and board member, New York Clearing House; member, Financial Services Forum, The Business Council. Following his very narrow re-election with 55% of the shareholder vote, it was announced in April 2013 that Thompson would step down from the Hewlett-Packard (HP) board. Highly engaged in community work, Thompson's involvement includes being a member of the board of