F. Ross Johnson

Frederick Ross Johnson, OC is a Canadian businessman, best known as the chief executive officer of RJR Nabisco in the 1980s. Johnson began his career working as an accountant for Canadian General Electric and as a vice-president of merchandising for the T. Eaton Company before being named president of Standard Brands Ltd. In 1981, Johnson negotiated the merging of Standard Brands and Nabisco. A few short years after, Jonson became CEO of Nabisco. He then went into a series of talks that led to the Nabisco-RJ Reynolds merger in 1985. He was soon appointed President and CEO of RJR Nabisco.

After his service as CEO, RJR Nabisco was bought out by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co, and Johnson opened a private investment company, named RJM Group, Inc. After his retirement in 2009 he served on a multitude of boards including Bentley Pharmaceuticals and Power Corporation of Canada. He also served as a trustee of Duke University, and was awarded a multitude of awards including the United States Silver Medal of Patriotism.