From 1992 until 2000 Mead was president, chairman and CEO of
Tenneco, Inc., a large conglomerate, operating in 50 countries, in oil and gas pipelines, farm and construction equipment, shipbuilding, auto parts, industrial and consumer packaging, chemicals and minerals. Tenneco was named one of the 100 Best Managed Companies in the World four times during his tenure. At Tenneco he was elected chairman of both the
Business Roundtable (1998–1999) and the
National Association of Manufacturers (1994–1995). Before Tenneco, Mead was executive vice president and a member of the board at
International Paper. Prior to his work at International Paper, Mead was professor and deputy head of the Social Sciences Department at
West Point; Between his time in the military and his business career, Mead spent significant time in the
White House. Mead was a
White House Fellow between 1970 and 1971. Following this, Mead served as deputy director of the White House Domestic Council focusing on desegregation, community development, revenue sharing, and transportation from 1972 to 1974. As White House liaison to the District of Columbia, Mead drafted the first Home Rule Bill for the District. Mead was a co-founder of the French-American Business Council, chaired the Trans Atlantic Business Dialogue and the
Royal Shakespeare Company USA board, and sat on the parent London board. He was also a member of the
boards of directors for
Cummins (1993–1996),
Zurich Financial Services (1997–2006),
Pactiv (1998–2000), the
Boys and Girls Clubs of America,
Textron,
Center for Creative Leadership, and
Pfizer. the
Council on Foreign Relations, the advisory board of the
George C. Marshall Foundation, and the
Pardee RAND Graduate School. ==Personal life==