Peter Magowan - Early Life and Career

Early Life and Career

Magowan's maternal grandfather was Charles Merrill (1885–1956), co-founder of Merrill Lynch & Company and instrumental in the formation of Safeway. Magowan's father, Robert Anderson Magowan, was chairman and CEO of Safeway; Magowan's mother, Doris Merrill Magowan (1914–2001), was a prominent San Francisco philanthropist. Magowan is the nephew of poet James Merrill (1926–1995). He graduated high school from Groton School, has a bachelors degree from Stanford University and a masters degree from Oxford University. He also did post-graduate work at The Johns Hopkins University.

Following graduation from Stanford, Magowan joined Safeway as a real estate negotiator in Washington D.C. He also worked as a District Manager in Houston, a Retail Operations Manager in Phoenix and a Division Manager in Tulsa. From 1976 to 1978 he was in charge of the Company's international operations. He was elected a Director of Safeway in 1978 following the death of his father.

In 1979 Magowan was elected as chairman and CEO of Safeway. He would run Safeway until its poor performance led to it being the target of corporate raiders, resulting in acquisition by KKR acting as a white knight.

Magowan is also a director of Caterpillar, Inc., DaimlerChrysler, W5 Networks, Inc., and Spring Group, PLC. He is a native of New York City and was a Giants fan prior to moving to San Francisco; the team itself soon followed.