Who says you need a college degree to be one of America’s top CEOs?
Well, the law of averages does. While there are a few exceptions—like Bill Gates and Michael Dell—a formal education is standard for the top tier of the business world. The path to becoming a Fortune 500 CEO includes more than a college degree, but make no mistake, it does include a stop at one of the country’s colleges or universities.
One interesting fact about this list is the variety among undergraduate degrees. While business and computer science degrees are solidly represented, majors in political science and communications are unexpected inclusions. And of course, roughly half of the CEOs obtained an MBA.
Keep reading to discover the undergraduate and graduate degrees of some of the country’s top CEOs.
1. Larry Page, Co-founder and CEO
Company: Google (GOOG)Degree: B.S. in Engineering from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; M.S. in Computer Science from Stanford University.
Page, who was born in East Lansing, Michigan, co-founded Google, the world’s most popular search engine, as a research project while in school at Stanford. “Google” refers to the mathematical term “googol”—which is the number one followed by 100 zeros.
2. Mark Parker, President and CEO
Company: Nike (NKE)Degree: B.S. in Political Science from Penn State University.
A native of Poughkeepsie, New York, Parker also ran track at Penn State. He started his career at Nike as a shoe designer. Subsequent roles at the company included Vice President of Consumer Product Marketing, Vice President of Global Footwear and Co-President of the Nike brand.
3. Warren Buffet, Chairman and CEO 
Company: Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-A)Degree: B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln; MBA in Economics from Columbia Business School.
Investing is a family trait Buffet inherited from his father, a stockbroker and U.S. congressman, in his hometown of Omaha, Nebraska. At the age of 11 Buffet made his first investment, and by the age of 13 he was selling horse racing tip sheets and operating a paper delivery service.
4. Tim Cook, CEO
Company: Apple (AAPL)Degree: B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Auburn University; MBA from Duke University.
Born in Mobile, Alabama, Cook’s prior stints include North American fulfillment Director at IBM (IBM) and COO at Intelligent Electronics. He was also Vice-President of Corporate Materials at the Compaq Computer Corporation.
5. John S. Watson, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer
Degree: B.A. in Agricultural Economics from the University of California, Davis; MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Watson, a native Californian, was initially hired as a financial analyst for Chevron. Some of his other roles at the company include Vice Chairman of the Board, Executive Vice President for Strategy and Development, and President of Chevron International Exploration and Production.
6. Allen George (A.G.) Lafley, Chairman of the Board, President, CEO
Company: Proctor and Gamble (PG)Lafley, who hails from Keane, New Hampshire, is responsible for many of the company’s most innovative products, including Liquid Tide and Tide with Bleach. He was President and CEO from 2000 to 2009, and then retired, but in 2013 he returned to the company.
7. Jeremy Stoppelman, Co-Founder and CEO
Company: Yelp (YELP)Degree: B.S. in Computer Engineering from the University of Illinois.
This Arlington, Virginia native originally attended college to become a video game developer. He later became Vice President of Engineering at PayPal before co-founding Yelp. Stoppelman is known for his management style: instead of an office, he sits at a desk among his employees.
8. Howard Shultz, Chairman and CEO
Company: Starbucks (SBUX)Degree: B.A. in Communications at Northern Michigan University.
Shultz, who hails from Brooklyn, New York, attended college on a football scholarship. His first job at Starbucks was as Director of Retail Operations and Marketing. Three years later, he left the company and started his own coffee bar chain, II Gionale, and two years after that, he purchased Starbucks and merged it with II Gionale. (For more, see also: When a Founder Resigns: Is It a Bad Sign?)
9. Bob Iger, Chairman and CEO
Company: The Walt Disney Company (DIS)Degree: B.S. in Television & Radio from Ithaca College (magna cum laude).
A native New Yorker, Iger was formerly chairman of Disney’s ABC Group, and President of Walt Disney International. In 2014, He was named CEO of the Year by Chief Executive Magazine and under his leadership, Disney acquired Pixar, Marvel and Lucasfilm.
10. Doug McMillon, President and CEO
Company: Wal-Mart Stores (WMT)Degree: B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Arkansas; MBA in Finance from the University of Tulsa.
McMillon, a native of Jonesboro, Arkansas, began his career at Walmart as a summer associate at the company’s distribution center. He was also an assistant manager and a buyer trainee. Before he took the reins at Walmart Stores, McMillon was President and CEO of Sam’s Club, and also President and then CEO of Walmart International.
11. Meg Whitman, Chairman, President, and CEO
Company: HP (HP)Degree: B.S. in Economics from Princeton University; MBA from Harvard Business School.
This Long Island, New York native graduated from high school in just three years. Formerly, Whitman was Brand Manager at Proctor & Gamble, and also worked at Bain & Company, Disney, Hasbo, and FTD, before serving as CEO of eBay (EBAY) for 10 years.
12. Satya Nadella, CEO
Company: Microsoft (MSFT)Degree: B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the Manipal Institute of Technology; M.S. degree in Computer Science at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Nadella, who hails from Hyderabad, India, has held many positions at Microsoft, including Executive Vice-President of Cloud and Enterprise, and Senior Vice-President of Research and Development for the Online Services Division. He also worked at Sun Microsystems as a member of the technology staff.
13. Jeff Bezos, Founder and CEO
Company: Amazon (AMZN)Degree: B.S. in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering at Princeton University (summa cum laude).
Born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Bezos and his family moved to Miami when he was a teenager. While in high school, Bezos launched his first business, the Dream Institute, which was an educational summer camp for fourth through sixth graders. Bezos also purchased The Washington Post in 2013. (For more info, see also: 10 Richest, Most Successful Tech Geniuses.)
14. Rex W. Tillerson, Chairman and CEO
Company: Exxon Mobil (XOM)Degree: B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.
Tillerson, who hails from Wichita Falls, Texas, joined Exxon Company as a production engineer, and then served as General Manager of the Central Production division, President of Exxon Yemen, Inc, Vice President of Exxon Ventures Inc, and President of Exxon Neftegas Limited. Other roles included Executive Vice President of ExxonMobil Development Company, and Senior Vice President of Exxon Mobil Corporation.
15. Mary T. Barra, CEO
Company: General Motors Company (GM)Degree: B.S. in Electrical Engineering at Kettering University (formerly General Motors Institute); MBA from Stanford University Graduate School of Business.
Born in Waterford, Michigan, Barra’s first job at GM was as a co-op student in the Pontiac Motor Division. She has also been Senior Vice President and Executive Vice President of Global Product Development, Vice President of Global Human Resources and Vice President of Global Manufacturing Engineering.
Source:
Youtube
Δεν υπάρχουν σχόλια :
Δημοσίευση σχολίου