The Buddhist Priest & The MBA Degree

Stanford MBA Nominated to be Secretary of Commerce

On Thursday, President Obama nominated Penny Pritzker (Stanford MBA, ’85) to be the U.S. Secretary of Commerce. In her role, Pritzker will be responsible for the administration’s outreach to business leaders, along with overseeing agencies ranging from the census bureau to the patent and trademark office.

A Chicago native, Pritzker is the Chairman and CEO of the Pritzker Realty Group and PSP Capital Partner. She sits on the board of the Hyatt hotels and previously served as Chairman of the Board for TransUnion LLC. An early supporter of President Obama, Pritzker was the finance chair for the President’s 2008 campaign, along with being a member of the President’s Council on Jobs and Competiveness and Economic Recovery Advisory Board. A noted philanthropist, Pritzker is heavily involved in education initiatives, such as founding the Chicago Public Education Fund and the Pritzker Traubert Family Foundation. She has also been a member of the Stanford Board of Trustees since 2010.

Pritzker’s nomination must be approved by the Senate’s Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, before going to vote before the full Senate. She joins distinguished members of the Stanford class of 1985, including John F. Brennan, Jr. (President of Sirios Capital Management).

Source: Stanford Daily

Pimpin’ Ain’t Easy — Even for an MBA

On the lighter side, an MBA graduate in India was arrested for cheating clients who responded to ads for his escort service. According to police, Udayakumar would collect payment from clients, direct them to a room where their dates were allegedly waiting, and skip out without rendering service. Udayakumar came up with the model after being cheated in a similar manner. The article further noted that Udayakumar “decided that getting into such a ‘business’ could not only get him easy money but also keep away the cops as the customers would not come forward to lodge complaints.”

Apparently, Udayakumar missed the class on how ‘delighting’ customers leads to repeat business and long-term success. Certainly, Udayakumar’s disrespect for customers disqualifies him from ever becoming Guido the Killer Pimp. However, his poor follow through could make him an ideal match for less savory industries, like cable and airlines.

Source: New Indian Express

Mergers

Robert Daly, 31, who is studying for an MBA at Columbia Business School, marries Jessica Oliff. Daly is a portfolio manager at investment management firm BlackRock in New York. Source: NYT

Andrew Miller, 33, with an MBA from the University of Texas, married Samantha Jacobs. Miller is a senior sales executive in New York at financial news service Bloomberg. Source: NYT

Robert Coody, 32, with an MBA from the University of Alabama, married Hannah McBridge. Coody is a product manager in the liquidity management services unit of Citigroup in New York. Source: NYT

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