Elon Musk & Sheryl Sandberg Top List Of Leaders Most Admired By MBAs

Cathy Engelbert

“BEST & BRIGHTEST” LOOK TO FOLLOW PATHS LEFT BY PIONEERING LEADERS

“I really admire Cathy Engelbert, who in 2015 was named the first female CEO at Deloitte LLP, the audit and accounting arm of the firm. Cathy worked for Deloitte for more than 30 years before becoming CEO and openly discusses the challenges (and opportunities) she faced in this male-dominated field. What I really respect about her is that she is incredibly talented, successful, and has a track record of working diligently to bring more women to the top of her firm.” — Sara Moret, University of Minnesota, Carlson School of Management

“Danae Ringelmann. She is the founder of the first and largest crowd-funding platform, Indiegogo. She is a Haas alum (2008), and absolutely embodies our four defining principles: Beyond Yourself, Question the Status Quo, Students Always, and Confidence without Attitude. I’m continuously inspired by her fearless-yet-humble pursuit to change the wrong that she saw in this world. With the success of her business, she has taught us all that purpose is just as important and motivating as — if not more than — profit.” — Jen Fischer, UC-Berkeley, Haas School of Business

Yvon Chouinard

“Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia, has defined sustainable business for the past several decades. He has pushed Patagonia, other outdoor retailers, and global businesses like Walmart to make important tradeoffs in favor of doing the right thing for their employees, communities, and the environment. Yvon’s ethics have always been about more than giving back — he challenges the industry to find better methods of sourcing, production, and distribution. Yvon (and many others at Patagonia) demonstrate a humble, steadfast style of leadership and accountability that I aspire to.” — Whitney Flynn, Dartmouth College, Tuck School of Business

“(I admire) Don Rice, my uncle. Though it sounds cliché, Uncle Don never let obstacles stand in his way. He worked his way through college and graduated from Harvard Business School, when there were far fewer people there of color from his socioeconomic background. He founded Rice Financial Products Company in 1993. He hires and mentors underrepresented minorities who have gone on to top business school at MIT, Harvard and Standard and provides financing for HBCUs. I like that my uncle practiced a social consciousness.” — Ellen Rice Staten, MIT Sloan School of Management

“Beth Ford, Chief Operating Officer of U.S. Dairy Foods and Purina Animal Nutrition at Land O’Lakes. I had the opportunity to meet Beth at an executive meet and greet during my summer internship. She immediately impressed me with her thoughtful comments, interesting career path, and her strong work ethic. I also appreciated that we had similar backgrounds, starting out in industrial careers in male dominated fields. She had great advice about taking every experience as a chance to learn and not shying away from stretch opportunities. I really admire Beth for breaking down barriers in the workplace and for having an unwavering focus on improvement.” — Kristin Horvath, University of Michigan, Ross School of Business