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

Tory Burch

USING PHILANTHROPY TO SEED DIVIDENDS DOWN THE ROAD

“(I admire) Tory Burch, chairman, CEO, and designer of Tory Burch LLC. The first time I heard her speak was at the 2013 Women’s Rule Summit in Washington, D.C. and she said, ‘Recently I was introduced as a “female CEO” and I laughed because I have never heard a man introduced as a “male CEO”.’ I admire her tenacity to not only launch an international women’s fashion line, but to fight to have the Tory Burch Foundation woven into the fabric of the company, even after countless investors told her to decouple her business and philanthropic aspirations or risk not getting funded. Today, the Tory Burch Foundation empowers female entrepreneurs around the world.” — Britney Sussman, UCLA, Anderson School of Management

“I have recently gotten to know Sheli Rosenberg, the former CEO of Equity Group Investments based in Chicago. At the time she graduated law school, Sheli was only one of two female students. She forged an impressive career in the private equity, real estate and law fields. As an executive, she has served as a powerful advocate and supporter for women in Chicago. She formed organizations such as the Chicago Network for top women from corporations across the city, and she is an active angel investor in women entrepreneurs. Sheli is a role model for being a change agent professionally and on a broader community level.” — Rebecca Sholiton, Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management

LEADING WITH THEIR HEAD — AND THEIR HEART

Ken Chenault

“I really admire Ken Chenault, the CEO of American Express. I got to hear him speak several times this summer while I interned at AmEx. The most striking time was when he spoke at the memorial service of Ed Gilligan, former AmEx President who passed away in late May 2015. Ken exuded compassion in his words, his knowledge, and care of Ed as a person (including Ed’s family), and his ability to share something so human with thousands of his employees. Ken strikes me as a leader who has the best of both the head and the heart — he is very strategic, analytical, and results-oriented, and at the same time transparent, visionary, and personable. Furthermore, he is one of the few African American male CEOs we have in Fortune 500 companies. Clearly, his journey wasn’t simple or full of ease, yet he both recognizes his status as a minority and serves as a role model for others and advocates for diversity in the workforce, but never uses it as a crutch or excuse. — Ami Patel, Wharton School

“The entrepreneur I admire the most is Christopher Gardner. Many might be familiar with his book of memoirs, The Pursuit of Happyness, or the film in which Will Smith portrayed him. As noted in his autobiography and biographies, his childhood was rife with poverty, abuse, violence, and alcoholism. As an adult and father of a young child, he was homeless. I admire Mr. Gardner because despite these personal struggles and unfortunate circumstances, he persevered to become a top earner at Bear Stearns & Co. and then went on to found his own brokerage firm, Gardner Rich & Co. LLC. His motivation, dedication, and appreciation are unrivaled. What I admire most about Mr. Gardner is 1) his love for his son and dedication to making sure he was in his son’s life and gave him a life better than his own; and 2) the fact that he does not hide or misrepresent his struggles and misfortunes, but instead uses his story to inspire others. He serves as a motivational speaker, philanthropist, and community volunteer. His economic and social initiatives are aimed at providing basic needs to individuals and families in the U.S. and Africa. I am certain he has impacted more lives than he knows.” — Samantha Grant, Carnegie Mellon, Tepper School of Business

“Carlos Goshn, CEO of Renault and CEO of Nissan. He is truly an international businessman who once took the helm of both Renault and Nissan and led each company back to profitability. To be able to lead two firms congruently and successfully is quite impressive.” — Ian Nicholas Wetzel, Penn State University, Smeal College of Business