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

Most Admired Business Leaders By MBAs: Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg, Zappos’ Tony Hsieh, Starbucks’ Howard Schultz, Microsoft’s Bill Gates, Patagonia’s Yvon Chouinard & Tesla’s Elon Musk

A billionaire futurist. A genius go-getter. A patriot and a philanthropist.

Sometimes, you wonder if Elon Musk stepped out of a movie. In another universe, the coiffed and sophisticated Musk would probably be donning an iron suit (or jumping into a flying car) to lead The Avengers. And why not? Ambitious as he is imaginative, Musk has tackled today’s most potent flashpoints: Internet commerce, sustainable energy, space travel, and artificial intelligence. In Musk’s world, Mars will become a colonized outpost, cars won’t require drivers, and user manuals are a red flag to start over.

Even more, the celebrated founder or co-founder of SpaceX, Tesla Motors, SolarCity, and PayPal, among others, embodies the can-do zeitgeist of his era. “I don’t create companies for the sake of creating companies,” Musk is credited with saying, “but to get things done.” At a time when “go big or go home” is the mantra for many entrepreneurs, Musk stands out with his obsession with making an impact and forging the future. And he does so in a workmanlike fashion that harkens back to his immigrant roots. “I don’t spend my time pontificating about high-concept things,” he explained in a 2013 interview with Bloomberg Businessweek. “I spend my time solving engineering and manufacturing problems.”

Elon Musk

A VISIONARY WHO BRINGS HIS DREAMS TO LIFE

Musk’s inventive spirit and focus on detail and design has served as an inspiration to MBAs worldwide. Musk might dis MBAs, claiming business schools don’t prepare students to create companies. Yet such unrequited love hasn’t deterred MBAs from coronating him as the next Henry Ford or Walt Disney. How popular is he among business students? Recently, Poets&Quants received 197 full-time student nominations from over 60 business schools as part of recognizing the Best & Brightest MBAs and MBAs To Watch in the Class of 2016. As part of the process, Poets&Quants asked these top MBAs to list their favorite business executive or entrepreneur — and why. Seventeen of these graduates — or 9% of those who supplied an answer — listed Musk as their favorite. And it wasn’t even close, with Sheryl Sandberg (7), Bill Gates (6), and Steve Jobs (6) the only others who drew more than four votes.

The University of Wisconsin’s Angie Peltzer, who worked for the U.S. Department of Labor before entering business school, sums up Musk’s attraction best: “He doesn’t believe that there is a problem too big or too complex to solve,” she observes. “He’s confident in his own ability to accomplish whatever he sets his mind to, whether it be disrupting online payment, space, solar power, or the car industry.”

Musk’s appeal wasn’t just concentrated among full-time MBAs. Among the 71 graduates nominated to be part of Poets&Quants’ Best & Brightest Executive MBAs from the 2016 Class, eight (13% of those providing an answer) named Musk as their role model (with Sandberg taking the silver with four votes). “This guy has got so much passion, brilliance, and execution all wrapped into one,” gushes Daniel Schacter, who returned to McKinsey after his stint at Oxford University’s Saïd Business School. “How can you not respect him?”

Sheryl Sandberg

MBAs WANT LEADERS WHO SPEAK OUT AND GIVE BACK

Knowing who top MBAs admire is one thing. If you’re wondering what principles will guide the next generation of business leaders, it helps to know why certain executives are so attractive to students. Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg, herself a Harvard MBA, is a case in point. According to the University of North Carolina’s Brittany Gulledge, Sandberg is an inspiring example of courage. “She saw a problem and did something about it even though people warned her not to do so,” Gulledge notes. “She made a decision about what to do as though she were not afraid (even though she was). Every major chance that I have taken has been terrifying, and the more terrifying, the more it paid off.”

Beyond her example, Sandberg also uses her celebrity to lend a voice to women everywhere, observes Wharton’s Justine Lai, who credits Sandberg speaking out as providing “a platform to raise awareness of systemic issues that women face across the world.”

Yes, the next wave of business leaders are likely to be as daring and outspoken as Sandberg. Chances are, they’ll carry a more altruistic streak as well. And you can credit Microsoft founder Bill Gates for taking the legacy of Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller to the next level. His Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has doled out nearly $37 billion to charitable causes since being founded in 2000. While Gates’ innovation in the software market earns respect from MBAs, it is his personification of the “doing well by doing good” ethos that has won their hearts — and solidified his legacy.

“In deciding to apply his personal success to address global issues,” points out Caitlin Fross, who earned her MBA from the University of North Carolina, “Bill Gates has focused the world’s attention on neglected issues and coalesced enormous resources around the effort to address crises of global health and international development.” In doing so, Gates left a blueprint for how to stay relevant and successfully reinvent yourself when the time comes to pass the baton. “He is one of the most caring and genuine people I have seen in the spotlight,” adds Texas A&M’s Tyler Lorenz, a volunteer for organizations like Special Olympics and Habitat for Humanity.

Howard Schultz

HOWARD SCHULTZ PERSONIFIES THE VALUE-DRIVEN LEADER OF TODAY

If you’re looking for the prototype of who MBAs aspire to be, you could start with Starbucks’ Howard Schultz. In fact, Tyler Erhorn credits Schultz’s example as one reason why he enrolled in Michigan State’s MBA program. For Erhorn, an entrepreneur himself, Schultz’s biggest contribution is reminding him that value comes before profit. “When Schultz came back to Starbucks,” Erhorn says, “he relentlessly focused on bringing the brand back to creating the value that customers had grown to love previously. He refocused the company on his core principles, proving that value is the ultimate long-term profit driver.”

Like Sandberg and Gates, it is Schultz’s commitment to speaking out and following his conscience that separates him from most other leaders. “Not only has he steered Starbucks toward historic levels of growth and success, he has done so while also expanding the impact the company has had socially,” emphasizes USC’s Rahul Sharma, who joined Starbucks as a product manager after earning his MBA at USC’s Marshall School of Business. “There is a very real sense of responsibility that guides the direction he has taken the company to empower its employees on a level unmatched in both size and impact.”

For Georgetown MBA Coral Taylor, Schultz is more than a role model. He is an inspiration. “I admire his courage to do what is right even if it is not the popular decision,” she says. “During the financial crisis, he refused to take away health care benefits for Starbucks partners even though it would save the company a tremendous amount of money. His support of gay marriage, hiring veterans and young people, access to education, and sustainable coffee-growing practices inspire me.”

JESSICA ALBA: FROM LEADING LADY TO LEADERSHIP GENIUS

It wasn’t only household names like Sheryl Sandberg and Bill Gates who stirred the imaginations of the 2016 class. Allison Davern, who transitioned from account management at Ogilvy to product management at Amazon during her stint at the University of Maryland, found herself drawn to more recent MBA graduates. In particular, she admires Hayley Barna and Katia Beauchamp, the founders of Birchbox, who earned their MBAs at Harvard Business School in 2010. To Davern, their example showed that her dream of finding a partner in school who could help monetize ideas wasn’t as far-fetched as some might think. “Although I know that Barna has recently stepped down as co-CEO,” Davern concedes, “it still remains a strong example of what can be accomplished when smart, ambitious women work together toward a common goal.”

Jessica Alba

Other MBAs turned to the nonprofit sector for guidance. Brian Kirk, a submarine warfare officer before joining MIT’s Sloan School of Management, applauds Eric Greitens, founder of The Mission Continues, a nonprofit that helps veterans transition to life after the service. Specifically, Kirk found Greitens to be a model for living a more balanced and meaningful life. “I admire the struggles he faced while starting his own company and his seemingly endless energy to help others,” Kirk says. “I aspire to find the degree of philosophical understanding and self-awareness he brings to all situations.”

Sometimes, MBAs find role models among household names — just not the ones you might initially suspect. That was the case for UCLA’s Maeghan Rouch, who interned last summer for the Honest Company, a consumer products firm co-founded by actress Jessica Alba on the principles of transparency and ethics. Through Alba, Rouch learned to play to her strengths, accept her limitations, and delegate strategically. “(Alba) is totally honest with herself about her strengths and weaknesses. She is great with design and great with branding — and (she) totally runs with that within the company. For everything else, she was wise enough to know that she needs an all-star team around her to make her idea work.”

SOME TOP LEADERS GO BY THE NAMES OF ‘DAD’ AND ‘MOM’

Speaking of “household” names, some MBAs found the best examples of leadership were in their homes all along. That was the lesson gained by the University of Iowa’s Kyle Wehr, who praises his father, Denis Wehr, a controller by trade and servant leader by temperament. What is his father’s secret? Quite simply, Kyle says, he has mastered the fundamentals that everyone knows, but that few have the self-awareness or discipline to consistently practice. “Dad is a quiet man who adds value when he speaks,” the younger Wehr says.  “He fosters a culture of collaboration and lives his life in service to others. Dad is a humble man, but deserves a lot of recognition. If more people lived their lives in this way, I believe our culture would be much more appreciative of true community.”

Augie Nieto

Some business leaders are a reminder to be grateful for your blessings and to practice perseverance when the odds are against you. For USC’s Jordan Selva, Augie Nieto, founder of Life Fitness, represents something deeper than innovative product designs or enviable distribution channels. Instead, Nieto’s story symbolizes that “never give in” drive to maximize our time and potential that Life Fitness’ products promote. “Augie was diagnosed with ALS 10 years ago,” Selva says, “but refused to give in to this disease and decided to fight. The doctors told Augie he wouldn’t live more than two years. Yet, 10 years later, he is still fighting for himself and others. He is fighting to find a cure … Augie has raised tens of millions of dollars, and is the first person to ever show positive signs of reversing ALS. He is a true inspiration and leader, overcoming adversity that most people will never know or understand.”

Indeed, the most admired leaders show up in various guises. Forget the iron-fisted conquerors and men in gray flannel suits of yesteryear. Today’s leaders are audacious visionaries and selfless everyone and women who take risks and run their businesses by their personal credos. Not only do they develop game-changing products and services, they’re also accessible and inspiring. These were some of the qualities that led the the University of Chicago’s Emily Ruff into the education technology sector. Not surprisingly, she holds Salman Khan in the highest esteem.

“I think his products are phenomenal,” she says, “and I think it’s awesome that he walked away from a job at a hedge fund to do what he cared about.” However, Khan’s greatest legacy may stretch well beyond his video lessons to the innovations unleashed by admirers like Ruff, who multiply his influence by taking his example to heart. “I got lucky enough to be invited to a question-and-answer session with him this year, and I loved this axiom he shared: ‘You only live once, so swing for the fences.’”

Who do “Best & Brightest MBAs” consider to the best business leaders — and why? Check out the next pages for the 2016 class’ opinions on everyone from Janet Yellen and Warren Buffet to J.K. Rowling and Mark Cuban.

DON’T MISS: CLASS OF 2016: THE BEST & BRIGHTEST GRADUATING MBAS

DON’T MISS: 2016 MBAs TO WATCH

Sundar Pichai

BIG NAMES HAVE ONE FOOT IN TODAY AND ANOTHER IN TOMORROW

“I find (Warren Buffet) to be a model of humility, modest living, and finding and creating fundamental value. His example keeps me grounded in the positive but overwhelming whirlwind of technological advancement and financial engineering.”  — Nadine Thornton, Cornell University, Johnson Graduate School of Management

“(I admire) Google CEO Sundar Pichai. He is an incredibly accomplished and humble leader who consistently gets stuff done without the fanfare and self-congratulatory chest-thumping common to many of today’s celebrity tech executives and entrepreneurs. His personal, academic, and professional backgrounds are also very relatable and inspiring to me.” — Vikram Arumilli, Wharton School

Bob Iger

“I really admire Walt Disney CEO Bob Iger. I believe he’s had a vision for Disney and made decisions that have really improved the company. I would love to sit down with him one day to talk about how he balances his vision and the risks he’s taken to bring Disney into the 21st century.” —  Adam Ruri, Purdue University, Krannert School of Management

“I admire Lloyd Blankfein at Goldman Sachs. He is low-key, but an incredible leader. I always thought he did a great job steering Goldman Sachs through the financial crisis and my impression from my internship was that it is an incredibly well-run firm.” — Florian Amann, University of Chicago, Booth School of Business

“Meg Whitman. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting her a few times at the GSB and when she hosted Stanford Women in Management at HP, and I think she’s an incredible example of success across different industries as well as maintaining a balanced relationship with her family. I’m also passionate about encouraging more women to lead not only in business, but also in politics. Her courage in running for governor is inspiring.” — Sarah Wang, Stanford Graduate School of Business

As a local inspirational story himself, it is probably not hard for many of you to believe that I admire Mark Cuban a lot. Though most people outside of Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) probably see him as just the outspoken owner of the Mavericks, I am able to see the immense amount of good that he has been able to do with his success. With his young rise to fame and quick-earned fortune, it would have been very easy for him to live a life of luxury in peace and solitude away from the public eye. But I greatly respect the way that he has focused on giving back, not only to the DFW community, but also to young entrepreneurs. The strong role and position he takes in mentorship show that he puts great value on helping to develop the next generation of innovators. He is frequently noted to be on our campus and his continued commitment to education is very impressive. On a personal note, I also greatly respect the value he places on his family. He makes them a high priority on his list and that resonates strongly with me, especially when many of the stories we hear of successful people in business required them to put the job above all else.”  — Austin Ayres, Southern Methodist University, Cox School of Business

Janet Yellen

“Janet Yellen. Here’s is why I admire her:

1) She’s a baller. The Federal Reserve chair is arguably the second most important person in this country (after the president), and Janet is now a fabulous role model for all women looking for others like them in top positions.

2) From research to teaching to the Federal Reserve, she’s expressed an unwavering commitment to crafting policies that better improve the livelihoods of low-income, working-class citizens and families.

3) Janet and her husband are a modern-day economics power couple! I love the image this creates for professional men and women who don’t want to sacrifice their partner’s career for their own.

4) She has a unique management style for the Fed — she seeks out others’ opinions, then makes consensus-style decisions.

— Becky See, University of Washington, Foster School of Management

Reginald Lewis

TOP MBAs PAY HOMAGE TO THE PAST

“(I admire) Steve Jobs for his ability to foster disruptive innovation by creating products that people don’t even know they want yet — that’s true creative genius.” — Sarah Esty, Yale School of Management

“John D. Rockefeller — he started from scratch and built Standard Oil to become one of the largest oil and gas distribution companies worldwide. John D. Rockefeller revolutionized the world of oil and gas today as we know it.” — Elias Bachir, SDA Bocconi

“I admire Reginald F. Lewis. He was the richest African American in the 1980s and the first to build a billion-dollar company. I do not admire him only for those reasons, however. I also admire him for his tenacity, and his focus. I read his autobiography several years ago and a quote of his resonated with me deeply. In the book he said essentially that success is a discipline, and in order to be successful you must do the work first. I try to emulate that mindset every day.” — Sam Edwards, Indiana University, Kelley School of Business

“An entrepreneur I admire a lot is Dr. Venkataswamy (“Dr. V”), who founded the Aravind Hospital in India. He expanded the hospital from an 11-bed facility that offered sight-restoring cataract surgeries to a 4,000-bed hospital performing over 400,000 surgeries annually. I admire him for multiple reasons. First, his unbending drive to offer the poorest people high-quality medical care shows that it can be done in a financially sustainable way. Secondly, I admire him for his action-oriented mindset. Dr. V was all about getting things done, mindful that people needlessly living blind needed his help. Finally, he reminds us that it is never too late to follow your dream. Dr. V was 58 when he opened the first hospital. He is an inspiration to social entrepreneurs like myself who are driven to make a social impact in a financially sustainable fashion.” — Tom Vanneste, London Business School

J.K. Rowling

AUTHORS AND SINGERS ALSO MAKE THE LIST

“J.K. Rowling: While she may not be a traditional ‘executive,’ she is a prime example of building an empire from the ground up. She began writing the Harry Potter series while on welfare, but fought for what she believed in. I hope that, in a world with so much pressure on the ‘traditional’ life, I can still manage to fight for my passions in the way Ms. Rowling has.” — Sarah Sublett, Ohio State University, Fisher College of Business

“Right now, I admire Akon. He has been committed to giving back, especially with Akon Lighting Africa and Konfidence Foundation. He understands that his position in society (as a celebrity) gives him access to resources that can be hard to obtain. He knows how to leverage his personality and smarts to do good works for people.” — Lauren McGlory, Emory University, Goizueta Business School

SOCIAL IMPACT BECOMES A MISSION, NOT JUST A BYPRODUCT

Dr. Devi Shetty

“I admire Lars Rebien Sørensen, CEO of Novo Nordisk. I had the honor of visiting Novo Nordisk’s headquarters in Copenhagen during a short course in Denmark on Sustainability and CSR in Scandinavia. We heard firsthand how incredible Lars is and the impact he has made at Novo Nordisk. I repeatedly heard how humble, mindful, and cooperative he is. His passion for making a social impact is evident in the company’s integrated reporting system where social and financial metrics are reported next to each other (and indexed together). Novo Nordisk is an exemplar of sustainability and is one of a handful of companies that has its social mission written in its corporate bylaws. Lars sets the tone of the organization, and I admire him greatly.” — Libby McFarlane, Duke University, Fuqua School of Business

“I admire Dr. Devi Shetty, whose motto is to provide affordable health care to the patients worldwide. The doctor entrepreneur started off with a single hospital in Bangalore, India that has today grown to hospitals in more than 19 cities worldwide, profitable right from year one. His unique approach offers a high success rate for patients, while maintaining low costs. I would like to follow his footsteps to establish and work with businesses to deliver life-saving technologies to the people.” — Sagar Gupta, University of Missouri, Trulaske College of Business

“I was absolutely blown away by Swaady Martin, a South African entrepreneur who came to speak to us in my Economy and Development in Emergency Markets class with Loic Sadoulet. She is building a brand of high-quality products, starting with tea and gourmet foods. Her drive, poise, and vision truly inspired me. She said, ‘My timeline is not like a regular startup, I work with a time horizon of 15-20 years.’ With this, she takes her time to build relationships, ponder options and grow meaningfully, both professionally and personally — in Africa.” — Marie Renee B-Lajoie, INSEAD

Randy Komisar

INSPIRING THE NEXT WAVE OF BUSINESS LEADERS

“One of the most inspirational speakers I ever heard was Randy Komisar, general partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. Myself and 20 other IESE classmates had gone on the IESE Meets the Valley Trek in April 2015, where we spent a full week touring the Silicon Valley area meeting startups and venture capitalists. The highlight for me, though, was certainly our sit-down with Mr. Komisar. It felt pretty surreal being in a boardroom in KPCB’s Sand Hill Road offices with just us students and one of the most influential venture capitalists in the valley. He told us a ton of very interesting stories, and passed on a lot of wisdom and advice. What I remember the most though were two main takeaways. First, that integrity is vital to being successful in the business world. Part and parcel of this is being someone your customers, employees, suppliers, investors, and other stakeholders can trust. It’s also closely linked to humility. Second was his insistence that people are the most important component of a business, and thus one of the most important cogs he looks at when investing in a startup. This is something that has been a core lesson at IESE and driven home by our professors many times. In the meeting with Mr. Komisar, it really, really stuck.” — Sean Porta, IESE Business School

“I most admire Dalya Al Muthanna, the CEO of General Electric Gulf. I met Dalya on my program’s Global Immersion in Dubai, and was incredibly inspired by her success as both an executive and an entrepreneur in the region — as well as the challenges she has overcome to reach the position she is in today. I look up to her as a model female executive, and hope to emulate her poise and success one day!” — Lexie Cegelski, University of Florida, Warrington College of Business

Josh Wolfe

“I was really inspired by Josh Wolfe from Lux Capital. He is incredibly knowledgeable and soaks in information like a sponge. He is able to assess business opportunities with a lot of context due to his vast knowledge base. In addition to being successful, he finds a way to be very personable and relatable.”  — Ian Folau, Cornell Tech

“Darrin Disley, a British entrepreneur, would without a doubt hold that title. Many people have successfully launched companies, but the character of the person who did it is what matters most to me. Darrin didn’t have an easy, nor linear, path to his success. In spite of that, or because of it, his accomplishments launching Horizon Discovery and winning the Entrepreneur of the Year at the Quoted Company Awards in 2015 haven’t changed his values. More than anyone, Darrin gives back to the communities around him and sees it as a personal obligation to help foster the growth of more inspirational, entrepreneurial people. There is no shortage of demands on his time, but the personal generosity he maintains is a quality I can only hope to emulate along my path.” — Sean Heisler, Cambridge Judge Business School

“During my internship, I had the privilege to meet John Fenwick, co-founder of Skybox Imaging (recently purchased by Google). John’s background is similar to mine: he was an Air Force satellite developer, received his master’s in engineering, and could have had a successful and reliable career in the military. However, he left for business school and eventually started his own company, combining his love of space and the efficiencies of the private sector. His story reaffirms my decision to follow my dreams and that my skill set and work history is sufficient to get me there.” — Paul Jacobs, Duke University, Fuqua School of Business

“It might not be surprising given my career choices, but I most admire Matt Flannery. He co-founded and was CEO of Kiva for 10 years prior to co-founding the company I will join after graduation, Branch International. Matt has an impressive ability to balance confidence with humility, one of the four Haas defining principles (Confidence Without Attitude). He combines technical abilities and strong interpersonal skills — coding when needed, carrying the company vision, and demonstrating consistent dedication to his team.” — Sarah Tait, UC-Berkeley, Haas School of Business

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

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