Billionaires, tech entrepreneurs, and even a president are counted among Harvard Business School’s notable MBA alumni.
For sure, Harvard Business School is the one that introduced the oldest MBA Program, and it’s not shocking that this business school has gifted some very notable former students to this world.
Signing up for an MBA program means rich classroom experience and well-recognized qualification, but at Harvard, you’re ultimately signing up for becoming a part of a diverse and influential network. And this is the foundation of Harvard Business school that makes it stand out from others.
Harvard is like a house of students that impacts our society with their work. Like CEOs, Leading Political Figures, and Even US President has been Harvard’s alumni.
18 notable alumni from the Harvard Business School MBA:
Henry Paulson (MBA Class of 1970)
Former US Secretary of the Treasury & CEO of Goldman Sachs
Henry Paulson has been CEO of Goldman Sachs in 1998. But he also has been at the higher post at the Pentagon, US. It means we can say that his career shifted between finance and politics.
In 2006, he became the Secretary of the Treasury under President George W. Bush. Presently, he is working to promote sustainable and cleaner growth, and for this, he runs the Paulson Institute.
Sheryl Sandberg (MBA Class of 1995)
Chief Operating Officer at Facebook
Do you know there was another reason why Facebook hit that boom in the last decade? Because Facebook has Sheryl Sandberg’s sharp thinking and genius brain.
Sheryl met Mark Zuckerberg at a party in 2017, and after that, whatever happened with Facebook, we all are witnesses to that. It was after Sheryl completed her graduation from Harvard Business School.
That is not it; Sheryl is also a known figure because of her bestselling book ‘Lean In’ and she also contributes to corporate feminism.
Jim Koch (MBA Class of 1978)
Founder of Brooklyn Beer Company
If you have ever tasted Samuel Adams Beer, then you must know how Jim Koach is.
Jim is the founder of this fantastic company, and it all started when he made up a bac of this family recipe “Lager” in his kitchen but on a slightly larger scale, which is how he founded Samuel Adams Lager. Within a few years, this company became the best-known breweries in America. Next time you taste that beer, then you should appreciate Jim’s effort.
Michael Bloomberg (MBA Class of 1966)
Founder and CEO of Bloomberg
Bloomberg is the best-known one in the US when it comes to financial, software, data, and media companies. Michael Bloomberg made this multi-billion dollar company from scratch. Not only this, but he had been a Mayor of New York for around 11 years.
There is a Bloomberg center at Harvard, and Michael Bloomberg donated a good amount to build it. And this is why he’s particularly remembered at Harvard because of his this philanthropy.
If you have visited or live in the US, then you must have seen Michael Bloomberg’s posters in early 2020. Bloomberg spent more than $500 million for advertising his campaign about Democrat presidential nominations.
Ann Sarnoff (MBA Class of 1978)
CEO of Warner Bros
Recently, In 2019, Warner Bros presented Ann Sarnoff as the first female CEO. And those who don’t know, Warner Bros is one of the “Big 5” American Film Studios.
It is not the first big media job of Ann Sarnoff; in fact, she has also been the chief operating officer (COO) at the Women’s NBA, VH1, and BBC North America.
Steve Bannon (MBA Class of 1985)
Former White House chief strategist
Do you know, Steve Bannon got tagged as “The Great Manipulator” by Time Magazine in 2017? However, many people say that Steve Bannon is one of those figures who helped Trump to get into the White House.
And within the first year of his Job, he was dismissed from his job role as chief strategist. His career is more like a rollercoaster right because it has taken him from the US Navy to Goldman Sachs via MBA at Harvard.
Hold on; the rollercoaster ride doesn’t end here because he also has been a co-founder of alt-right platform Breitbart News. And another thing people usually don’t know about is that he was a vice president of an illegal data hacking organization Cambridge Analytica.
Elaine Chao (MBA Class of 1979)
US Secretary of Transportation
Elaine Chao has been the US Secretary of Labor under George W. Bush. But did you know she was the first Asian American Woman to hold this position in the presidential cabinet?
She was born in Taiwan, but she was raised in the US after her family immigrated to the US. No doubt she has been a great servant to this great country, but she also became the US Peace Corps director. When Trump got into the White House, Elaine Chao was appointed to Trump’s cabinet as the Secretary of Transportation.
Robert McNamara (MBA Class of 1939)
Former US Secretary of Defence
It sounds a bit funny that when Robert McNamara asked to join the Secretary of Defense, then he replied that the government is unpredictable and he doesn’t know anything about it.
After joining, sooner he became the man who played a key role in de-escalating the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. Not only this but, he was the one who reduced the Pentagon’s willingness to deploy its nuclear arsenal. That doesn’t end here because Robert McNamara also became President of the World Bank.
Robert Kraft (MBA Class of 1965)
Billionaire sports investor
Keep in mind that Robert Kraft’s has nothing to do with kraft Foods. In fact, he is the founder of Kraft Group, which is a diversified holdings company. Not in one sector, but in everything from sports and media to real estate.
Talking about his sports portfolio, so it includes six-time super bowl winning New England Patriots. But that’s not it; also, the soccer team New England Revolution falls under his portfolio. He recently got into the industry of eSports, and he bought the Boston Uprising eSports team.
Mitt Romney (MBA Class of 1975)
Republican senator
Mitt Romney is also known as the United States senator and a known business name. Mostly he is remembered as the person who failed the presidential bid against Barack Obama in 2012.
He is the first and only senator in the United States who voted to impeach President Trump.
Stephen Schwarzman (MBA Class of 1972)
Co-founder of Blackstone Group
Stephen Schwarzman is the founder of the alternative investment management company ‘The Blackstone Group.’ As of now, it is one of the biggest companies in this field, which made Stephen a multi-billionaire.
Jeffrey Skilling (MBA Class of 1979)
Former CEO of Enron
“Jeffrey Skilling Will always be remembered for the biggest corporate scandals of the 21st century.” – Enron.
He covered up more than $60 billion of debt as of now, which led to the energy company’s collapse.
George W. Bush (MBA Class of 1975)
43rd President of the USA
George W. Bush has been the 43rd President of the United States, and before that, he was the Governor of Texas. With the leadership of George W. Bush, America got into the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. And it’s a fact that W. Bush is the only President who has an MBA degree.
Jennifer Hyman & 15. Jennifer Fleiss (MBA Class of 2009
Founders of Rent The Runway
Jennifer Hyman and Jennifer Fleiss formed the “Rent The Runway” company after meeting on their MBA in 2009. This project was to help people to rent designed clothing instead of buying them.
Ulf Mark Schneider (MBA Class of 1993)
CEO of Nestle
Presently, Ulf Mark Schneider is the CEO of the well-known giant company ‘Nestle.’ He joined Nestle after serving more than 15 years for the healthcare group Fresenius.
Mark Pincus (MBA Class of 1993)
Co-founder and former CEO of Zynga
Zynga is the most renowned company that Mark Pincus has worked with. And did you know Zynga went public with a $1 billion IPO (initial public offering)? Other than Zynga, there are several internet-based companies he worked with.
Andy Jassy (MBA Class of 1997)
CEO of Amazon
When Andy completed his MBA from Harvard, he got an offer from Amazon within a few days, and he didn’t skip that opportunity. As of now, he is Amazon’s New CEO, who is taking over from Jeff Bezos. Not only this but, Amazon has seen more than $1 trillion valuation growth after Andy took over the CEO position.