Business Students Most Admire A New Generation of Leaders

Salman Khan

“I’m a big fan of Sal Khan, founder of Khan Academy, for his revolutionary contributions to education. Great teachers can teach several thousand students in a traditional school. Sal Khan can teach several million students through videos on Khan Academy. I’m confident that his work at Khan Academy will eventually be used in K-12 education everywhere.”  – Chirag Agrawal, University of Texas (McCombs)

“Paul J. Taubman is the executive that I most admire because of his hard work and ability to do something unprecedented in the industry. From topping the 2013 Mergers and Acquisitions League Tables to the 2015 IPO of PJT Partners where he is the CEO, Mr. Taubman has been the gold standard amongst investment bankers in the mergers and acquisitions sector ever since he left Morgan Stanley.” – Myles Lee, Southern Methodist University (Cox)

“Chris Sacca. After leaving Google in 2007 and diving into the world of angel investing, he made early stage investments in some of the coolest companies of today, including Instagram, Uber, and Twitter. As a self-made billionaire, pretty much everything this guy touches turns to gold.”  – Malik Elarbi, Penn State University (Smeal)

Michelle Phan

“Michelle Phan, YouTube entrepreneur and instructor. She discovered an enormous untapped market need and while addressing it, she created her own personal brand. She provides simple, articulate how-to video lessons on many aspects of skin care and make-up application.  Rejected by Lancôme as a makeup artist at a mall, Phan took the Internet to show her skills. Thanks to ubiquitous internet access, Phan’s popularity grew so quickly that just one year later, Lancôme asked her to become a brand ambassador. The tremendous following she generated took her from just being a YouTube star to a multi-platform mogul, launching several companies, including her makeup line, EM Michelle Phan, for L’Oréal.  Young women worldwide keep coming back for more of her technique instruction and unbiased product evaluations. Her brand extensions (book, product sample boxes, jewelry line, music company, etc.) also proved successful.  I admire her because she found a way to do well financially while helping women make informed purchases and usage choices.” – Sarah Long, Georgetown University (McDonough)

“I most admire Andrew Yang, the founder of Venture for America. He created an alternate career path for business students coming out of undergrad by paving the way to what is now one of the best training programs for entrepreneurs. His idea limits the risk of beginning a career with a start-up while matching students with start-up businesses in cities where the local economy needs a boost.”  – Emmi Banner, Ohio State University (Fisher)

The Visionaries

“An executive I really admire is Steve Jobs, for his legendary vision, unique passion for excellence, and unparalleled success in transforming people’s worlds across many fields, like computers, communication and music.”  – Carolina Gutierrez, University of Notre Dame (Mendoza)

“Steve Jobs because of his relentless passion for building quality products that shaped the way we interact with technology.” – Austin Evers, Wake Forest University

Travis Kalanick

“Hearing the story of how J.K. Rowling rose against all odds, wrote one of the most iconic series in history, and then now gives so much back to the world is one of the most inspiring stories I’ve heard.” – Drew Marx, University of Wisconsin

“Travis Kalanick, CEO of Uber, is an executive to admire. After watching him speak in Los Angeles, I was captivated by his composure, wit, and vision with how he turned his idea into a disruptive product that has now turned into a verb. Unlike many other amazing executives and entrepreneurs, Kalanick has overcome many adversities, one of them being strong legal controversies towards his companies’ business model. Similar to Mark Zuckerberg receiving negative PR for Facebook’s privacy issues, Kalanick continues to push through these riots and protests by emphasizing his vision for how Uber is empowering local communities. The most admirable element would be his balance. He stated several times that often times it is easy to let the excitement and speed of the job drive your life; however, you often times have force yourself to take a second and breath for your sanity.” – Murali Joshi, University of Southern California (Marshall)

“Brian Wong, CEO/Founder of Kiip. Brian epitomizes a young person taking a consumer insight and turning it into an incredible business model. As someone who is interested in advertising, as well as how to grow brands for the long term, what he’s done with the company has been so interesting to me.” – Jalen Walker, Indiana University (Kelley)

Helene Gayle

“I admire Diane Von Furstenberg for her incredible fashion company. She started designing clothes when she married a Belgian prince; she didn’t want to live in his shadow. With this independent attitude, Diane started one of the most recognizable brands in the world. DVF is known for its classic wrap dress – a flattering work dress for women of all shapes and sizes. I love that she empowers women to look and feel good in the workplace.”  — Ellen Kaushansky, Washington University (Olin)

The Inspirations

“I admire Elon Musk for his passion, ingenuity, and entrepreneurial spirit.”   – Alex Ranney, Washington University (Olin)

“Elon Musk inspires me, and I think I will always admire him. He is proof that you can change the world for the better through the platform of business.” – Joseph Couture, University of Florida (Warrington)

“Helene Gayle, the previous President and CEO of CARE USA and currently CEO of the McKinsey Social Initiative, is the person who first sparked my interest in the business field, particularly the nonprofit industry. She is incredibly passionate about her job because, although she served there as an executive, she still visited projects on the ground throughout many countries in which CARE was involved.” – Rachel Fowler, Carnegie Mellon University (Tepper)