For these six CEOs, business owners, and community leaders, studying at the University of San Francisco (USF) School of Management was one step which propelled them further in their careers.
From the flagship full-time MBA to master’s degrees in entrepreneurship and non-profit administration, there are a variety of graduate degree programs on offer at USF with different structures and formats.
Across the programs, the overarching mission for USF is clear: they want to train up future entrepreneurs and businesspeople who will make a difference in the world––whatever industry they’re in.
Making an impact is also a key part of the full-time MBA, where students get access to consulting projects and internships with companies in the local San Francisco Bay Area, to drive their careers forward.
In 2018, 98% of job-seeking MBA students found a full-time role within six-months of graduating, increasing their salaries by 113% on average to close to $100,000. Companies hiring USF MBAs include big-names like BlackRock, Facebook, and KPMG. San Francisco, and Silicon Valley itself, has proven to be filled with opportunities for aspiring businesspeople, with a significant number of alumni choosing to stay in the area.
Here are six notable alumni from USF and what they are doing now:
1. Euisun Chung, MBA
Current role: Executive vice chairman of Hyundai Motor Company
©ABH-ACE
South Korean billionaire businessman Euisun Chung is the heir to the Hyundai empire and a heavyweight in the car industry. He has held the position of vice chairman since 2009.
In 2015, Chung made the Forbes list in fifth place for ‘Korea’s 50 Richest’ and number 452 in Forbes 2015 ‘Billionaires’ overall ranking.
Chung is a savvy businessman in his own right. As president of Kia from 2005 to 2009––before his higher appointment in Hyundai––Chung demonstrated his business acumen when he grew the subsidiary auto brand faster than Hyundai in that four-year period.
2. Noni Purnomo, MBA
Current role: President of the board of directors of Blue Bird Group Holding
©Milken Institute
Blue Bird Group Holdings was first launched in the garage of a family home in Jakarta by Mutiara Djokosoetono, Noni Purnomo’s grandmother. Nowadays, the company owns and runs taxi services across over 20 cities throughout Indonesia.
Noni has also made Forbes’ lists in her career so far; in 2015 she was listed as one of the ‘Power Women in Asia’. She also won the 2017 Endeavour Indonesia Mentor of the Year award.
She has used her position as a platform to elevate other aspiring women in business and entrepreneurs in Indonesia. Noni is a founding member of Angel Investment, which supports businesswomen through investment, networking events, and mentoring schemes. For Indonesian entrepreneurs, Noni works through Endeavour Indonesia to mentor fresh talent there, as well.
3. Leyla Seka, MBA
Current role: Independent director at Proofpoint
Leyla graduated with an MBA from the University of San Francisco business school in 2004, right in the middle of an already incredibly successful career.
After 11 years as executive vice president for Salesforce across the mobile platform and AppExchange, Leyla made the move to Proofpoint as an independent director on the board of directors. Proofpoint provides software for products that enables increased cyber security.
Leyla is a huge advocate for women in business, particularly in the technology and coding sphere.
4. London Breed, MPA
Current role: Mayor of San Francisco
© Gage Skidmore
London studied for her MPA at the University of San Francisco in 2013. As the first black woman and second woman to be elected as the 45th mayor of San Francisco, London Breed has had a lot of influence in the local community and on businesses in the area.
She grew up in poverty and is now working hard to address homelessness and wealth discrepancy across the city and county; she has plans for 1,000 shelter beds around San Francisco by 2020 as well as more support for substance abuse recovery and mental health.
5. David Troya, MBA
Current role: Founder of Glamping Hub
© STCE Universidad de Sevilla
Armed with an MBA since 2013, David has founded his own company––Glamping Hub––which has raised over $8 million in venture funding so far.
David's company is a functional booking platform for unique glamping and outdoor experiences across the world. Using SEO marketing strategies, Glamping Hub attracts thousands of online visitors to its 31,000 listings a month. He prides himself on his diverse 80-plus workforce which is made up by more than 10 nationalities across the two offices in Spain and the US.
6. Michael Bohlsen, MBA
Current role: Owner of the Bohlsen Restaurant Group
Michael Bohlsen is a third-generation restaurateur who is steadily building up the family brand across New York with his brother, Kurt.
Completing his MBA in just 14 months, Michael has applied his knowledge to ensuring hospitality is front and center in each restaurant.
All images in this article are sourced from Flickr and used under this license
