- Dec 17, 2024
- 5 min read
Kellogg School Of Management Notable Alumni | 10 Famous MBAs
Kellogg School Of Management notable alumni include sports icons, politicians and more—here are 10 of the school’s most noteworthy MBAs
Kellogg School of Management has educated some impressive alumni–even naming some of the buildings after them | © KelloggSchool via Facebook
Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University is one of the best-known business schools in the United States. Over 65,000 students have graduated from this Illinois institution since its establishment in 1851—entrepreneurs, innovators and industry experts among them.
Over the decades, scores of business leaders have passed through the school, and today Kellogg MBAs go on to work with top companies such as Amazon, Microsoft, and Apple.
Ranked the joint third best MBA in the USA by US News, Kellogg school is known for fostering finance leaders and marketing whizzes. Here are 10 Kellogg School of Management notable alumni.
1. James L Allen
Founder of Booz Allen Hamilton Consultancy
Class Of 1914
Born in 1904, James L Allen studied a degree in economics at Northwestern University from 1929, and went on to co-found the Booz Allen Hamilton consultancy.
He was a founding contributor to the Evans scholar program, which supports golf caddies at Northwestern through scholarships and housing, and a generous donor to Northwestern University. Even today, the James L Allen Center for executive education at Kellogg is named after this alum.
2. Douglas R Conant
Former President and CEO of Campbell Soup Company
Class of 1976
Chicago native Douglas Conant is an impressive business leader, who was CEO of Campbell Soup Company until 2011. He got his MBA from Kellogg and has worked for brands such as Kraft Foods and Avon Products.
Douglas is notable for putting diversity and inclusion practices first, and heads up ConantLeadership, a program aimed at creating responsible business leaders for the future.
Read: MIT Notable Alumni | 10 Famous MBAs From Sloan School of Management
3. Ted Phillips
Former president and CEO, Chicago Bears
Class of 1989
Ted Phillips was born in New York, and pursued his undergraduate degree at the University of Notre Dame. He then obtained a master's degree in Marketing and Management from the Kellogg Graduate School at Northwestern University in 1989.
Since joining the Chicago Bears as president in 1999, the team’s value has risen exponentially. He retired as president and CEO in 2022 but his legacy lives on with the team remaining a hot commodity as 15th on Forbes's 2024 list of most valuable sports teams.
4. Roslyn M Brock
Chairman of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
Class of 1989
Roslyn gained her MBA in 1999 and is now a leading civil rights activist in the USA. The NAACP works to dismantle racism, promote equality, and shine a light on economic, social, legal issues faced by black people in America.
When she gained her current position as Chairperson in 2010, she was only the fourth woman, and youngest individual ever, to fill the role.
Prior to this, Roslyn worked for ten years in healthcare management at the W. K. Kellogg Foundation.
She recently became a board member of the
5. Alexander De Croo
Belgian Prime Minister
Class of 2004
© Wikimedia Commons, used under this license
Prime Minister of Belgium since 2020, Alexander gained his MBA from Kellogg in 2004. He’s worked within the Belgium government since his graduation, acting as Minister of Finance, Minister of Pensions, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Development Coordination, and Leader of the Open Flemish Liberals and Democrats.
Prior to his MBA and governmental career, Alexander was a project leader with Boston Consulting Group.
6. Doug Monro
CEO and Founder of Adzuna
Class of 2002
Before he launched Adzuna, Doug was COO of property portal Zoopla. He left Zoopla just before its IPO when it was purchased for $3 billion.
A Fullbright and Siebel Scholar, he gained his MBA with a distinction in 2002, specializing in entrepreneurship. His job finding platform, Adzuna, has over 10,000 visitors per month.
7. Steve Hafner
CEO or Kayak and OpenTable
Class of 1997
A leading name in the travel and hospitality industries, Steve gained his MBA in 1997, with a specialization in finance and marketing.
Kayak is the world’s leading travel search engine based in Stamford, Connecticut and operates sites in over 70 countries, providing travelers with the information they need for flights, hotels, rental cars and vacation packages.
Read: Harvard Business School Notable Alumni | 21 Famous MBAs
8. Betsy Holden
Former CEO of Kraft Foods
Class of 1982
Having graduated from Kellogg with an MBA Marketing and Finance in 1982, Betsy fills a variety of roles in the business world.
She is currently a senior advisor for McKinsey & Company, sits on the board of directors for National Retail Properties Inc, and served as Kraft CEO for five years.
She has been named one of FORTUNE’s Most Powerful Women several times and was inducted into the Chicago Business Hall of Fame in 2016.
9. Rick Hahn
American Baseball Executive
Class of 1998
Rick is Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Chicago White Sox in Major League Baseball. He gained his MBA from Kellogg in 1998, having previously become a doctor of law at Harvard Law School.
Since 2012, Rick has worked with the Chicago White Sox. He won a Sporting News Executive of the Year Award in 2020, and in 2011, Sports Illustrated ranked Rick as the number one General Manager Candidate in Major League Baseball.
10. Cindy Axne
US Representative
Class of 2002
© Phil Roeder, used under this license
Cindy is an American politician who served as the US representative from Iowa's 3rd congressional district from 2019 until 2023. She is currently a senior adviser to the US Department of Agriculture under the Biden Administration.
Cindy initially considered a degree in journalism, but eventually opted for an MBA at Kellogg, graduating in 2002.
