The Wisconsin School of Business honored four alumni on Friday, October 16 with Distinguished Business Alumnus Awards for their achievements in career, community service, and contributions to the University of Wisconsin. Awards were presented by Dean Mike Knetter, in the company of more than 200 alumni and friends of the school, during the 2009 Homecoming Gala at Grainger Hall. In the school's more than 100-year-history, only 81 individuals have been honored with this award.
"It is always a special time of year when we get to celebrate the great work of our highly-accomplished alumni, who contribute so meaningfully to the mission of our school and this great university," said Dean Knetter. "Wisconsin alumni are among the best and brightest in the world, and it is my pleasure to recognize four alumni who have been staunch advocates of our programs and committed partners in our future success."
The 2009 recipients include:
David Anderson (BBA '70, MBA '74): Anderson is Chairman and CEO of American Family Mutual Insurance Company, the third-largest mutual property and casualty insurer in the U.S. Anderson first joined the company as Budget Director in 1975, and held various positions in the controller/finance area until his election as Vice President of Information Services in 1996. He was elected President and Chief Operating Officer in February 1999; he assumed his current role as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer in January of 2007. Anderson serves on several industry boards including the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. In addition, he is a member of the Wisconsin School of Business Dean's Advisory Board, the U.S. Bank Advisory Board, and Meriter Hospital and Health Services. Anderson is well-known for his contributions to the Madison community. He contributes generously as a board member of the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce, Second Harvest, Future Madison Housing, and is past board chairman and campaign chair for the United Way of Dane County. He earned his BBA in finance and marketing in 1970 and an MBA in 1974 from the Wisconsin School of Business.
Stephen Bennett (BBA '76): Bennett is currently an angel investor and board member for numerous companies such as Sun Microsystems, Qualcomm, Intuit and two private companies: Sojern and Nemean Networks, where he serves as chairman. He joined Intuit as President and CEO in 1999, after a 23-year career with General Electric, where he managed complex and diverse organizations from consumer appliances to financial services as president and CEO of GE Capital e-Business and GE Capital Vendor Financial Services, among other roles. During Bennett's eight years at Intuit, revenue grew to $2.7 billion in fiscal 2007 from less than $1 billion in fiscal 2000, operating profits rose to $765 million compared to $119 million over the same period, and operating margin percentage expanded to nearly 29 percent in fiscal 2007 from 13.8 percent in 2000. He oversaw the expansion of business into new markets, including Intuit's emerging presence in online banking and health care, complementing its portfolio of flagship brands - QuickBooks, TurboTax and Quicken software, leaders in the small business, consumer tax preparation and personal finance management fields. Bennett's focus on increasing employee engagement and creating a high-performing organization has led Intuit to being named to Fortune Magazine's "Best Companies to Work For" list for six consecutive years and Fortune Magazine's Most Admired Software Company in the United States for the last four years. He earned his BBA in finance and real estate from Wisconsin in 1976, and currently serves as the Chairman of the Dean's Advisory Board for the Wisconsin School of Business.
Glen Tellock (BBA '83): Tellock has been with The Manitowoc Company in increasing roles of importance since 1991. Tellock was named President and CEO of the company in May 2007 and was also elected Chairman in 2009. Prior to his current role, he served as Senior Vice President (1999-2007), President of the Manitowoc Crane Group (2002-2007), Chief Financial Officer (1999 to 2002), Vice President of Finance and Treasurer (1998 to 1999), Corporate Controller (1992 to 1998) and Director of Accounting (1991 to 1992). Before joining The Manitowoc Company, Tellock served as Financial Planning Manager with the Denver Post Corporation, and as Audit Manager for Ernst & Whinney. Tellock serves as a board member of The Manitowoc Company, Astec Industries, Inc., and the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM). He is also a dedicated member of the community, serving as an active participant in the American Cancer Society Relay For Life on behalf of The Manitowoc Company. He is a former director of Big Brother's Big Sister's of Manitowoc County and member of the Wisconsin School of Business Dean's Advisory Board. He graduated from the Wisconsin School of Business with a BBA in Accountancy in 1983.
Patrick Thiele (BBA '72, MS '75): Thiele currently serves as President, CEO and Director of PartnerRe Ltd. Under Thiele's nine-year leadership, PartnerRe has successfully transitioned from a Cat-only reinsurer to a well-diversified, global reinsurance company. Prior to joining PartnerRe, Thiele was Group Director of Development at Commercial General Norwich Union (CGNU, formerly CGU), and CEO and President of worldwide insurance operations at St. Paul Companies. Under his direction, St. Paul Companies became the fourth-largest commercial lines carrier and the eighth-largest property and casualty insurer in the U.S. He currently serves as a board member on the Dean's Advisory Board at the Wisconsin School of Business, the School of Risk Management and Actuarial Science at St. John's University in New York, and is Chair of the Association of Bermuda Insurers and Reinsurers. Thiele earned his BBA in finance and MBA from the Wisconsin School of Business. He also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.
