Mark Zuckerberg: Facebook Chairman & CEO

Mark Zuckerberg was born on May 14, 1984, in White Plains, New York.  He is the son of a dentist father and a psychiatrist mother. Mark excelled in his academics in high school. In middle school he began using computers and coding. 

It is reported by the time he entered Harvard University he already achieved a reputation as a programming prodigy. While in college he co-founded with five other people the social networking website, Facebook. They launched Facebook from Harvard University’s dormitory rooms. They then launched Facebook onto other campuses nationwide and moved to Palo Alto, California shortly thereafter. 

When Mark was 23 years old in 2007, he became a billionaire riding on the success of Facebook. In 2012, the number of Facebook users climbed to a total of one billion. Mark was also involved in a number of legal disputes that were started by others in the group, who claimed a share of the company based on their involvement during he development phase of Facebook. 

He sits as chairman and CEO of Facebook ,earning a CEO salary of one dollar. His net worth though as of July 2015, was estimated at $38.6 billion.

Dong-Woo Han: Shinhan Financial Group Chairman

Korean Dong-Woo Han graduated from Busan High School in 1966. He earned a law degree from the College of Law at Seoul National University in 1970. He began his career at Korea Trust Bank in January 1971.

Dong stayed at Korea Trust Bank for over 6 years then in 1977 joined Korea Credit Guarantee Fund. Having worked at the guarantee fund for almost five years Dong became more pioneering becoming a founding staff member of Shinhan Bank in 1982. Over a year later he was named Head of Planning & Coordination at Shinhan Bank.  In February 1986 he was named General Manager of the Jong-No Branch of Shinhan Bank. Just over a year later in August 1987 he was appointed Personnel manager of Shinhan Bank.

Dong became a Director of the bank in 1993. A little less than two years  later in February 1995 he became Managing Director of Shinhan Bank. Dong was named Vice President in 1999. Then in May 2002 he was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Shinhan Life Insurance. In May 2007 he was named Vice Chairman of Shinhan Life Insurance. Dong became Chairman & CEO of Shinhan Financial Group in 2011.  

The Shinhan Financial Group was founded in 2001. Headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, it has approximately 51,000 employees. Sales are in the region of $20 billion. The group offers commercial and consumer banking related financial and investment services. It operates retail, corporate and investment banking, credit card, wealth management, brokerage, and insurance. 

Dong has been pushing for the financial group to expand its business abroad, this includes Indonesia, the Philippines, and Mexico. He has stated that it is hard for the banking sector to advance into other countries according to the policy of each country. So the firm’s strategy is to expand their business in other parts of the consumer finance sector first and later expand it further in the banking sector. 

Pierre-André de Chalendar: Saint-Gobain CEO

Pierre-André de Chalendar was born on April 12, 1958, in Vichy, France. He went to the country’s top schools graduating in 1979 from ESSEC business school and the École National d’Administration (ENA) in 1983. 

Pierre started his career at the General Inspection of Finance (IGF) in 1983. He was appointed Financial Inspector in 1984, Project Manager from 1987 to 1988 and Deputy Director from 1988 to 1989 in the General Directorate for Energy and Raw Materials of the Ministry of Industry and Energy. 

He joined Saint-Gobain on October 1, 1989, as Vice-President for Corporate Planning and held that position until 1992. He was then appointed Corporate Vice-President of Saint-Gobain Corp. (USA) and Managing Director of Norton Abrasives Europe from 1992 to 1996. Pierre then became President of the global Abrasives Division and Chairman and CEO of Norton SA from 1996 until 2000. From 2000 to 2003, he was General Delegate for the United Kingdom and Ireland and Chief Executive of Meyer International. 

After further promotions he became Chief Executive Officer of Saint-Gobain in 2007. Pierre became Chairman and CEO on June 3, 2010. 

Dean Connor: Sun Life Financial CEO

Dean Connor earned an Honors Business Administration (HBA) from Richard Ivey School of Business at Western University. He worked for Mercer Human Resources consulting for 28 years and became President for the Americas, responsible for its business operations in Latin America, United States and Canada. 

In 2006, Dean joined Sun Life Financial as Executive Vice-President with responsibility for Sun Life’s Reinsurance and United Kingdom operations as well strategic international activities and corporate functions. He was named President of Sun Life’s Canadian operations in 2008. 

On December 1, 2011, Dean was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer, and is a member of Sun Life’s Board of Directors. 

The company that Dean leads is around 150 years old having been founded on March 18, 1865, by Mathew Hamilton Gault. Sun Life which is one of the largest companies in the world is headquartered in Toronto, Canada. The firm has around 16,275 employees and generates sales of more than $23 billion. 

Sun Life Financial, Inc. is a diversified financial services company. It offers savings, retirement and pension products, and life and health insurance to individuals and groups through its operations in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and Asia. 

Sun Life operates its business through five segments: Sun Life Financial Canada, Sun Life Financial United States, MFS Investment Management, Inc., Sun Life Financial Asia and Corporate Support. 

The Sun Life Financial Canada segment provides group benefits and retirement solutions sponsored by employers and affinity groups and more recently distributes directly through the Internet and other channels. The Sun Life Financial United States segment provides annuities, life insurance and group benefits. The MFS Investment Management segment is a global asset management company which offers products and services that address the varying needs of investors over time. 

The Sun Life Asia segment operates through subsidiaries in the Philippines, Hong Kong and Indonesia and through joint ventures with local partners in Indonesia, India and China. The Corporate Support segment includes Sun Life Financial United Kingdom and corporate support operations. 

Hans Vestberg: Ericsson CEO

Hans Vestberg was born on June 23, 1965, in Hudiksvall, Sweden. He holds a Business Administration degree from the Uppsala University, Sweden. Hans joined Ericsson in 1988.

He has gained broad international experience at Ericsson, having been appointed to various management positions for the company in China, Brazil, Mexico, and the US. Hans remains the international advisor to the Governor of Guangdong, China. 

From 1998 to 2000 Hans was CFO of Ericsson in Brazil and in 2000 until 2002 was CFO for Ericsson in North America and comptroller for North and South America. He was President of Ericsson in Mexico from 2002 until 2003. 

Hans served as Chief Financial Officer of Ericsson from 2007 until 2009. On January 1, 2010, he was appointed CEO of Ericsson.

He is focused on advancing the company’s leadership, along with the rest of Ericsson’s executive team, through innovation, technology, services and sustainable business solutions. Under Hans’ stewardship, Ericsson has become the main driver toward the Networked Society, where connectivity is the fuel for progress. 

Rafael Villaseca Marco: Gas Natural Fenosa CEO

Rafael Villaseca Marco is the CEO of Spanish company, Gas Natural Fenosa. He was appointed to the position in January 2005. Aside from this Rafael is Vice Chairman of the Gas Natural Fenosa Foundation, Board Member of the Foment del Treball Nacional Advisory Council and Member of the Club de Roma Chapter. 

His extensive experience in the industry has no doubt been a factor in Rafael’s appointment to the CEO post of one of the largest companies in the world. He was previously executive director of Enagás, Executive Managing Director of Grupo Panrico, president of Túnels i Accessos de Barcelona, S.A.C. (TABASA), Chairman of Túnel de Cadi, S.A.C. Chairman of Gestió d’Infraestructures, S.A., chairman of Grupo INISEL (now Grupo INDRA), CEO of Nueva Montaña Quijano, S.A., Executive Director of Gas Natural, Executive Director of Amper, S.A., President of Spanish Energy Club and Board Member of the Círculo de Economía.

Rafael was born in 1951, in Barcelona, Spain. He earned an industrial engineering degree from the Universidad Politécnica de Cataluña and an MBA from the IESE business school, University of Navarre. Rafael has been the Chairman of the Ex Alumni Association of the IESE business school. 

Gas Natural Fenosa is headquartered in Barcelona, Spain and is over 170 years old; it was founded in 1843. With over 21, 000 employees it generates annual sales of around $32 billion. 

The firm operates as a natural gas utilities company. It does business in the entire gas value chain, from exploration to distribution and marketing, including production, liquefaction and transportation. It also has facilities for gas storage and regasification. Gas Natural Fenosa operates through the following segments: Gas Distribution, Electricity Distribution, Gas, Electricity, Latin America and Other. 

Leading such a huge organization with operations outside of Spain requires leadership and management skills at the highest level. Rafael has been doing that as attested by his many awards including the Spanish Executive Association (in Spanish, AED) 2009 Director Award, and the best CEO according to the 2010 edition of the Platts Global Energy Awards (New York).

Gary Heminger: Marathon Petroleum CEO

Gary Heminger worked for Marathon Petroleum Company even before he earned his college degree. In 1976 he earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Tiffin University while already employed by the company in Findlay, Ohio. Gary holds an MBA degree from the University of Dayton, Ohio earned in 1982. He is a graduate of the Wharton School of Advanced Management Program at the University of Pennsylvania.

Gary joined the oil company in 1975 giving him over 40 years of experience in Marathon. He has worked in a variety of groups and functions. Aside from five years in various financial and administrative roles, Gary spent three years in London, United Kingdom, as audit advisory of the Brae Project. He worked with Emro Marketing for eight years in several marketing and commercial roles. 

Among his various roles as he climbed the corporate ladder include being named Presint for Marathon Petroleum Company LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Marathon in September 2001. In addition,  he was named Executive Vice President - Downstream of Marathon Oil Corporation and served as member of Marathon’s Executive Committee. 

In July 1, 2011, Gary was appointed President and CEO of Marathon Petroleum Corporation. 

Fan Dazhi: Hua Xia Bank President

Fan Dazhi holds a PhD degree and is a senior accountant. He is the President and Deputy Party Secretary as well as a Director of Hua Xia Bank. Before reaching the position of president Fan was the General Manager of Investment Banking Department at the headquarters of Beijing International Trust Co., Ltd.

He was also Deputy Director and party member of Beijing Offshore Financing and Investment Center. Fan was Director, General Manager and party member of Beijing State-Owned Assets Management Co., Ltd. He was Director, General Manager and Deputy Party Secretary of Beijing Securities. He was also Chairman of Supervisory Board of UBS Securities Co, Ltd, and Director, Executive Vice President and Deputy Party Secretary of Hua Xia Bank. 

Fan leads a bank with 25,200 employees and has annual sales of over $16 billion. Hua Xia Bank is a national  commercial bank, which engages in the provision of commercial banking and lending services. The company through its subsidiaries provides various services, which include public deposit-taking, granting of short, medium and long-term loans, domestic and international settlement, bill acceptance and discount, issuance of financial bonds, issuance, encashment and underwriting of government bonds as an agent, trading of government bonds and financial bonds, inter-bank lending and borrowing, trading of foreign exchange on its own behalf and as an agent, bank card service, provision of letter of credit and letter of guarantee, collection and payment service as an agent, safety box service, foreign exchange settlement and sales, sideline insurance agency, and other services. 

The bank operates through various nationwide branches and offices which are divided into four geographical segments: Northern and Northeastern China, Eastern China, Southern and Central China, and Western China. 

In October 1992, the bank began operations in Beijing, China. It became a nationwide joint stock commercial bank after restructuring in March 1995. The bank went public in September 2003, as the fifth Chinese bank listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange. The bank entered into an agreement in October 2005 with an international strategic investor, Deutsche Bank, and completed two rounds of private placement of new shares in October 2008 and April 2011 respectively. 

Marco Patuano: Telecom Italia CEO

Marco Patuano was born on June 6, 1964, in Alessandria, Italy. In 1990 he graduated from Bacconi University, specializing in Corporate Finance.

After working for a while in the United States, Marco began his career in Telecom Italia in 1990 working at the main headquarters of the company which was then known as SIP. Through the years Marco has worked in the company financial sector, and played a leading role in a phase in which finance was considered from the point of view of providing support to the growth of the business. This was the period of the merger of Telecom Italia, the spin-off of TIM and the start-up of the mobile telephone company. As chief financial officer Marco made significant contribution to this start-up.

His international experience started in 2003 having been assigned to Latin America. Marco eventually headed operations there and rationalized the business for better performance and returns. He came back to Italy in August 2008 to become the Chief Financial Officer of the Group. 

After becoming a member of the Board of Directors and more promotions he was appointed Managing Director of Telecom Italia on April 13, 2011.