Make a list of ten engineers who rose through the ranks to become the president or general
manager of a big corporation. Showcase their accomplishments and qualifications for such
achievement.
1. Larry Page (Computer Engineer)
Page, an American computer scientist and entrepreneur who, with Sergey Brin, created
the online search engine Google, one of the most popular sites on the Internet, probably never
dreamed that he would one day attempt to re-make the world, but that’s essentially what he’s
trying to do in his role as a CEO of Alphabet, Inc. Alphabet, the parent company of Google, has
a breathtakingly ambitious list of projects it’s overseeing, including the creation of artificial
intelligence, the study of aging, the development of home automation systems and engineering
of self-driving cars, among many others. Page, co-founder of Google and inventor of its searchranking algorithms, is probably one of the few individuals on the planet with the vision for that job,
having been exposed to cutting-edge technology since his childhood. Page was the first student
in his elementary school to use a word processor to turn in an assignment and once created an
inkjet printer out of Lego bricks. He went to earn a BS in computer engineering from the University
of Michigan, where he was a member of the school’s Solar Car team. He also earned an MS in
computer science from Stanford University. Page left the post as CEO of Alphabet in December
2019 but continued to serve on Alphabet’s board of directors.
2. Satya Nadella
Nadella is an Indian-born business executive who was CEO of the computer software
company Microsoft (2014–). After earning a BS electrical engineering from the Mangalore
University (B.Sc., 1988), he moved to the US, earned an MS in computer science at the University
of Wisconsin at Milwaukee, went to work for Sun Microsystems, and then launched a career with
Microsoft Corp. While working full-time at Microsoft, Nadella also earned (1997) a master’s degree
in business administration from the University of Chicago. Nadella rose steadily through the ranks
of Microsoft management. By 1999 he had been named vice president of the Microsoft bCentral
small-business service, and two years later he became corporate vice president of Microsoft
Business Solutions. In 2007 he was elevated to senior vice president of research and
development for the company’s online services division, and he later served (2011–13) as
president of Microsoft’s server and tools business, which annually generated some $19 billion in
revenue. Nadella was also executive vice president in charge of the company’s cloud computing
platform, which provided the infrastructure for such Microsoft offerings as the online search engine
Bing, the Xbox Live broadband gaming network, and the Office 365 subscription-based services.
On February 4, 2014, Nadella became CEO of Microsoft, the third person to hold the office in the
company’s nearly 40-year history, after company cofounder Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer.
3. Tim Cook
Tim Cook, in full Timothy D. Cook, is an American technology executive who was chief
executive officer (CEO) of the computer manufacturer Apple Inc., (2011–). Cook graduated from
Auburn University in Alabama with a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering in 1982, and in
1988 he received a master’s in business administration from Duke University in Durham, North
Carolina. Before being named CEO in August 2011, Tim was Apple's Chief Operating Officer and
was responsible for all of the company’s worldwide sales and operations, including end-to-end
management of Apple’s supply chain, sales activities, and service and support in all markets and
countries. He also headed Apple’s Macintosh division and played a key role in the continued
development of strategic reseller and supplier relationships, ensuring flexibility in response to an
increasingly demanding marketplace. Prior to joining Apple, Tim was vice president of Corporate
Materials for Compaq and was responsible for procuring and managing all of Compaq’s product
inventory. Previous to his work at Compaq, Tim was the chief operating officer of the Reseller
Division at Intelligent Electronics. Tim also spent 12 years with IBM, most recently as director of
North American Fulfillment where he led manufacturing and distribution functions for IBM’s
Personal Computer Company in North and Latin America. Tim earned an MBA from Duke
University, where he was a Fuqua Scholar, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial
Engineering from Auburn University.
4. Geronimo Z. Velasco
Ronnie Velasco, one of the former members of ex-President Marcos' cabinet, won the
1977 Management Man of the Year award, as well as the first president of Philippine National Oil
Company (PNOC). Velasco took up mechanical engineering at the Mapua Institute of Technology.
He was the chairman of Republic Glass Holdings Corp in 1961, which used to own the pioneer
factory that supplied 70 percent of Philippine glass requirements for home and building
construction since the year 1956 and later founded the Hawaiian subsidiary of Dole (pineapple)
in the islands. The firm then sold its shares in Republic-Asahi Glass Corp. to its Japanese partner
Asahi Glass in the year 2001. He also served as energy minister from the years-1978 to 1986,
wherein he implemented the strategic goal of reducing the dependence of the Philippines on
imported oil. He also managed Stanvac, a branch of Standard Vacuum Oil Company of America.
This company was bought out by the Philippine government and converted to Petrophil. He
became the chairman and president of the Philippine National Oil Company, which imports billions
of dollars' worth of crude oil needed by the country.
5. Diosdado “Dado” Banatao.
The Filipino high-tech entrepreneur and innovator in Silicon Valley, California is a son of
a rice farmer and a graduate of Electrical Engineering from the Mapua Institute of Technology
who later earned his Master of Science in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at
Stanford University. He is credited with having designed the first single chip, 16-bit
microprocessor-based calculator. Before he founded his own companies, Banatao pursued his
childhood dream of being a pilot and trained with Philippine Airlines. But it was his later stint with
aircraft manufacturing giant Boeing, as a design engineer, that allowed him to see things from a
different perspective. He acquired working experience from different technology companies such
as the National Semiconductor and Intersil. But his greatness was put to form when he developed
the first single chip, 16-bit microprocessor-based calculator under Commodore International.
Dado was able to reduce 300 components into three with that computer chip. He kept on inventing
as he jumped companies. By 1981, he designed his second invention, which is the first 10-Mbit
Ethernet CMOS with silicon coupler data-link control and transreceiver chip under the company
SEEQ Technology. As he kept on fiddling with computers, Dado went on to create the first system
logic chip set for IBM’s PC-XT and the PC-AT; the local bus concept and the first Windows
Graphics accelerator chip for personal computers. It was in 1984 when the high-technology
company Mostron was put up by Dado along with his business partner Francis Siu.
6. Francis Chua.
Chua is an industrial engineering graduate of his batch 1972 and is a former President of
Philippine Chamber of Commerce & Industry (PCCI). He is currently the chamber’s Chairman
Emeritus holding the distinction of being the first recipient of PCCI’s highest award. The Honorary
Consul General of Peru to the Philippines and formerly Manila’s special envoy to China is credited
for his programs that solidified and sustained the financial growth of PCCI. He sealed the alliance
of PCCI and the International Chamber of Commerce, the world body that establishes, promotes,
and overseas the implementation of Certificate of Origin and ATA Carnet (known as the Passport
of Goods). His initiatives made PCCI a truly global chamber and brought in a steady flow of
income in the hundreds of millions of pesos, allowing the chamber to pursue more projects for the
benefit of micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the country.
7. Ramon S. Ang.
This mechanical engineering graduate of Far Eastern University is now the dynamic boss
who is transforming San Miguel Corp. from a beer giant into a diversified conglomerate with huge
investments in infrastructure, energy and other fields. He holds, among others, the following
positions: President and Chief Executive Officer of Top Frontier Investment Holdings Inc.;
Chairman of San Miguel Brewery Inc. and San Miguel Brewery Hong Kong Limited, Petron
Corporation, Sea Refinery Corporation, SMC Global Power Holdings Corp., San Miguel Foods,
Inc., San Miguel Yamamura Packaging Corporation, San Miguel Properties, Inc., and Anchor
Insurance Brokerage Corporation; Vice Chairman of Ginebra San Miguel, Inc. and San Miguel
Pure Foods Company, Inc., Philippine Oriental Realty Development, Inc., and Atea Tierra
Corporation. Ang was a working student who did odd jobs after classes to support himself, help
his family and fund his schooling. In a speech before the university's 2018 graduating class, he
acknowledged that it was those years where he learned how to do business from the ground up
that formed his skills, and set a proper foundation for long-term success. He developed the
abilities to deal with people from all walks of life, read and understand individuals and their
motivations and abilities, adapt to any situation no matter how challenging, and "make tough
decisions based on gut instincts." Due to Ang’s bold strategic reforms, beer and foods now
constitute only 20 percent of San Miguel’s total businesses.
8. Henry Lim Bon Liong.
This mechanical engineering graduate of UP batch 1972 is a leader in Philippine paper
products with Sterling Paper Group. In recent years, Lim has become more known as a pioneer
of hybrid rice technology with his SL Agritech Corp. which seeks to promote Philippine rice selfsufficiency. He is now one of the vice presidents of the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers
of Commerce & Industry, Inc. (FFCCCII).
Lim took over of the family business, book binding and photo album manufacturing, in
1976 when his father met an untimely demise on a business trip to Hong Kong. The business
grew with the help of his siblings and they diversified to other ventures, the latest of which is hybrid
rice production. In 2000, SL Agritech was born. Armed with a vision of a rice self-sufficient
Philippines and the support of his family, friends, and Prof. Yuan Longping, the Father of Hybrid
Rice, Lim’s team created the first Philippine tropical hybrid rice variety—SL-8H! Since its
commercialization in the early 2000s, SL-8H has revolutionized rice production in the country and
some parts of Tropical Asia. SL Agritech became the leading commercial producer of rice seeds
that have significantly raised the yield and income of farmers from the Philippines and other Asian
countries such as Indonesia, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Myanmar, etc.
9. Mary Barra (Chairman and CEO, General Motors Company)
Mary Teresa Barra is an American businesswoman who has been the chair and chief
executive officer (CEO) of General Motors since January 15, 2014. She is the first female CEO
of a 'Big Three' automaker. In December 2013, GM named her to succeed Daniel Akerson as
CEO. Prior to being named CEO, Barra was executive vice president of global product
development, purchasing, and supply chain. As the first woman to lead any major automaker,
Mary Barra has been strengthening GM’s core business of cars, trucks, and crossovers, while
also working to lead the transformation of personal mobility through advanced technologies like
connectivity, electrification, autonomous driving, and car sharing. Barra has a bachelor’s degree
in electrical engineering and MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Barra began
her career with GM in 1980 as a General Motors Institute (now Kettering University) co-op student
at the Pontiac Motor Division. She rose through the ranks and served as vice president, Global
Human Resources; vice president, Global Manufacturing Engineering; plant manager, DetroitHamtramck Assembly; and in several other executive engineering and staff positions before
becoming CEO in 2014. She envisions a world with zero crashes to save lives; zero emissions,
so future generations can inherit a healthier planet; and zero congestion.
10. Melonee Wise
Melonee Wise is the force behind Fetch Robotics that is delivering advanced robots for
the logistics industry. She holds bachelor’s degrees in mechanical and physics engineering and
a master’s degree in mechanical engineering, all from the University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign. Wise was the second employee at Willow Garage, a research and development
laboratory extremely influential in the advancement of robotics. Armed with her extensive
experience in open source Robot Operating System and leading a team of engineers developing
next-generation robot hardware and software, she founded Fetch Robotics in 2014. The company
has grown under her leadership and is now a key player in the robotics as a service industry that
make robot deployments a fast and cost-effective way to adopt robotics and automated
technologies in warehouses without the large capital investments and in-house expertise.