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Discover more about the history, people, milestones, and contributions that have shaped Michigan Ross.
Winston Wenyan Ma, MBA ’03, authored a new book, China's Mobile Economy: Opportunities in the Largest and Fastest Information Consumption Boom, published by Wiley in December 2016. It was included in Economist magazine New York office chief Matthew Bishop’s list of top business books of 2016.
Amar M. Maletira, MBA ’01, was named CFO of the Year 2016 by the Silicon Valley Business Journal. As CFO and executive vice president of Viavi Solutions, he has nearly doubled operating profit in a company with $900 million annual revenue. He has served in this role since 2015, and his previous work experience includes 14 years with Hewlett-Packard, as well as companies in Michigan and his native country of India.
Anand Christopher, BBA ’01, was featured in Business Leader magazine’s December 2016 cover story discussing expected changes to financial regulation in 2017. Anand is managing partner at Claremont Hudson and a board member of the Ross Alumni Club of Chicago.
Michael Cuoco, BBA '00, returned to the U.S. after nine-plus years in England. He and his wife Heather Kent, BA '00, and twin 4-year-old sons live in Charlotte, N.C. Michael is head of metals for Wells Fargo, growing the global exchange traded services platform and assisting to expand the commodities business across other sectors as well. He is happy to hear from fellow alumni at [email protected].
Jared Stadlin, BBA ’98, was elected to a three-year term on the board of directors of the International Warehouse Logistics Association. Jared is the vice president of client services and associate corporate counsel for Linden Warehouse & Distribution Co., based in Linden, N.J.
Michael Brandstaedter, MBA ’97, has been promoted to the position of chief executive officer at The Topps Company Inc., a leading creator of confectionery, sports cards, and entertainment products. In the new position, Brandstaedter also retains the title of president and focuses on advancing the evolution of Topps' iconic consumer products portfolio. He joined the company in 2009 as general manager of the global confectionery business, which includes brands such as Ring Pop and Bazooka gum. He most recently served as Topps' president and COO, where he has been instrumental in strengthening partnerships with premier properties such as Major League Baseball and Star Wars, as well as overseeing the development of global soccer and new partnerships including UEFA Champions League. Brandstaedter also has been integral in fueling significant growth with the recent creation of the Topps Digital Apps business, which has helped redefine trading cards and collecting in the digital space. Topps is owned by Michael Eisner's The Tornante Company and private equity firm Madison Dearborn Partners.
Kristen J. (Barczyk) Duca, BBA ’96, published her book Ultimate Nanny – How to Find, Interview, and Manage the Most Important Person You Will Ever Hire – Your Child’s Nanny, which can be found on Amazon. Kristen has worked in the financial services industry for over two decades. Additionally, she served as a contributing writer for New York Family, New York Family Brooklyn, and Long Island Special Child magazines. Kristen and her husband, Ken, live in Manhattan with their two daughters but always make it back to Ann Arbor for a football game each year.
Diana (Clark) Hancock, BSE ’86/MBA ’93, is co-founder and COO of SPEAK MODalities LLC, a company that develops patented, research-based mobile applications to facilitate speech and language development in children with autism and speech development delays. The company recently received the 2016 R&D 100 Award in the software category, the 2015 Best of Tech in Indiana MIRA award, and was awarded National Institutes of Health Small Business Innovation Research funding. Along with this venture, she innovates as Commercialization Director at Purdue University and was previously a Marketing Manager at Johnson Controls.
Benjamin Taub, MBA ’89, is working to commercialize Alert.ly (http://alert.ly), a cloud-based service that monitors business processes and alerts managers via text message and email in real time when important events occur or key thresholds are met. It has applications in virtually any industry for things like fraud detection, inventory level monitoring, and rapid response to sales prospect inquiries.
Saad A. Khan, MBA ’87, published It’s Business, It’s Personal: From Setting a Vision to Delivering it Through Organizational Excellence in hardcover and paperback (Westbow Publishing); the book is available on Amazon. As the founder of Alamut Consulting (sustainability/governance of NGO's) and VanGuard Matrix (e-commerce solutions), he was previously CEO of Gillette Pakistan.
Barbara Carkenord, MBA ’86, was elected to the Board of Directors of the IIBA (International Institute of Business Analysis, IIBA.org). In addition, she published her third book, PMI-PBA® Exam Prep, Premier Edition, an exam preparation guide for business analysis professionals. Barbara is the director of business analysis for RMC Learning Solutions in Minnetonka, Minn. She lives on Hilton Head Island in South Carolina with her husband of five years, Lou Thomas.