In a recent report released by Money Magazine, the University of Wisconsin ranked as one of the top 10 colleges to produce Fortune 500 chief executive officers for the country’s biggest firms.
UW is one of three public colleges in the top 10, featured alongside private universities such as Harvard and Princeton.
UW alumnus Thomas Falk, CEO of Kimberly-Clark, helped UW earn this ranking. Falk said the Wisconsin School of Business gave him an important head start to his success, along with his own hard work and determination.
Though Falk is now the CEO of a multi-billion dollar corporation responsible for brands such as Huggies, Kleenex, Kotex and Cottonelle, he said he didn’t always imagine himself there, especially when he was younger.
“As the oldest of nine children, my career goal was to have my own room,” Falk said with a laugh. “I wanted to go as far as my skills and abilities would take me, so I was willing to work hard to do it and willing to go anywhere for the right opportunity.”
Falk said he chose to study accounting when he came to UW in 1976, because he thought it was the hardest major and wanted to see if he would do well in it. To pay for school he worked through the summer in jobs such as driving a delivery truck and working a forklift.
Though he had a busy life, he said he enjoyed his experience at UW immensely, buying hockey and football season tickets.
Four years later, he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in accounting and passed all four parts of the Certified Public Accountant exam — he accredits this achievement to the Wisconsin School of Business for helping him prepare.
“I had a fantastic experience with the School of Business,” Falk said. “The professors were excellent, I just thought the business school faculty were outstanding and I came out very well prepared [for the business world].”
After his time at UW, he received a Master’s of Science in management in 1988 from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business.
He began his career at Kimberly-Clark — a personal care corporation — 33 years ago in their internal audit department.
Early on in his career, he said he had the chance to work directly under the senior leadership, which gave him great opportunities. By 2000, he became the chief operating officer. Two years later he was CEO.
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Falk said one of the things he learned throughout his career is the importance of giving back to his community.
He currently serves as the chairman for the UW Foundation, is a governor for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and is on the board of directors for Catalyst, an organization that promotes inclusivity for women in the workplace.
Falk also previously served on the advisory board for the UW School of Business and his wife, Karen Falk, currently serves on the advisory board for the UW School of Education. In 2014, he and his wife donated $10 million to UW for student scholarships and faculty support.
For students considering a career in business, Falk said it’s important to remember that success isn’t just about luck, but determination, too.
“Most careers are a combination of hard work and good luck, and I had some of both to help me along the way,” Falk said. “But I find that the harder you work, the more luck you have.”
