Banking executive benefits from school's global perspective
SEPTEMBER 2009
Consider Thomas Beauford Jr., first vice president of HSBC Bank USA. He joined the bank’s Operations Division in January 2008 to head the Remittance Processing Center, with operations sites in Buffalo, New York and Guang Zhou, China.
A 2008 graduate of the School of Management’s Executive MBA program, Beauford was initially drawn to the program because of its global emphasis. Once in the program, he found the international residency particularly valuable, calling it “an opportunity for each student to employ every aspect of the program’s curriculum within the structure of a real-life international business development project.”
A Six Sigma Black Belt, Beauford has held leadership roles in operations, project management and information technology all over the world. He has lived or worked in London, UK; Bangalore, India; and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. As an HSBC Earthwatch Environmental Fellow, Beauford participated in a research project in Russia and has traveled extensively for business and pleasure to Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
The international focus of the Executive MBA has served Beauford well. He offers the following advice to prospective candidates: “Here you will find that both your increased knowledge of self and overall business acumen have developed to a level that has prepared you to dynamically interact with global corporate leaders across industries. Above the sense of individual accomplishment is the pride of knowing that you have taken on this experience with a cadre of executives that you may now call friends.”
Written by Jacqueline Ghosen
Update: Since this story was published, Beauford was named president and CEO of the Buffalo Urban League, a nonprofit organization that empowers the disadvantaged populations of the Buffalo Niagara region. He also is a board member for a number of Western New York organizations, including Univera Healthcare, Medaille University, the Communities of Giving Legacy Initiative and our Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership.
Read more about Beauford in his feature story from At Buffalo magazine.