Peter Georgescu’s biography reads like a Hollywood epic. It includes years of hard labor behind the Iron Curtain, a prisoner exchange arranged by President Eisenhower, and an improbable rise to the helm of an advertising giant. But in Peter’s telling, his journey is simply a story about the American dream.
He arrived in the U.S. from Romania in 1954 with no English and a second-grade education. Just seven years later, Peter landed at Stanford GSB and gained an early champion in Dean Ernie Arbuckle. He went on to spend four decades at Young & Rubicam, ultimately rising to CEO and chairman emeritus, and serving on numerous corporate and nonprofit boards.
Today, Peter’s focus has shifted from advertising to advocacy. He’s a passionate voice against rising economic inequality. Peter has spoken and written extensively on the topic, and he challenges fellow business leaders to embrace a version of capitalism that benefits everyone — from customers to workers to communities. “My mission today is to help change the principles of corporate governance from shareholder primacy to stakeholder capitalism,” he writes in Stanford Business magazine. As part of this effort, Peter serves as a director of JUST Capital, a nonprofit dedicated to aligning corporate behavior with the priorities of the American public.
For classmates Ed Zschau and Randy Moore, both MBA ’63, Peter’s work on inequality and his insistence that business leaders can and should help fight it, have been particularly impactful. “Although his life story and his business career at Young & Rubicam are impressive and inspiring,” they write, “it is Peter’s effective leadership and contributions to positive business values and better education that are most compelling.” Indeed, Peter has helped guide institutions tasked with instilling these values in tomorrow’s leaders, writing, “It is… my fervent hope that the GSB will be at the forefront of teaching and advancing the art and science of stakeholder capitalism.” A recent email to former classmates powerfully captures his deep commitment to promoting corporate responsibility: “We must act now and do our part to build a better America — before it is too late.”
