GlaxoSmithKline Fellowships Pay Tribute to JP Garnier

In honor of its former CEO, Jean-Pierre Garnier, MBA ’74, GlaxoSmithKline recently established two fellowships at Stanford GSB totaling $500,000. Garnier retired in May 2008 after serving as the CEO of the company since its creation in 2001. These funds provide an ongoing tribute to his success as the leader of the world’s second-largest research-based pharmaceutical company.

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JP Garnier, MBA ’74 and former CEO of GlaxoSmithKline

“Every successful company invests in the business to grow the bottom line,” says Sir Christopher Gent, GlaxoSmithKline chairman. “We believe that business should also invest in something less tangible, less quantifiable, but of equal importance—building its reputation with the society it serves. The company is pleased to honor Dr. Garnier’s legacy by providing funds that will help develop the business leaders of tomorrow.”

The company’s funding will provide support for students enrolled in programs at the school in two ways. The JP and Danyele Garnier Fellowship will provide a permanent legacy from which regular income will be used to underwrite the tuition and fees of selected MBA and PhD candidates. Another fellowship will enable the school to support students in the Summer Institute for Entrepreneurship, a unique four-week program that provides non-business school graduate students with a background in fundamentals such as finance, marketing, and accounting, through a highly interactive experience that helps develop foundational business skills such as developing a business plan, public speaking, and leadership.

To remain competitive, Stanford GSB must attract and enroll the best and the brightest students. The school’s international reputation as a leader in management education is built on the quality and diversity of its students, whose broad range of experiences and backgrounds fosters a collaborative culture. Fellowships at Stanford GSB have assisted thousands of students, and GlaxoSmithKline’s generous gifts will continue to do the same. Fifty-five percent of MBA students receive financial aid, and MBA students graduate with an average debt load of more than $72,535. With MBA tuition at $48,921 for the 2008–09 academic year, the ability to provide fellowship support is critical to the school’s continued success. “This generous gift honors an alumnus whose leadership throughout his career has changed lives, changed organizations, and ultimately changed the world,” says Dean Robert L. Joss. “The fellowships being established in his honor ensure that JP Garnier will continue to have an impact on shaping the next generation of principled, innovative, and insightful business leaders.”