Business Leader Henry Fernandez Named GSB Commencement Speaker

Long-time Stanford volunteer and GSB supporter tabbed to give address

April 07, 2023

| by GSB Staff
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Portrait of Henry Fernandez. Credit: David Jacobs

Henry Fernandez, MBA ‘83, chairman and CEO of MSCI. | David Jacobs

Henry A. Fernandez, MBA ’83, chairman and CEO of MSCI, will give the commencement address at the Stanford Graduate School of Business diploma ceremony on June 17.

“Henry’s an outstanding leader whose endless ideas, heart and energy are improving business and society in big ways,” says Stanford GSB Dean Jonathan Levin. “I’m sure we’ll all laugh with and learn from him on Commencement weekend.”

Fernandez has led MSCI — a global provider of investment tools and research — since 1998, a period in which the company grew to a market capitalization of more than $40 billion. He has twice been named to Barron’s list of the world’s best CEOs.

Prior to joining MSCI, Fernandez was a managing director at Morgan Stanley. Earlier in his career, he served as president of the private equity firm HispaniMedia and founded Ferco Partners, a private equity investment firm in Mexico. He also served as a diplomat at the Nicaraguan Embassy in Washington, D.C., while attending Georgetown University, where he earned an undergraduate degree in economics.

A member of the Stanford Board of Trustees since 2016, Fernandez has been a strong supporter of the university and of the GSB, serving in multiple volunteer roles, including as chair of the GSB Advisory Council. He is currently on the Board of Overseers at the Hoover Institution.

He and his wife have three children, all of whom attended or are currently attending Stanford.

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