MBA Program

Chairman and CEO
Symantec Corporation
Cupertino, Calif.

“Today, information is the most important currency in business, and we must protect and leverage it to make sure that companies can grow and flourish,” says John W. Thompson.

That conviction, together with his leadership since 1999, has transformed Symantec from a small consumer software company to the market leader in security and availability systems for digital assets.

‘Information integrity’

Thompson's vision is summed up in the phrase “information integrity” — a balance of safety and accessibility that keeps an organization's infrastructure up and running under adverse circumstances, ensures regulatory compliance, and mitigates online fraud. The widespread proliferation of new viruses and worms and recent natural disasters only serve to underscore these needs.

Thompson's leadership landed him a seat on the National Infrastructure Advisory Council (NIAC), organized by the Bush administration in 2002.

“Leaders have a responsibility to make society better for everyone, and Symantec has paved the way in digital security” Thompson says. “NIAC has examined the intersections between the physical infrastructure and the cyber infrastructure and made good, serious recommendations.”

Thompson also chaired the Silicon Valley Blue Ribbon Task Force on Aviation Security and Technology, charged with identifying technology–driven solutions to improve aviation security. He is quick to note that both he and Symantec have taken a strong position on math and science education because they are so vital to the company's long–term needs.

A chance to make a difference

Before he joined Symantec, Thompson had a nearly 30–year career at IBM, starting as a storage sales rep.

“I sold stereo components as an undergraduate at Florida A&M and saw a sales career as the best fit,” he explains. He went on to senior executive positions in sales, marketing, and software development, ultimately serving as general manager of IBM Americas and as a member of the company's Worldwide Management Council.

“I enjoyed every minute of my career at IBM,” he says. “I decided I would never leave unless there was an opportunity to lead a company in the software business that was at an inflection point where I could make a real difference. Symantec was that opportunity.”

A Sloan Fellow while at IBM, Thompson valued the chance to step away from consuming tactical issues and gain a broader context for decision making.

“MIT is such an important institution, where so many successes have originated,” he observes. “As a Sloan Fellow, I found that the high level of thinking combined with real–world experience was extremely productive. And with the small size of the program, I formed lasting relationships with other students.”

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