Six Niners top CBJ’s Most Admired CEO Awards.
Charlotte Business Journal’s (CBJ) Most Admired CEO Awards program highlights top leaders in Charlotte who blend business vision with community commitment. This year, among the honorees some of our very own Niners, recognized for their innovation, financial success and impact that extends beyond the boardroom. Each honoree holds a chief executive title or equivalent.
Leading the 2023 class with the Lifetime Achievement Award is Malcomb Coley ’20 (honorary alum), Ernst & Young's Charlotte managing partner. He's been instrumental in improving diversity within EY and beyond, co-chairing the Mayor's Racial Equity Initiative and launching Bright Hope Capital. Coley was honored as an honorary alumnus in 2020 and currently serves on the Belk College of Business board.
Nonprofits
Laura Yates Clark, ’02 M.A.
President, Foundation for the Carolinas
Describe your leadership style or guiding philosophy and how you put that into action within your organization:
Hire good people, expect the best of them, and empower them to do their jobs. But also remember that every day is take-your-childhood-to-work day; we all bring our personal history and baggage to the office so it’s important that we show each other empathy and extend grace as part of a well-rounded approach to accountability.
What is the top priority for Charlotte to ensure a strong business environment?
A strong business environment is dependent upon all residents having access to affordable housing, a quality education that begins at birth, and access to health and mental health care. We must prioritize these investments as much, if not more, than any other investment so that our city continues to thrive.
Who inspires you, and why?
Dionne Nelson, president and CEO of Laurel Street Residential, inspires me. She is not only a successful business owner who has taken her company from startup to powerhouse, but she’s a treasured civic leader in Charlotte. She has given me lots of excellent advice over the years but the most important is, “Never lower your standards or expectations of people.”
Arts & Culture
Devlin McNeil, ’02
Arts+
Describe your leadership style or guiding philosophy and how you put that into action within your organization:
My leadership style is one of shared leadership. I firmly believe you should hire people who are smarter than you in areas you’re not and get out of their way. I also believe in the professional development of your staff — providing them with the tools necessary to excel in their role within the organization, but to also carry with them in future endeavors. Arts+ has a very low attrition rate, which I attribute, in part, to their opportunity for continued growth.
What is the top priority for Charlotte to ensure a strong business environment?
One top priority for Charlotte is to develop, support, and maintain a strong and diverse cultural community. Often artists/musicians feel the need to leave the community to be successful. Cultivating those opportunities here would ensure vibrancy in our Charlotte region.
Who inspires you, and why?
The 4,500-plus students of all ages that Arts+ serves. Watching a 6-year-old walk across the stage of McGlohon Theatre, climb on a piano bench — feet not touching the ground — and playing their recital piece and confidently exiting the stage after taking their bow. Watching the power of an arts education manifest itself with students — helping them understand their multitude of opportunities.
Family-owned Businesses
Kelly Noftsger, ’91
Corporate Travel Management
What is the top priority for Charlotte to ensure a strong business environment?
Fostering innovation and talent, with a crucial emphasis on prioritizing education. This involves creating an environment that attracts, retains, and develops a highly skilled workforce while encouraging the creation and growth of innovative businesses. By making education a priority, Charlotte can cultivate a skilled workforce equipped to drive economic growth and innovation in the region.
Describe your leadership style or guiding philosophy and how you put that into action within your organization:
I love what I do, so I am passionate about work every day. I invest in my employees to make sure they are engaged and happy and that transfers to our clients. My leadership style is rooted in collaboration, empowerment, and data-driven decision-making. I believe the best ideas come from a collective effort, and I strive to create an environment where everyone feels valued, and their voices are heard. Trust your team.
Who inspires you, and why?
My mother. She is an incredibly energetic and dynamic individual. She started our agency 34 years ago, long before there were so many women entrepreneurs. She’s the one who instilled our culture of service excellence.
Wealth Management
Frank Smith, ’04
Private Advisor Group
What is the top priority for Charlotte to ensure a strong business environment?
I would encourage stronger connections to local universities to help develop that next generation of talent. As a Charlotte 49er grad, I sense that connection to the home city could be utilized much more.
Describe your top accomplishment of the past year:
While we saw strong growth in earnings, an increase in client satisfaction and adoption of new solutions, to me the biggest accomplishment was the shift from functional managers to general managers that we made at the management committee level (my direct reports). Each member still has accountability over their functional areas, but we intentionally structured participation and collaboration to be as general managers of the business. This allowed them to participate in key decisions that aren’t directly in their purview, but certainly impact their departments and their teams. I found that they all have something to contribute, and it efficiently enrolls them in the whole portfolio of initiatives we are managing, not just their own.
What is one of the best books you’ve read recently, and why?
Lately, I’ve been searching for more topic specific podcasts than reaching for a book, as I’ve found that format to capture my interest better. That said, the book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People I found to be a good read as it helped create a framework and necessary discipline for how to structure my approach to things like prioritization, relationships, outcomes and my own development.
Consulting
Liz Ward, ’14 MSRE
Give Impact
Describe your top accomplishment of the past year:
After 18 months of leading a task force to discern the future of the vacant Plaza Presbyterian Campus, I received unanimous approval by the Charlotte Presbytery (a body of 400-plus) to sign a $1/year lease with Arts+ to renovate the campus into an Arts & Cultural Hub. This was the most rewarding project that Maya Bullock, vice president of operations & client impact, and I have worked on. I was beside myself to see Devlin McNeil, executive director of Arts+, get named to this list of Most Admired CEOs, too! To the readers, they are going to be fundraising for the campus, and it is so worthy of your support.
What is your best advice for future leaders?
I recently learned of “The Grandma Test” from Gene Johnson, one of my fellow church members, fellow UNC Charlotte alum and a local leader who has served our city in many ways. I asked him how he stayed tethered through all of his success, and he said, I always ask, “What would my grandmother think if she read about this in the newspaper tomorrow?” It all boils down to integrity. Hold fast to it: Doing what is right even when no one is looking.
What was your first job, and what is one lesson you carried forward from that?
The Showmars on Park Cedar Drive — I did everything from cashier to drive-thru and table service. My specialty was making banana splits and milkshakes. It was a great job (and I still love eating there!). The most important thing I learned was the value of connecting with people and customer experience. I realized that people have power to make someone’s day better, or worse, just by how you interact with them. It brought me joy to help people leave with a smile on their face, and it helped me know that I wanted to be in a customer centric environment for my career.