Ann M. Fudge
Enhanced Perspective
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| Character and integrity: A can-do record and respect for others are keys to a remarkable career. Photo by Robert Schoen |
When Ann Fudge was pursuing her MBA at HBS, she used her one-hour commute to Soldiers Field to shift gears from being the busy mother of two toddlers to a focused student handling cold calls with aplomb. Fudge managed her roles as wife, mother, and student with such finesse that classmates were probably not surprised at her subsequent headline-making ascent in corporate America. “I learned how to balance and prioritize early on,” says the Washington, D.C., native, whose unique combination of determination, grace, and integrity have caught the attention of a broad spectrum of organizations — from corporations and boardrooms to national magazines to a project to elect a woman President of the United States.
Upon graduation, Fudge went to work for General Mills and advanced from marketing assistant to marketing director in six years. In 1986, she joined General Foods, where she broke gender and racial barriers (“crashing through the glass ceiling and the ‘concrete wall,'” as the New York Times put it) when she was named president of Maxwell House in 1994. Three years later, she became president of Kraft Foods' $5 billion Beverages, Desserts, and Post Division and continued to receive accolades for her management and marketing savvy in overseeing some three thousand employees and familiar brands such as Kool-Aid, Jell-O, and Grape-Nuts.
Fudge attributes her success to her ability to get the job done and her genuine interest in people. “I believe that people make a business succeed,” she says. “Treating them with respect is crucial.” The recipient of numerous honors (including the HBS Alumni Achievement Award in 1998), Fudge has been named one of the “Ten Most Powerful Black Women” by Ebony magazine and has received leadership awards from the Executive Leadership Council, the Corporate Women's Network, the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, and the YWCA. She has generously shared her talents with numerous nonprofit organizations, most notably the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
In late 1999, Fudge decided “it was time to start a new chapter in my life” and eighteen months later she left Kraft with the intent of taking a position at another company after a short sabbatical. During that time, she explored numerous countries, including Morocco, Thailand, and Bali, with her husband of thirty years, Richard (whom she married when she was a sophomore at Simmons College). In the midst of her travels, however, she learned some things about her prospective employer that led her to consider other options.
Fudge has used the last year to focus on various philanthropic activities and to continue serving on three corporate boards. Although she has enjoyed her time away from the day-to-day responsibilities of overseeing a division of a huge multinational corporation, she looks forward to returning to the challenges of running a business. “I really do love to work hard and solve problems,” she adds, stressing that character and integrity are qualities she both prides herself on and looks for in others. Of the time off, she observes, “I now understand the power of a sabbatical to enhance one's perspective.”
Fudge, whose growing family now includes three grandchildren, says that the pride she has in her family far exceeds any feelings she has for her other accomplishments. Her own parents, she explains, “taught me that I could do anything I wanted.” Throughout her life, Fudge has proved them right again and again.
— Susan Young (send e-mail to the author)
PROFILES FROM THE CLASS OF 1977
John R. Davis: Nature's Blessing
Michael F. Cronin: A Focus on the Fundamentals
Ann M. Fudge: Enhanced Perspective
Steven C. Watson: Course Change
Karen Gordon Mills: Her Excellent Adventures
Amy S. Langer: Fighting the Good Fight
