Stories
Stories
A Shared Vision for a Better World
Stephanie and Charlie (MBA 1974) Harrold
A member of the Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, Charlie
Harrold (MBA 1974) spent 12 months in Vietnam as a platoon leader with the
173rd Airborne Brigade. “It was extremely demanding,” he says,
“but I learned about leadership and about myself.”
When Harrold returned home, he earned a master’s degree in
political science but ultimately realized academia wasn’t for him.
“I decided I was better suited for the business world where strategic
and decisive thinking are more valued,” he says. Although
he was accepted to Stanford, Harrold chose Harvard because he
was impressed by, among other things, the case method and by
several alumni colleagues at Chemical Bank. “It was clear they
had been superbly educated,” he says.
Upon arriving on the HBS campus, he quickly found community
and camaraderie. “There were at least a dozen veterans in my
section,” Harrold says. “It was welcoming and comforting.
We all had a feeling that we’d lost some time and it was time to
catch up.”
After HBS, Harrold worked as a banker before building a
25-year career as an independent market maker on the Chicago
Board Options Exchange, focusing on trading higher volatility
equity derivatives. Now retired, he divides his time between South
Florida and Nantucket, Massachusetts.
“HBS helped me clarify what I wanted to do and gave me a big
confidence boost. It also provided me with frameworks for
approaching business and problems,” Harrold says of his HBS
experience. “I feel like I was given a great gift.”
Harrold has reciprocated by consistently supporting HBS for
40 years. Over the past decade, he has also served as a class
fundraising volunteer, encouraging classmates to follow his
example. “I made really good friends at HBS, and volunteering
gives me an excuse to keep up with them.”
Harrold emphasizes two themes in his volunteer work: gratitude
and a shared vision for the future. “What the School is doing for
business and the economy has a concentric effect that helps
make a better world,” he notes. “Many interests and causes can
be addressed under the HBS umbrella.”
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