Today, business school graduates are increasingly using their degrees to make a difference not only in the corporate world, but also across society.
The important contributions of UNC Charlotte Belk College of Business alumnus Robert A. Niblock, chairman, president and CEO of Lowe’s Companies, Inc., and 29 other change makers are recognized as part of the 2016 AACSB Influential Leaders Challenge.
Niblock has served as chief executive of Lowe’s, a FORTUNE® 50 home improvement company serving more than 17 million customers a week in the United States, Canada and Mexico, since 2005. He holds a bachelor's degree in accounting (magna cum laude) from the Belk College of Business at UNC Charlotte and is the namesake of the Robert A. Niblock Student Center for Professional Development in the Belk College of Business.
“The 2016 Influential Leaders illustrates how the power of a business degree goes beyond—beyond industries, reaching lives in every part of the world—pioneering change, fostering global exchange, and improving the quality of life,” said Thomas R. Robinson, president and chief executive officer of AACSB International. “I would like to thank Robert Niblock for exemplifying how business graduates can be a positive force in society, and congratulate the UNC Charlotte Belk College of Business for their role in helping to develop the knowledge, skills, and fortitude needed to address some of the toughest challenges we face today.”
Niblock is one of 30 honorees this year representing 15 industry sectors—from social enterprise to healthcare to technology—across 11 countries.
Niblock joined Lowe's in 1993, and on his journey to lead the company has served as director of taxation, vice president and treasurer, senior vice president, and executive vice president and chief financial officer. Before Lowe’s, Niblock had a nine-year career with accounting firm Ernst & Young.
Niblock serves the business community in multiple ways. He was elected to the board of directors of ConocoPhillips in 2010 and serves as chairman of its human resources and compensation committee and is also a member of its directors’ affairs committee. From January 2010 through May 2014, he served as a member of ConocoPhillips’ audit and finance committee. He is also a member and currently serves as secretary of the board of directors of the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA), after having served as the organization’s chairman in 2008 and 2009 and vice chairman in 2006 and 2007. Additionally, he served on the board of directors of Business for Educational Success and Transformation in North Carolina (BEST NC) from 2013 to 2015.
In 2015, Niblock shared his personal story with more than 600 students as the inaugural presenter of the Belk College CEO Speaker Series. He also announced a $2.5 million gift to name and support the Robert A. Niblock Student Center for Professional Development at UNC Charlotte.
Dean Steven Ott of the Belk College of Business said, “Robert Niblock has made a tremendous impact through his leadership and generosity. He is changing the futures of thousands of UNC Charlotte business students through his commitment to professional development and business education. His support has given new opportunities to the student community, many of whom are first-generation college students, just like he was.”
Launched in 2015 to honor notable alumni from AACSB-accredited business schools, the AACSB Influential Leaders initiative continues to recognize business school graduates for the positive impact they make on society, and the inspiring example they set for others. This is the second year that UNC Charlotte’s Belk College of Business has had an honoree, with alumna Susan DeVore, CEO of Premier, Inc., being honored in 2015.
For more information on the Influential Leaders Challenge, including a full list of honorees, visit www.aacsb.edu/Influential-Leaders.
For more information about Robert A. Niblock, read his Faces of Belk College profile.
###
About AACSB International
As the world's largest business education network connecting academe with business, AACSB provides business education intelligence, quality assurance, and professional development services to more than 1,500 member organizations across 91 countries and territories. Founded in 1916, AACSB Accreditation is the highest standard of quality in business education, with 775 business schools accredited worldwide. AACSB's global headquarters is located in Tampa, Florida, USA; its Asia Pacific headquarters is located in Singapore; and its Europe, Middle East, and Africa headquarters is located in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. For more information, visit www.aacsb.edu.
About the Belk College of Business at UNC Charlotte
Accredited by AACSB International, the Belk College of Business at UNC Charlotte offers outstanding business education programs at the undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and executive levels, including the top 20 nationally-ranked MBA and Mathematical Finance programs based at UNC Charlotte Center City. The Belk College is committed to building strong partnerships in the Greater Charlotte region and beyond as a vital part of our mission as North Carolina's urban research business school. Find the Belk College of Business online at belkcollege.charlotte.edu.
Contacts:
AACSB International: Amy Ponzillo | 813-367-5238 | MediaRelations@aacsb.edu
Belk College of Business: Kirsten Khire, APR | 704-885-4134 | kkhire@uncc.edu
UNC Charlotte Public Relations: Buffie Stephens | 704-687-5830 | 980-355-3110 | BuffieStephens@uncc.edu
Lowe’s Companies, Inc.: Connie Bryant | 704-758-2403 | connie.m.bryantbreedlove@lowes.com