Three prominent company leaders with proven track records shared their insights and advice to a packed, standing-room-only crowd of 300-plus students, faculty and guests during the seventh annual Financial Leadership Summit.

Their advice included tips on building good teams, doing diligent research in advance of action, focusing on personal values, not being afraid to take risks, and maintaining self-confidence but also self-evaluation.

The summit, a two-day event held on Auburn’s campus and associated with the Harbert College of Business/Department of Finance, was hosted and sponsored by Auburn’s chapter of the student-led Financial Management Association (FMA).

FMA provides a support network to help launch students and graduates into their finance careers.

Its students represent Harbert and the Department of Finance in premier business engagements, leadership seminars, case competitions, corporate visits and continuing education programs designed to foster engagement and personal relationships within the university and beyond.

Students in attendance played a participatory role in the panel session, as the program moved directly from introductions and background on the three success-proven guest speakers to questions from the audience.

The speakers

David Hoffmann is the chairman and chief executive officer of Mammoth Holdings, a Dallas-based conveyor car wash operator since October 2021. He also serves as independent director for YUM China, the operator of China’s leading restaurant concepts, including KFC and Pizza Hut brands.

Prior to joining Mammoth Holdings, Hoffmann held a variety of top leadership positions in the global quick-service restaurant industry. He served as director and CEO of Dunkin’ Brands from 2018 to 2020 and as president of Dunkin’ U.S. from 2016 to 2018, where he led the rebranding and repositioning of Dunkin’ Donuts to Dunkin’, which strategically positioned it as the value alternative to Starbucks. He oversaw the sale of Dunkin to Roark Capital for $11 billion in 2020.

Prior to joining Dunkin’ Brands, Hoffmann served 20 years as an executive for McDonald’s Corporation in increasing areas of international responsibility. During this time, he oversaw 8,900 restaurants in 37 countries. He received his master’s degree in business administration in 1996 from the University of Chicago.

Rose Sink serves as the chief financial officer and executive vice president of finance at Motiva, a wholly-owned U.S. subsidiary that refines, distributes and markets petroleum products throughout the United States.

Sink oversees the management of all the company’s financial functions, including accounting, audit, treasury, tax, trading risk and compliance. She also oversees the company’s Information Technology function, including cybersecurity, IT trading and risk, and all corporate IT systems.

Prior to joining Motiva, Sink spent more than two decades at Shell, serving in a variety of leadership roles in both finance and accounting. She earned her bachelor’s degree in business administration/accounting from Texas A&M University.

 

Tom Hackett (finance ’92) is an Auburn alumnus and the CEO of  Truist Securities, having previously served as its president and chief operating officer where he was responsible for leading the Investment Banking, Corporate Banking, Mergers and Acquisitions, Capital Markets and Asset Finance teams.

Hackett led a team of 700 professionals who serve corporate clients with the full suite of capital markets, advisory and traditional banking products and services. He served as head of Investment Banking, where he led a team of about 300 professionals that advised corporations and financial sponsors on a wide range of merger-acquisition and capital-raising initiatives.

Hackett earned his bachelor’s degree in finance from Auburn and a master’s degree in business administration from Emory University.

How beneficial is study abroad?

Harbert College offers study-abroad programs. What are the benefits of working abroad in the international business community?

“I’m a huge proponent of working abroad,” Hoffmann said. “There’s a lot of great things we can do in this country, but it’s good for people to see what people are doing in other countries.”

He noted that many industry and consumer trends begin in other, often smaller-market countries, “and then boomerang over here.”

“I’m just a huge proponent of having that on your personal resume,” Hoffmann said. “If you have a chance to study abroad, if you have a chance to work abroad, I would encourage you to pursue those opportunities.”

Sink, who travels abroad often in her role, agreed and stressed the need for advance research before travel.

She shared a personal story about representing the energy industry in Middle East countries where culture and customs view women in business differently than do most Western countries.

“I just encourage you to do your research... Learn what it’s like to be there so you’re not as surprised,” Sink said.

How best to balance family and work life?

“My thoughts on that have evolved,” Hackett said. “In my 20s and 30s, I probably didn’t get it right.”

He would do it differently now, he said, with realization of the fallacy “that to be successful, it requires everything; I don’t think that’s true.”

“I want to run the whole race with you, not just the first hundred yards,” Hackett said of what he tells employees, adding, “I used to think I would be happy because I was successful. Now, I think I’m successful because I’m happy.”

Sink said she keeps as much of her personal-life routine as possible, but that it does require a balancing act when busy in a company leadership role.

“I try to live a life of no regrets,” she said, as she stays busy with family activities, goes to games, volunteers in her community and church, among other things. “And, I’m a CFO.”

“Know what your boundaries are, then ask for what you want,” Sink said. However, “I try to have more emotional deposits with my family so that when I have to make a withdrawal, they understand.”

Hoffman agreed, also suggesting that “when you pick a partner, spouse, whatever... make sure you’re on the same page.”

An investment in students

Steve Aldridge, an Auburn alumnus working as the global co-head of Healthcare Investment Banking with Cantor Fitzgerald, moderated the session, as he has several times in recent years.

Auburn’s Financial Leadership Center director Tracy Richard oversaw the event. She also serves as the director of the Integrated Financial Leadership Program and as a classroom lecturer.

“The Harbert College of Business students and I are so grateful to our incredible panelists: Dave, Rose and Tom, who each provided unique perspectives and insights on their success professionally and personally,” Richard said. “And, as always, Steve Aldridge showed his dedication by coming in to emcee the event.

“The Summit is a great tool for educating students, engaging alumni, and showcasing the HCOB’s investment in our students and programs.”

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