4 high-flying CEOs who used maths as a platform for their success

Maths lovers, you can now breathe a happy sigh of relief. Studies have found that students who study maths in higher education have the highest rates of employment! The Department of Education released a report looking at 4 years of data on university graduates and found that students studying STEM subjects such as science, technology, engineering and of course maths earn on average £50,000, while non-STEM graduates earned about £12,000 less. Because these statistics are too exciting to ignore we have decided to take a look at 4 of the most successful CEOs we know who studied Maths at university, to spark some inspiration to follow a love for Maths into higher education. 

Don’t just take our word for it, check out the successes of these 4 CEOs who used Maths to springboard themselves into high flying careers with some really prestigious companies! 

Indra Nooyi
The CEO of PepsiCo Indra Nooyi proudly flies the flag for successful women in STEM. Indra received a Bachelors degree in Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry from Madras Christian College in 1974. Indra strives for women to have a presence in STEM careers, she launched the million women mentors initiative, which aims to get more women participating in STEM by providing them with a female coach working in a STEM field. With a degree in 3 of the STEM subjects, Indra has certainly made her mark as a woman in the industry. 

Reed Hastings
Reed Hastings is the CEO of the world-renowned media-services provider, Netflix. Reed studied Mathematics at Bowdoin College and after graduating he joined the Peace Corps and taught Mathematics at a secondary school in Switzerland. Reed confidently followed Maths through his education into a successful career.

Sergey Brin
Sergey Brin is best known for being the co-founder of Google and also the president of Google’s parent company, Alphabet. Sergey completed his degree in Mathematics and Science at the University of Maryland. Interesting fact: The name “Google” is inspired by the mathematical term “googol,” which means ten raised to the power of a hundred. Can we get any nerdier than that?!

Steve Ballmer
The former CEO of Microsoft, Steve Ballmer is a man of many talents. Steve is currently the owner of Los Angeles Clippers, an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. What most people don’t expect is that Steve Ballmer was once a huge Maths geek, reportedly scoring a perfect score of 800 in the mathematical section of the SATs. He graduated from Harvard University in 1977 with a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics.

Are you considering taking your study of Maths to the next level? Use these 4 successful CEOs as inspiration to pursue a career leading you to achieve far greater things than you could have imagined. Who knows, with a degree in Mathematics maybe you could become the next CEO of Netflix!