During this season of giving thanks, one Weatherhead School of Management alumni stands out for his ongoing generosity and thankfulness.
For 40 years and up to the present day, Asok Chaudhuri continues to express his gratitude to the school with annual donations to show appreciation for the professional and leadership training he needed to navigate a career with its fair share of twists and turns.
Chaudhuri, who studied statistics in India, also credits his family and the traditions he experienced growing up in his home country as reasons why he chooses to recognize the school and its mission to create leaders with purpose.
“I have fond memories of my time at Weatherhead and of Cleveland and I want to give back.” he said. “That is what we do in my culture.”
In 1976, Chaudhuri earned a master’s of science in operations followed by a PhD in operations research then known as the Systems Control and Engineering program. The focus was on applying mathematical and analytical methods to complex decision-making.
While starting as an analyst for British Petroleum, he quickly went to work for CSX Corporation, often known as Chessie and considered to be one of the largest railroad systems in the United States.
With its headquarters in Cleveland at the time, Chaudhuri was initially hired to problem solve for large scale modeling at CXS. Using his fact-based and logical analysis training from Weatherhead, he quickly settled into the role, but when his boss called saying he needed someone with analytical skills in the finance department, Chaudhuri did not think twice about making the jump.
“I said to my boss, give me two weeks and I’ll come see you,” he said. “I didn’t study economics in school, but I learned quick.”
During those two weeks, Chaudhuri gave himself a crash course in corporate finance, and the rest is history. He rose through the ranks of chief finance officer of CSX’s automotive business unit, which then led to various senior roles, including vice president and CFO of the company’s intermodal business unit, vice president of corporate development, vice president of finance, and vice president of financial planning and analysis.
His primary responsibilities included mergers and acquisitions, business and capital investment planning, and corporate finance, among others.
Chaudhuri admits that being intellectually nimble and open to career opportunities is what made him a successful business leader in the world of freight transportation.
“I was able to transfer my analytical skills to a whole new career path,” he said. "It was just a matter of putting that experience toward a more much quantitative role.”
He credits Weatherhead and its unpretentious faculty and small cohort sizes with preparing him for real-world challenges and the critical thinking to thrive in a dynamic and complex business world.
“I owe the school everything, especially as an international student,” Chaudhuri said. “They welcomed me when I was new to this country and didn’t understand things like financial aid, how to find housing and settling into a new city.”
Chaudhuri is now “mostly retired” and living in Jacksonville, Florida where CSX is now headquartered. However, he has not slowed down a bit.
He is known for his work in operations research and management science and has contributed to the field through teaching, research, and publications. He is also an adjunct professor at Weatherhead and principal and senior advisor for Heritage Capital Group and principal at Business Valuation, Inc.
“Weatherhead took care of me, and I will continue to support them now and into the future,” he said.
Thank you, Asok Chaudhuri.