Distinguished Alumnus Recognized in AACSB 2023 Class of Influential Leaders
With great excitement, we announce that Navdeep Gupta, MBA '02, has been selected for the 2023 Class of Influential Leaders! Select alums of AACSB-accredited business schools are defining what it means to be a societal impact leader committed to positive change, and Gupta has more than earned this esteemed recognition. As the executive vice president and CFO of DICK'S Sporting Goods, Gupta has overseen the Sports Matter Foundation and the DICK'S Sporting Goods Foundation, which have provided funding to one in 21 public schools in the US for their athletic programs, benefiting over 1.1 million youths.
In addition to funding initiatives, Gupta has spearheaded a public-private partnership between the DICK'S Sporting Goods Foundation and Twin Rivers Elementary School to support healthy minds, healthy bodies, and healthy relationships. Gupta has also made a conscious effort for DICK’S Sporting Goods to purchase products from diversified suppliers and small businesses to showcase the company's positive commitment to making a difference in the world. Through mindful fiduciary decisions, Gupta strives to demonstrate an unwavering dedication to positively impacting the world.
Gupta's career success at DICK'S Sporting Goods and his dedication to societal impact and supporting local communities is an inspiring example for future business students, which has also led him to share insights with business students and members on LinkedIn, recruit student talent for internships, and support student scholarship efforts. Gupta's philosophy on business leadership and his approach to principled achievement continues to inspire future business leaders at William & Mary and around the country.
Gupta recently returned to campus for a keynote panel during MBA Alumni Weekend in 2022 and was the premiere guest on episode 179 of the Leadership & Business podcast: Doing Good & Well: DICK'S. In speaking with the host, Ken White, Gupta shared, "We cannot continue to look to others to lead in this space … we have a legitimate right to make a difference in this world." The right that Gupta refers to is "doing good and doing well," meaning taking fiduciary responsibility for the company while actively choosing to spread that financial health to support more significant causes.
