ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
Clare McGrory If there’s one thing that’s helped Clare McGrory ’97 VSB, ’08 EMBA forge her path to the C-suite, it’s her propensity to learn from others. In fact, it’s the peer learning she sought at Villanova that very much influences her work today.
Getting started
Once in a lifetime
Clare McGrory started her career in traditional accounting—first at PwC and then briefly with a start-up supply chain management firm. When fortunes turned for many start-ups in 2002, McGrory joined Sunoco for what she describes as “a truly amazing experience.”
Before leaving Sunoco in the fall of 2015, McGrory served as CFO during a major transformation of the company. She had a seat at the table and enjoyed contributing to that phase of the business. Then along came a unique opportunity.
“Sunoco was an interesting company made up of diverse business units,” she explains. “I worked with exceptionally good people—smart and of the highest integrity. I learned tremendously from them.” During her first four years at Sunoco, McGrory transitioned from accounting to finance and subsequently became a business-unit CFO. In the midst of a steep learning curve in her new role, she also wanted to deepen her business and leadership skills. “I waited to pursue my MBA until I could make the most of it,” McGrory explains. “I choose Villanova’s Executive MBA for its deliberate selection of students with diverse backgrounds. That integration of business disciplines supports the systems-thinking approach, which is invaluable to me.”
“ I learned most from those who brought a completely different perspective than mine,” McGrory describes. “Several classmates came to finance without any prior experience and it was eye-opening to see how they approached an area that I knew so well.” Considering multiple perspectives certainly wasn’t new to McGrory. The youngest of 10, she describes growing up in a strong family filled with all different personalities—something that helped her build the emotional intelligence to work well with others. From her family, McGrory also got a taste for entrepreneurship. Thirty years ago, her parents started an architectural glass company that still thrives today. She credits the family business for making her comfortable with risk-taking, a quality that serves her well in her latest endeavor.
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Villanova Business / Summer 2016
In the fall of 2015, McGrory joined an elite team of professionals at Atairos, a $4.1 billion investment company formed under the leadership of Michael Angelakis. The firm derives its name from the Greek word for partnership, which is no coincidence. Atairos reflects the firm’s purpose: Invest in companies as long-term partnerships to share ideas and experiences to create value. As CFO and Chief Compliance Officer, she finds it different from a business with hard products but appreciates the emphasis on collaboration. She describes Atairos in similar terms as Sunoco—working with highly experienced, talented individuals with deep integrity. “I love that we are building something here and that I’m learning,” shares McGrory. “The entrepreneurial nature of it means I can contribute and make a significant impact.”