DREW VERNON
(MBA ’12)
Why he’s among the 8 to Watch: Vernon’s creative approach to working with products have made an impact not just on his company, but in the lives of the children who use them. Vernon was behind the launch of LEGO’s Prescription for Play, a partnership with pediatricians promoting parent-child play that quickly grew nationally. This spring, he joined the German toy company Tonies for its U.S. launch. A passion for innovation: After earning his MBA at WSB, Vernon developed new technologies and products at Procter & Gamble and Kao. “After that, I jumped at the chance to work with something I’d been passionate about since I was a kid.” All work, some play: Vernon landed a job at LEGO through Wisconsin connections, and will continue to work in the toy industry with Tonies. “Sure, there are meetings and emails, but there’s a fair amount of play. You’re in a good mood at work because you’re making kids happy.” A self-starter: Before getting his MBA, Vernon was a stockbroker who wanted to work in marketing. While at WSB he launched a blog about brands and marketing to offer insights in those fields. He credits the blog with helping him land the internship that led to his full-time job at Procter & Gamble. “So many people wait to be picked, but one of my mantras is that if you want something to happen you need to make it happen. You have to pick yourself.” The impact of a WSB degree: Vernon’s MBA gave him the ability to take his ideas and follow through. “What I took away from Wisconsin was that toolbox of how to think and how to approach a problem. That’s far more valuable than coming out with a specific set of answers to a specific set of questions.”
18 | UW–Madison Wisconsin School of Business
Drew Vernon photo by Noni Brueckner
City: Simsbury, Connecticut Title: Marketing director, Tonies Previous job: Brand manager, The LEGO Group; assistant brand manager, Kao and Procter & Gamble; stockbroker
