Meet the CEO

Jose Armario, M.S. '03, CEO, Bojangles' Famous Chicken 'n Biscuits

Mr. Armario has served as director, chief executive officer and president of Bojangles’, Inc. and its subsidiaries since January 2019. Armario is a dynamic business leader with over 38 years of senior level leadership experience. Having lived in four countries on three different continents, he has an impressive history of achievements in the turnaround of key business segments and leading global operations.

Armario's full bio

Armario was interviewed by alumna Debra Morgan, B.S.C. '88. (Morgan's full bio).

Lyor Cohen, B.B.A. ’81, YouTube’s Global Head of Music

The New York City Meet the CEO event, held at Google headquarters, featured Lyor Cohen, B.B.A. '81, Global Head of Music, Google/Youtube, kicked off the new series of candid conversations with some of the University’s most dynamic and successful alumni.

Cohen was joined on stage by Aston George Taylor Jr., known professionally as rapper Funkmaster Flex. Outspoken and dynamic, Cohen provided a look at the rapidly changing music industry and his own extraordinary career.

“I only care about music,” Cohen said as he held up his phone, exclaiming matter-of-factly that one single device “is the new record store.” Cohen sees YouTube and Google as adding to the streaming music industry’s diversity in distribution, competing in the field alongside Spotify, Apple, and Amazon to develop the perfect harmony between algorithm and human touch.

For more than three decades, Cohen managed well-known rap, hip-hop, and other artists, then moved on to leadership roles at major labels including his own 300 Entertainment before being named by Google in 2016 as YouTube’s Global Head of Music. 

Read full story here.

Watch the full conversation here. 

Guillermo de Aranzabal, M.B.A. ’84, CEO, Grupo La Rioja Alta, S.A.

The San Francisco Meet the CEO event, held at The Ritz-Carlton, featured alumni Guillermo de Aranzabal, M.B.A. ’84, CEO of Grupo La Rioja Alta, S.A., and Jessica Aguirre, A.B. ’93, evening anchor at NBC Bay Area News in San Francisco. 

Aranzabal, a fifth-generation vintner at his family-run winery, shared the dynamics between balancing tradition and technology. "It’s an advantage in our case, because we are an old winery, to be traditional and to be modern at the same time." Aranzabal said.

Watch the full conversation here.

Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., B.S.C. ’89, UM Trustee, President and CEO, Society for Human Resource Management

The Washington, D.C. Meet the CEO event featured Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., joined by distinguished alumna, Maribel Perez Wadsworth, B.S.C. '93, president of USA TODAY Network and publisher of USA TODAY. Taylor shared insight with the audience, including the top three things he looks for when hiring someone: “creativity, adaptability, and agility.”

Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., SHRM-SCP, is president and chief executive officer of SHRM, the world’s largest professional society serving HR and business leaders across the globe. SHRM impacts millions of individuals and families through its mission to create better workplaces for a better world. Taylor’s career includes senior and chief executive roles at IAC/Interactive Corp, Viacom’s Paramount Pictures and Blockbuster Entertainment Group, McGuire Woods LLC, Compass Group USA, and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.

Watch the full conversation here.