Cultivating a dynamic and inclusive community of Harvard Business School alumni in the greater Seattle area
Our aim to advance the values of Harvard Business School — educating leaders who make a difference in the world — and create a community that supports our alumni to contribute to society in meaningful ways
HBS Club of Seattle is looking to build a vibrant alumni community and therefore welcomes alumni of other Ivy League school programs to join us as well as alumni from; Chicago Booth, MIT, Stanford, and the school of business at Kellogg and Haas
UPCOMING EVENTS
Our events are open to all HBS alumni and a majority of events are open to Harvard University graduates as well as graduates from other Ivy League Schools
43 days to the eventThu, Jan 29Columbia CenterCrime. Culture. Change. Seattle’s Chief of Police, Shon Barnes, isn’t shying away from tough conversations nor situations. He has made local and national news saying that he'd rather go to jail than assist ICE agents and "will not be quiet" if the National Guard is deployed.
55 days to the eventTue, Feb 10Aegis Living LaurelhurstOver several decades in senior living, Dwayne has overseen the care of more than 60,000 residents and turned Aegis into a lab for innovation—from design and hospitality to wellness and employee engagement. He’s also an author, filmmaker, philanthropist, and self-described “industry disruptor”.
69 days to the eventTue, Feb 24Columbia CenterJoin us on Tuesday, February 24, 6:30–8:30pm, for an exclusive “Off the Record” conversation with Jenny Xia Spradling (Harvard AB 2012, Stanford GSB 2018) — co-founder and CEO of FreeWill, one of the most impactful mission-driven tech companies in America.
92 days to the eventThu, Mar 19Location is TBDThe building and scaling of Prime: What it takes to operate a multi-billion dollar global subscription platform
PAST EVENTS
The HBS Club of Seattle regularly houses VIP speakers and orchestrates panel discussions with the Seattle area's most senior leaders and experts
Glenn offered his insights on his experience growing Redfin into a real estate tech giant, the current economic climate, and his views of sector trends as we navigate volatility and uncertainty.
A presentation and discussion with Richard Galanti, who served as Costco CFO since 1984 and is one of the longest serving CFOs in the US. Richard will share his observations as the CFO for almost 40 years and now as EVP and Board Member of one of the worlds largest retailers, its incredible growth story based in the Pacific Northwest, the challenges and opportunities in our ever-changing retail landscape, and the secrets behind the $1.50 hotdog.
Congresswoman Jayapal has served in Congress since 2017, she is a member of Democratic Leadership, the Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and serves on the Judiciary and Budget Committees. Our conversation included pressing issues including the recent election and the future of progressivism, the national debt, inflation, immigration policy, AI, housing, and the opioid crisis – as well as answer audience questions.
Glenn offered his insights on his experience growing Redfin into a real estate tech giant, the current economic climate, and his views of sector trends as we navigate volatility and uncertainty.
OUR BOARD of DIRECTORS
Elected bi-annually by the HBS alumni community, the HBS Club of Seattle Board is dedicated to advancing the values of Harvard Business School—educating leaders who make a difference in the world—and creating a community that supports and inspires our members to thrive and contribute meaningfully.
Chairman
Jon Weintraub
President of Centrix Aerospace, a designer and manufacturer of aircraft fasteners. Former New Yorker, former investment banker, former CEO of a satellite communications company and a pipe-fitting company. Trustee of The Harvard Crimson newspaper. Helped resurrect HBS Club of Seattle after it had been dormant for several years.
President
Kyle Buffenmyer
An executive and start-up operator with 15+ years of global business experience who has scaled business units from $0 to $100M+ in annual revenue. Having worked for 3 start-ups, including two unicorns, I’m an expert in two-sided marketplaces, go-to-market strategies, international expansion, and applying technology to address complex business problems.
Board Member
Sonam Saxena
Senior Product Leader at Meta focused on AI/ML Infrastructure, developer productivity, and experimentation at scale. Previously led product teams at Google and Microsoft across Cloud, Search & Enterprise. Deeply committed to building a vibrant HBS alumni community in the Seattle area as a board member.
Board Member
Shyam Ayngar
Shyam Ayengar is CEO of Komodo Properties, a real estate investment and development firm. With 20+ years of experience across Asia, Europe, and the US, he has led private equity funds focused on special situations and advised on $8B+ in M&A and restructurings. Shyam holds a BS Econ from Carnegie Mellon and an MBA from HBS.
Board Member
Tom Lapham
CEO and founder of CHEQ, Inc., a fintech company in the sports and entertainment space. Previously founded and sold two renewable energy companies, Asia Clean Capital and GI Energy. Passionate about promoting HBS alumni engagement in the Greater Seattle area.
Vice President
AI Programs and Partnerships
Adam Burgh
Founder of We Build With AI, a community of AI experts that empowers people to rapidly prototype and launch applications through AI-powered workshops, hackathons, and collaborative events. Adam is a leader in Seattle’s AI and startup ecosystem, partnering with organizations such as AI2 Incubator, AI Tinkerers, and AI House, and has delivered training programs for companies as well as executive education courses at Harvard University.