How to Succeed in Business When You’re a Black Harvard MBA

December 15, 2025

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July 7, 2020

Regina Ryan

How to Succeed in Business When You’re a Black Harvard MBA

In this episode:

In this inspiring episode of HAE Invites, our host Denise Silber is joined by Henry Whitlow, an HBS alumnus, successful entrepreneur, and volunteer in community development. In this very open conversation between two classmates, Henry speaks about the difficulty of being Black at Harvard, in business, in life. Listen and learn why Henry is more hopeful than ever, despite the fact that “Society is still organized to maintain existing privileges.”

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A Glimpse of What you’ll Learn

Why being Black is still a daily challenge
How the HBS case method gave Henry the skills to succeed
How data can be the ally of a minority manager
Why working in a corporation before creating a business is even more important for minorities

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Henry Whitlow CEO, Hudson Strategic Group

Born in segregated Tulsa, Oklahoma and raised in the South, Henry joined IBM straight out of Harvard Business School, a time when IBM was recruiting “diversity” candidates. Henry spent 12 productive years at IBM and then created his own company.

With a Harvard MBA in fInance and IT, Henry is a speaker, author, professor, business architect, and certified executive coach. A Lean Six-sigma Master Champion, he has led redesign efforts in business – including at IBM, as a senior member of the IBM Corp Quality Staff – in government, and in school systems including LA, Atlanta, and Barrow, Alaska.

Being a former Computer World Groupware Service Provider of the Year, Henry is also a nationally recognized senior examiner and trainer of organizational effectiveness for Baldrige applicants applying for recognition of management expertise.

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