Henry A. Fernandez M.B.A. ’83, chairman and chief executive officer of MSCI Inc., will begin a five-year term on the Stanford University Board of Trustees on Oct. 1.

The process of choosing trustees occurs every two-and-a-half years, and the next selection cycle will begin in March 2017. Board membership is limited to 38 trustees.

“Through our mutual prior involvement on the [Graduate School of Business] Advisory Council, I have had the opportunity to work with Henry on a variety of issues involving the business school,” said Steven A. Denning, chair of the Board of Trustees. “Henry is an extraordinary leader with a deep appreciation for, commitment to and involvement in higher education, including at the board level at Georgetown University. Our board will benefit from Henry’s experience and expertise.”

As an alum and supporter of many Stanford organizations, Fernandez is an active member of the Stanford community. Fernandez received an M.B.A from the Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB) in 1983, and he is a strong supporter of Stanford on a local and national level.

In 2013, the GSB honored Fernandez with the Excellence in Leadership Award, which is given to a senior executive and alum who has made significant contributions to the community and to the corporate world.

Fernandez founded MSCI Inc., a global provider of resources for investors, in 1996. Currently, he is chairman and chief executive officer of the firm.

In addition to his new role on the Board of Trustees, Fernandez is a member of many boards, including the Hoover Institution Board of Overseers, Lifelong Engagement and Advocacy for Development (LEAD), Georgetown University, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Foreign Policy Association, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York and the American Nicaraguan Foundation.

Fernandez earned a B.A. in economics from Georgetown University. While he was at Georgetown, he also worked as a diplomat in the Nicaraguan Embassy. Later, he pursued doctoral studies in economics at Princeton University. After his studies at Princeton, he studied at Stanford’s GSB.

After his time at Stanford, Fernandez founded Ferco Partners, a private equity investment firm in Mexico. Subsequently, he was president of the private equity firm HispaniMedia. Before founding MSCI Inc., Fernandez was a managing director at Morgan Stanley.

Fernandez was born in Mexico City and raised in Nicaragua. He resides in New York City with his wife and three children.

Contact Angie Wang at 19awang ‘at’ castilleja.org.