Tom Mendoza

During NetApp’s first six years, Mendoza helped lead the company from a start-up through Hyper-growth as the company grew from 0-$1B, had an extremely successful IPO and became one of the most successful stocks of the 1990’s. Promoted to President in 2000, he soon faced the companies greatest challenge as the dot com bust threatened the entire tech industry. During the 9 years that Mendoza was President, tripled in size (joining the Fortune 500 in 2012) and were in Fortune Magazine’s Top 15 companies to work for in the US the last five years, highlighted by being named the #1 place to work in the US in 2009. In 2009, Mendoza was the co-recipient with NetApp CEO Dan Warmenhoven, of the Morgan Stanley Leadership Award for Global Commerce-the first time the award was given to two individuals. Mendoza was named Vice Chairman of Netapp in 2009 and served in that capacity for the next decade.

Mendoza’s unique background of having helped start, build and lead a Fortune 500 company with a legendary high performance culture that proved vibrant in good and tough times has made him a sought after speaker for many years by a wide variety of organizations.

He has given talks on leadership and culture to the Marines at Quantico during Fallujah, to the Cadets at West Point and to the Mossad. He has been chosen to deliver keynotes at many major industry events including Oracle Open World and Oracle’s Leaders Circle, numerous companies Sales kickoffs and CEO Executive Staff off sites. He also has been speaking at Stanford for 20+ years and has lectured at numerous other Universities.

He is especially proud of his close association with the University of Notre Dame. In September 2000 the University renamed their business school the “Mendoza College of Business” after his endowment.