20 Engineers Who Became CEOs and Tycoons

The world’s richest man, Jeff Bezos, is an engineer. The Philippines’ last taipan, Lucio Tan, is an engineer. The head of all-knowing Google, Sundar Pichai, is an engineer.

Graduating with a BS in engineering is not just a guarantee of your future as a respected professional—it’s also a doorway to so much more. The world’s biggest tech companies and the Philippines’ biggest conglomerates are headed by engineers, who also boast the title of CEO alongside Engr.

Here are 20 engineers who are now CEOs from the Philippines and around the world.

From the Philippines

1| Ramon Ang

Photo by Raena Abella.

CEO of Top Frontier Investment Holdings, president and CEO of San Miguel Corporation
BS Mechanical Engineering
Far Eastern University 

2| Lucio Tan

Photo by Getty Images.

CEO of Philippine Airlines and Chairman of LT Group
BS Chemical Engineering
Far Eastern University

3| David Consuji

Photo by Wikimedia Commons.

Founder of DMCI Holdings
BS Civil Engineering
University of the Philippines

4| Tony Tan Caktiong

Photo by JFC.

Founder and chairman of Jolilbee Food Corp.
BS Chemical Engineering
University of Santo Tomas

5| Edgar Saavedra

Photo by Forbes.

Chairman of Megawide Construction
BS Civil Engineering
De La Salle University

6| Eric Recto

Photo by Forbes.

Chairman of Bedfordbury Development
BS Industrial Engineering
University of the Philippines

7| Michael Cosiquien

Photo by Megawide Construction.

Cofounder of Megawide Construction
BS Civil Engineering
De La Salle University

8| Alfredo Yao

Photo by Wikimedia Commons.

Founder of Zest-O and Macay Holdings Inc.
BS Chemical Engineering
Mapua Institute of Technology

9| Frederick Dy

Photo by Forbes.

Chairman of Security Bank
BS Industrial Engineering
Cornell University

10| Jacinto Ng

Photo by Forbes.

Founder of Republic Biscuit (Rebisco) and Asia United Bank
BS Chemical Engineering
Mapua Institute of Technology

11| Dean Lao

Photo by D&L.

Chairman emeritus of D&L Industries
BS Chemical Engineering
Polytechnic Colleges of the Philippines

From Around the World

12| Jeff Bezos

Photo by Getty.

Founder and CEO of Amazon
BS Electricial Engineering and Computer Science
Princeton University

13| Tim Cook

Photo by Twitter/Tim Cook.

CEO of Apple
BS Industrial Engineering
Auburn University

14| Satya  Nadella

Photo by Twitter / Satya Nadella.

CEO of Microsoft
BS Electrical Engineering
Manipal Institute of Technology 

16| Sundar Pichai

Photo by Twitter / Sundar Pichai.

CEO of Google
BS Metallurgical Engineering
Institute of Technology 

17| Steve Wozniak

Photo by Nichollas Harrison / Wikipedia.

Co-founder of Apple
BS Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
University of california, Berkeley 

18| Mary Barra

Photo by Twitter/Mary Barra.

Chairman and CEO of General Motors
BS Electrical Engineering
General Motors Institute 

19| Bernard Arnault

Photo by Jérémy Barande / Ecole polytechnique Université Paris-Saclay, via Wikimedia Commons.

Chairman and CEO of LVMH Moët Hennessy – Louis Vuitton SE
BS Engineering
École Polytechnique

20| Carlos Ghosn

Photo by Wikimedia Commons.

Former CEO of Renault and Nissan, former chairman of Mistubishi Motors
BS Engineering
École Polytechnique
* A wanted fugitive

ALSO: Elon Musk

Photo by GETTY IMAGES.

CEO of Tesla and SpaceX
BS Economics and BA Physics
University of Pennsylvania
Credited as the chief engineer and designer of rocket company SpaceX