From leaders in career success and global business to entrepreneurship and service, The Ohio State University Max M. Fisher College of Business is proud to announce its list of 2021 Alumni Award recipients. 

Created in 1993 by Fisher’s Alumni Board, the college’s Alumni Awards annually honor living alumni who personify the college’s legacy of excellence. Each year’s recipients are recognized for their outstanding achievements, career accomplishments and dedication to their communities as well as to the Fisher and Ohio State communities.

“We are honored to celebrate Fisher's 2021 Alumni Award recipients, which recognize the accomplishments and impact of our college’s greatest legacy – our passionate alumni,” said Anil K. Makhija, dean and John W. Berry, Sr. Chair in Business. “These are titans in their industries, servants to their communities, friends to our college and champions for principled leadership. They embody the skills that we seek to cultivate in our students today.”

Entrepreneurship Alumni Award

Rachel Friedman (EMBA ’02)
Founder and CEO, TENFOLD and TENSPACE

As founder and CEO of TENFOLD and TENSPACE, Rachel leads a culture strategy and creative firm that builds brands through the lens of culture by leveraging what makes them truly unique and special. The company’s award-winning solutions bring company culture to life through omni-channel activation in the physical, digital and experiential space.

Prior to launching her own entrepreneurial pursuits, Rachel was a manager of global accounts for furniture industry innovator Herman Miller. While helping Fortune 500 clients align their workplace strategies with their business strategies, she discovered that her true passion was business in addition to design. After earning her MBA at Fisher, she joined contract interiors provider Continental Office Environments as executive vice president of marketing and sales before launching TENFOLD in 2014.

TENFOLD has quickly become an industry-leading, award-winning firm, with national recognition from the American Advertising Federation, and Inc., among many others. Rachel is a member of Fisher’s Alumni Board and holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan. She currently resides in New Albany, Ohio.

The Entrepreneurship and Innovation Award is given to an alumna or alumnus for significant contributions to the entrepreneurship and innovation community through the development, launch and investment in successful new ventures. This award also recognizes outstanding commitment to the next generation of entrepreneurs.

Excellence in Service Alumni Award

John Hrusovsky (BSBA ’86)
President, JJH Consulting

As president of JJH Consulting, a company he founded in 2006, John leads JJH’s leadership, assurance, readiness and optimization services. His work builds on more than 35 years of experience in the IT and systems community, with a specialization in higher education.

Prior to JJH, John also founded Groundwork Group and was a partner with Accenture. He is recognized as a thought leader in the IT and higher education industries through his involvement with many clients and organizations, multiple speaking engagements and his newsletter. John and his wife, Bobbi, have three boys and splits their time between Galena, Ohio, and California. The family established the Hrusovsky Family Internship Fund at Fisher to provide scholarships to Fisher students.

The Excellence in Service Award is presented to an extraordinary alumna or alumnus who has demonstrated a consummate commitment to service — from his or her alma mater, to the local community and to humankind.

Global Business Excellence Alumni Award

Brad S. Lakhia (BSBA ’97)
Vice President Finance-Americas, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company

Brad is the chief financial officer for Goodyear’s largest business. He joined Goodyear in 1995 and held leadership roles in corporate finance and in the Asia Pacific business including assignments in Singapore, Thailand and China.

Prior to returning to Goodyear in 2019, Brad served as vice president and treasurer, and vice president of business planning at Andeavor, a Fortune 100 oil and gas company, until it was acquired by Marathon Petroleum Corporation in 2018. He led the capital structure improvement plan that enabled Andeavor to achieve investment-grade status while simultaneously raising more than $5 billion in new capital to fund transformative acquisitions.

Brad serves on Fisher’s Alumni Board and previously served on Trinity University’s Business School Advisory Board, Berskshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance’s Customer Advisory Board and several other nonprofit boards. Brad earned his MBA in finance from Case Western Reserve University’s Weatherhead School of Management and is a non-practicing Certified Public Accountant. He and his family reside in Richfield, Ohio.

The Global Business Award recognizes a graduate's nationally and internationally significant contributions to business, as well as his or her commitment to advancing the global learning of Fisher students.

Professional Achievement Alumni Award

Arun Singh, CFA (BSBA ’05)
Chief Financial Officer, MDH Partners

Arun Singh, CFA is the chief financial officer of MDH Partners, an investment management firm that owns and operates industrial real estate across the country. Arun oversees the company’s lender relationships, negotiates its debt financings, leads the ESG policy, is a voting investment committee member and oversees company administration, accounting, operations, investor relations, reporting and compliance with joint venture and lender requirements.

Prior to joining MDH, Arun was a vice president at MetLife Real Estate, where he managed an $8 billion loan portfolio and his team originated more than $2 billion of new loans annually. Previous to MetLife, Arun’s real estate career also included experience at Google and BP.

Arun earned a BSBA in real estate from Fisher and a MS in real estate, finance and investments from New York University. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and currently serves on the Fisher College of Business Alumni Board and as chairman of the Advisory Board for Generator, a nonprofit community organization in Atlanta, where he and his family reside.

The Professional Achievement Award is presented to an alumna or alumnus in their early to mid-career who has demonstrated outstanding achievement in business, civic involvement and service to the college.