Kamalakar “Kam” Shenai ’89 MBA (marketing) believes in doing common things uncommonly well
Our Bureau
New York
The U.S. House of Representatives honored the Saunders College of Business alumnus as a distinguished leader in Central Florida during Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month held in May this year.
Kamalakar “Kam” Shenai ’89 MBA (marketing) believes in doing common things uncommonly well, a testament to his commitment to excellence and his desire to make a difference to the society around him.
Shenai said he emigrated to the United States from India in 1976 “with $208 in my pocket, an engineering degree, a determination to work hard, and a heart full of ambition.” Prior to earning his degree from Saunders, he obtained a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1977.
As per the release, Shenai began his successful business career in Buffalo, N.Y., as a salesman for Xerox Corp. and went on to become the head of marketing operations for Xerox North America before being named chief client officer at Sutherland Global Services in Rochester, in his illustrious corporate career.
Post-retirement, Shenai has served on several boards and is on the Kidney Advocacy Committee for the National Kidney Foundation. He is also the co-founder of Asian Pacific Islanders Coming Together (ACT)—a grassroots, non-partisan organization whose mission is to amplify AAPI voices through voter participation efforts.
Shenai said, “One needs to have a solid educational foundation to build a successful career, and the MBA in marketing from Saunders College—which came in the middle of my career—solidified my trajectory.”
