to complete a master's degree in Business Administration (MBA) at the Stanford Graduate School of Business (1968), where he was the only Mexican student registered at the time. After completing his studies, he returned to his home city and joined the family business. Business career In 1968 he joined Cemex, and for 17 years he held various executive positions, including plant manager of Torreón and Monterrey, and director of operations. On 30 May 1985 he was named CEO. Since 1995 Zambrano has also served as chairman of the board. In his role as CEO, he designed and implemented the strategy that allowed Cemex to grow from a local operation in northern Mexico to one of the leading global building-materials company. Through more than 16 mergers and acquisitions, Cemex conquered local, regional and global markets. On 15 September 1999, Zambrano led a ceremony in the NYSE to begin the listing of the Cemex stock (CX). He was a member of the board of directors of IBM, and has also served in the international advisory board of Citigroup International, the Advisory Council of Allianz Companies and the boards of directors of Alfa, Banamex, Femsa, Empresas ICA, Televisa and Vitro. Philanthropy From 1997 to 2012, he served as chairman of the board of the Monterrey Institute of Technology (ITESM), one of Latin America’s largest private universities. Additionally, he also served on the board of the Monterrey Museum of Modern Art (MARCO). On 28 November 2011 he announced via Twitter that he would not seek re-election as chairman of the board of the Monterrey Institute of Technology (ITESM) citing personal reasons. In recognition of his business and philanthropic efforts, Zambrano received the Woodrow Wilson Award for Corporate Citizenship in 2005, the Americas Society's Gold Medal for Distinguished Service, the Excellence in Leadership Award from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, and the Ernest C. Arbuckle Award for Managerial Excellence from the Stanford Business School's Alumni Association. Personal life Zambrano was single. He enjoyed vacations in Cancun and New York City, and spent leisure time at a small country house near Monterrey, where he watched movies, read voraciously, and enjoyed long lunches and dinners with family and friends. He was a renowned collector of Ferraris, having at one point owned some of the most important cars in the marque’s history, including the only 1952 250 S Berlinetta Vignale, chassis no. 0156ET, which was the first