Amy Cappellanti-Wolf, senior vice president and chief human resources officer of Symantec Corp.; John B. Gianola, retired partner of Ernst & Young; and Nesha Sanghavi, owner and president of UG Apparel and Chicka-d, comprise the Hall’s ninth class. They will be inducted during a ceremony and luncheon Oct. 4, at 11:30 a.m. at the Erickson Alumni Center.
Three West Virginia University graduates who parlayed their degrees into success and leadership in the retail, financial and technology industries have been named to the John Chambers College of Business and Economics Roll of Distinguished Alumni.
Amy Cappellanti-Wolf, senior vice president and chief human resources officer of Symantec Corp.; John B. Gianola, retired partner of Ernst & Young; and Nesha Sanghavi, owner and president of UG Apparel and Chicka-d, comprise the Hall’s ninth class. They will be inducted during a ceremony and luncheon Oct. 4, at 11:30 a.m. at the Erickson Alumni Center.
“We are honoring a tremendous group of Chambers College alumni who have made innovative strides in their respective industries,” said Javier Reyes, Milan Puskar Dean of the Chambers College and vice president of Start-up West Virginia. “Their visionary leadership has impacted major sectors of business, from start-ups to global manufacturing, finance and technology corporations. They individually and collectively exemplify the dedication and tenacity needed to transform the business landscape.”
Amy Cappellanti-Wolf
Recently named one of the top 50 most influential women tech leaders by the National Diversity Council, Amy Cappellanti-Wolf is SVP and CHRO at Symantec, the world’s largest cybersecurity software company, based in Mountain View, California. Cappellanti-Wolf leads Symantec’s workplace/workforce strategy and planning, real estate and facilities organizations and has more than three decades of experience leading companies across high tech, entertainment, and consumer products industries through complex transformations. She specializes in helping businesses survive and thrive while undergoing deep transformation, focusing on business transformation and change management, organizational design and process management, business partnership, communication strategy facilitation and diversity in technology. As CHRO of Symantec, Cappellanti-Wolf has successfully led the global organizational operating model, structure, change management and integration strategies for local scale acquisitions and divestitures. Prior to joining Symantec, Cappellanti-Wolf was CHRO at Silver Spring Networks, where she led global HR, real estate and technical education organizations. From 2001 to 2009, she held key human resources roles at Cisco Systems, where she developed innovative leadership development programs and processes. Prior to Cisco, she also led HR teams at Sun Microsystems, The Walt Disney Company, and Frito-Lay. Cappellanti-Wolf graduated from WVU with a B.S. in journalism in 1986 and a M.S. in Industrial and Labor Relations in 1987.
John B. Gianola
A retired partner of Ernst & Young, John Gianola served as the managing partner of EY’s Charleston, West Virginia office from 2001 to 2013. During his 40-year career, Gianola had supervisory responsibility for engagements involving accounting and auditing for a variety of industries including distribution, banking, energy, mining and manufacturing, technology and governmental agencies. Gianola clients were both publicly and privately owned, ranging in size from small entities to multinational Fortune 500 companies. He was also responsible for recruiting, developing and mentoring professional staff at EY, many of whom advanced to leadership positions within and outside EY. Gianola is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the West Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants and the Visiting Committee of WVU’s he Chambers College of Business and Economics. He serves on the Boards of Directors of Summit Financial, Summit Community Bank, The Health Plan, the West Virginia Housing Development Fund, the West Virginia University Foundation and Evidence Action. Gianola's wife Lynne, also a graduate of WVU, is a practicing CPA. He graduated from the business college in 1975 with a degree in accounting.
Nesha Sanghavi
Born and raised in Charleston, Nesha Sanghavi came to WVU to study finance and economics. Sanghavi was also a cheerleader for WVU’s football and basketball teams, and throughout her trips across the country, she saw a lack of fashionable options for women when it came to collegiate sports apparel. Upon graduating in 2008, Sanghavi founded UG Apparel to address that need. Over the last decade, she has grown her company from two university licensing contracts to over 250, becoming a force in the women’s sports licensed apparel industry. In 2019, she acquired a second women’s apparel company, Chicka-d, which has offices in West Virginia, Illinois and Texas. Sanghavi was chosen as the West Virginia Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2016 by the U.S. Small Business Administration’s West Virginia District Office. She also continues to share her success and wisdom with the next generation of entrepreneurs. She has served as a board member of Create WV and as a judge for the statewide Business Plan Competition, hosted by the Chambers College. She graduated from the business college in 2008 with a degree in finance.
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CONTACT: Brittany Murray
Senior Writer, Office of Strategic Communications
John Chambers College of Business and Economics
304.293.5927; brittany.murray@mail.wvu.edu
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