Mike Bloomberg

About

Mike Bloomberg is an entrepreneur and philanthropist who served three terms as Mayor of the City of New York. Born in Boston on February 14, 1942 and raised in a middle class home in Medford, Massachusetts, Michael Bloomberg attended Johns Hopkins University, where he paid his tuition by taking out loans and working as a parking lot attendant. After college, he attended Harvard Business School and in 1966 was hired by a Wall Street firm, Salomon Brothers, for an entry-level job. Bloomberg quickly rose through the ranks at Salomon, overseeing equity trading and sales before heading up the firm's information systems. When Salomon was acquired in 1981, he was let go from the firm. With a vision of an information technology company that would bring transparency and efficiency to the buying and selling of financial securities, he launched a small startup in a one room office. Today, Bloomberg LP is a global company that has more than 15,000 employees and offices in 73 countries around the world. During his tenure as mayor, from 2002 through 2013, Bloomberg brought his innovation-driven approach to city government. He turned around a broken public school system by raising standards and holding schools accountable for success. He spurred economic growth and job creation by revitalizing old industrial areas, spurring entrepreneurship, supporting small businesses, and strengthening key industries. His passion for public health led to ambitious new strategies that became national models, including a ban on smoking in all indoor workplaces, as well as at parks and beaches. Upon leaving City Hall, Michael Bloomberg returned to the company he founded, Bloomberg LP, while also devoting more time to philanthropy, which has been a top priority for him throughout his career. Today, Bloomberg Philanthropies (founded in 2006) employs a unique data-driven approach to global change that grows out of his experiences as an entrepreneur and mayor.