Greg Besner
Adjunct Assistant Professor at Leonard N. Stern School of Business
Biography
Leonard N. Stern School of Business
Mr. Besner has been the Founder and CEO of several successful technology and consumer product companies. He most recently launched a new software company called CultureIQ, Inc. to help companies use data to manage, measure and improve their corporate culture.
Prior to launching CultureIQ, Mr. Besner was the CFO of New York based SecondMarket Holdings, Inc., which he helped launch in 2004 as a founding Advisory Board member. Mr. Besner helped SecondMarket raise $36 million in Angel capital and Series A, B, and C venture capital funding. Prior to SecondMarket, Mr. Besner led a group of private investors in the Series B funding of House Party, Inc., a growth stage digital media company, where he served as COO from 2009-2010 increasing sales during his tenure from $3.8mm to $12mm. Prior to joining House Party, Mr. Besner was the Founder and CEO of Computershare Executive Services, a SaaS fin-tech company formally known as Restricted Stock Systems, Inc. ("RSS"), from 2000 until 2009. In 2007, Mr. Besner sold RSS to Computershare Limited, a public company based in Australia and he remained as President until January of 2009. During his tenure as CEO of RSS, Mr. Besner was named the Ernst & Young 2003 Entrepreneur of the Year in New Jersey. Mr. Besner is also the Co-Founder and CEO of Leslie Hsu LLC, a fashion accessories company that he and his partner founded in 2000 raising $4mm of debt capital and continue to run profitably today.
Mr. Besner is also an active investor and consultant for numerous successful companies and start-ups. Of note, he was an investor and consultant for Zappos.com until Zappos was sold to Amazon in 2009. Mr. Besner currently serves on the Board of Directors or the Board of Advisors for ten privately held companies as well as his family foundation, the Willa's Wish Foundation, Inc. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Young Presidents' Organization ("YPO") NJ Chapter.
Mr. Besner attended The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania earning his M.B.A., and he earned his B.A. from Rutgers University. Mr. Besner lives in Short Hills, New Jersey with his wife and two daughters.
Courses Taught
- Entrepreneurship 2.0
Companies
- CEO & Co-founder Sunflow, Inc. (2018)
- Adjunct Professor NYU Stern School of Business (2013)
- Vice Chairman & Founder CultureIQ (2020 — 2021)
- CEO & Founder CultureIQ (2013 — 2019)
- CFO SecondMarket (2010 — 2013)
- COO House Party (2009 — 2010)
- President Computershare U.S. (2007 — 2009)
- Founder & CEO Restricted Stock Systems (2000 — 2007)
- Vice President Merrill Lynch (1999 — 2000)
Education
- Presidents' Program in Leadership (PPL) Harvard Business School Executive Education (2015 — 2021)
- MBA The Wharton School (1994 — 1996)
- Bachelor’s Degree Rutgers University
Videos
nj tech meetup 15 greg besner, cfo second market 1280x720
Greg Besner CultureIQ
CultureIQ CEO Greg Besner, on his Comparably Awards
Build A Thriving Culture During Turbulent Times
The Culture Quotient by Greg Besner 2020 Presentation Reel
364th 1Mby1M Roundtable August 24, 2017: With Greg Besner, CultureIQ
Read about executive education
Other experts
Richard Vietor
Professor Vietor is Baker Foundation Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School. He teaches courses on the international political economy. Before coming to the Business School in 1978, Professor Vietor held faculty appointments at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and the...
Ingrid Margareta Werner
Ingrid M. Werner is the Martin and Andrew Murrer Professor in Finance at Ohio State's Fisher College of Business. She has a PhD in Economics from the University of Rochester and an Honorary Doctorate in Economics from Stockholm School of Economics. She is a foreign member of the Swedish Royal A...
Popular Courses
The Positive Leader: Deep Change and Organizational Transformation
Stephen M. Ross School of Business
Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States
Dec 1
Private Equity: Investing and Creating Value
The Wharton School
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Feb 2, 2025
Leading People and Teams
ESMT
Berlin, Germany
Nov 19
Looking for an expert?
Contact us and we'll find the best option for you.