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Shutterfly CEO Jeff Housenbold speaks with Dean Sally Blount '92 during a Brave Leader Series event on April 14.

Brave Leader Series

Shutterfly CEO on focus, culture and vision

Jeff Housenbold shares lessons learned growing Shutterfly into a $1.1B company


4/17/2015 - Jeff Housenbold has a habit of not listening to people.

When a high school coach said he was too small to play football, Housenbold worked his way onto the team, eventually playing quarterback. When a guidance counselor suggested he look for a job in construction, Housenbold applied to college and earned an undergraduate degree from Carnegie Mellon.

And when friends at eBay told him not to leave his job as vice president of business development and Internet marketing to join Shutterfly, Housenbold ignored them. Good thing, too. With Housenbold at the helm as President and CEO, the custom image publishing service has grown from $50 million in 2005 to $1.1 billion this year in sales.

Housenbold shared his thoughts on driving culture, focusing on a vision and proving the naysayers wrong with Dean Sally Blount ’92 and a packed hall of Kellogg students during the Brave Leader Series.



Shutterfly President and CEO Jeff Housenbold on ignoring the naysayers



Shutterfly President and CEO Jeff Housenbold on doing the right deal



Shutterfly President and CEO Jeff Housenbold on evaluating talent



Shutterfly President and CEO Jeff Housenbold on developing a global business culture



Shutterfly President and CEO Jeff Housenbold on disintermediation



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