Siena College is honored to recognize Kate (Strange) Gutmann ’90 on the occasion of its 79th Commencement. Kate is UPS Chief Sales and Solutions Officer; SVP The UPS Store; UPS Capital. In this role she is responsible for global sales, solutions and customer engagement strategies. Under her direction, UPS sales and solutions professionals are focused on deepening customer relationships by providing high-impact and value-rich supply chain solutions, enabling customers to better compete in the global marketplace.
Kate also has business unit responsibility for UPS Capital, a subsidiary that provides supply chain financial, insurance and payment solutions; and The UPS Store, the nation’s largest franchise system of retail shipping, postal, print and business service centers. A member of the UPS Management Committee, Kate joins the company’s senior executives in directing long term strategy for the organization.
Prior to her current role, Kate was President of Worldwide Sales and Vice President of marketing for the UPS Europe, Middle East and Africa Region based in Brussels, Belgium. In this role, she oversaw the development of rates, services and pricing policy in more than 100 countries.
A native of Troy, New York, Kate began her UPS career in 1989 as a marketing intern while earning her bachelor’s degree in marketing from Siena. She returned to her alma mater in 2012 to deliver the Lewis Golub Executive Lecture. Her speech titled “The Business of Ethics: Why We Need a New Ethical Framework,” focused on the necessity of trust and integrity for long term growth in business.
Kate is a member of the Board of Director of Brown-Forman. She is also a member of The Committee of 200 and a participant in the Yale CEO Summit. Kate has participated in the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland for many years and is on the Board of Stewards for Consumption. Kate is on the Board of Advisors for Catalyst. She is also co-founder of the UPS Reading Clubs at the Boys & Girls Club of Metro Atlanta.
Kate notes the support of her husband, Dave, and sons, Mathew and Shaun, as a critical enabler of her success.
In recognition of her exemplary career achievement, leadership and commitment to humanitarian ideals, Siena College awards Kate Gutmann the honorary degree, Doctor of Humane Letters.
