On Friday, January 30, Peter T. Grauer ’64 received the 2026 Alumni Award, the highest honor given by the school’s Alumni Association.
Established in 1931, the award recognizes graduates who have made significant contributions in their professional fields and whose accomplishments reflect positively on themselves and the school. Recipients are selected by the Nominating Committee of the Alumni Association’s Board of Governors.
Mr. Grauer is a businessman who served as chairman, president, and chief executive officer of Bloomberg L.P. starting in 2002. He became chairman emeritus in 2023 and retired from the company in 2025. During his time at Bloomberg, Mr. Grauer played a central role in the firm’s growth as a global financial technology and media organization.
Mr. Grauer earned his undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and completed the Program for Management Development at Harvard Business School. Before joining Bloomberg, Mr. Grauer worked in investment banking and private equity. He was a managing director at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette and later helped found DLJ Merchant Banking Partners and DLJ Investment Partners. He also served as a senior partner at Credit Suisse First Boston Private Equity.
In addition to his corporate career, Mr. Grauer is involved in philanthropic and nonprofit work. He currently serves as president of the Board of Trustees of the Inner City Scholarship Fund in New York City and holds leadership or trustee roles at a number of organizations focused on education, conservation, healthcare, and civic engagement.
His work has been recognized with multiple honors, including the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Happy Warrior Award and induction into the North Carolina Media & Journalism Hall of Fame.
During his time as a student, Mr. Grauer was president of the Student Council and co-captain of the football team. In August 2023, he was named Alum of the Month.
During the awards ceremony, Mr. Bradley remarked that Mr. Grauer had been voted “most popular” and “most influential” by his graduating class.
The ceremony included a fireside-chat style conversation between Mr. Grauer and Ms. Anne Deneen ’95, who has served on the Board of Trustees since 2019 and currently chairs the investment committee.
At the beginning of the conversation, Mr. Grauer emphasized the importance of relationships as the foundation of leadership. He said, “You never know where these relationships are going to take you.”
During the discussion, Mr. Grauer described the mentorship program he created at Bloomberg to identify emerging leaders and communicate their value to the organization. “It was all about identifying talent, giving them the opportunity to grow, and underscoring that they are important,” he said.
When asked to identify a defining leadership moment, Mr. Grauer described traveling to Japan immediately following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami to support Bloomberg employees. He said, “My instincts were, this is what leadership is about. You’ve got to step up in tough times and really show what you are made of.”
He later discussed Bloomberg’s emphasis on diversity and inclusion, citing research showing that broader perspectives lead to stronger decision-making and long-term growth. Mr. Grauer described Bloomberg’s commitment to building diverse teams, saying, “Any organization worth its salt must have a higher purpose.” He described Bloomberg’s effort as central to its identity and as a motivating force for employees.
The fireside conversation ended with a question and answer segment, in which Mr. Grauer answered questions about his time at the school, including his favorite campus spaces, traditions, and personal habits.
The ceremony ended with closing remarks and congratulations from Ms. Deneen, making Mr. Grauer’s return to campus a professional milestone and a reflection on his long-standing connection to the school.
