Technology Executive Learned Essentials of Success at St. John’s

Over a 40-year executive career, Paul J. Tufano ’75CBA has identified two essential elements of professional success—passion and self-awareness.

“You need to be passionate about what you do,” the longtime telecommunications and technology executive said. “If you have that passion and curiosity, even if every day is not perfect, you will get satisfaction.”

“The second thing,” he continued, “is understanding what makes you happy. It is not about a job title or money, but the attributes that give you joy. Be inquisitive, be self-aware, and, as you progress in your career, always do things that bring you joy.”   

Since graduating from St. John’s University with a degree in economics, Mr. Tufano has served in various leadership positions in the technology and telecommunications sectors. He retired as President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Tempe, AZ-based Benchmark Electronics in 2019. He now serves as Chairman of both automated test equipment and robotics supplier Teradyne and industrial battery and energy systems manufacturer EnerSys.

Mr. Tufano is also Executive-in-Residence in the Executive Connections mentorship program at the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University, where he shares his corporate insights with the next generation of business professionals. 

His executive experience taught him how to navigate uncertainty, a skill he said has become increasingly more essential. “In a world where you might have seven jobs, you have to be able to plot your own course,” Mr. Tufano said. “That is not always easy. It is a skill you must develop. It is like a muscle—you must exercise it constantly.”

Mr. Tufano, a US Army veteran who chose St. John’s because of its esteemed Red Storm ROTC Battalion, has demonstrated his professional flexibility throughout his career. Before his leadership position at Benchmark, he served as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and later Chief Operating Officer at the telecommunications firm Alcatel-Lucent Group, headquartered in Paris, France. He has also served as Executive Vice President and CFO and Interim Chief Executive Officer at the electronics manufacturer Solectron Corporation, and held management positions in finance and operations at tech titan IBM.

But Mr. Tufano’s best work might have come as Chief Financial Officer of computer disk manufacturer Maxtor Corporation, which he joined in 1996 after 17 years at IBM. Then a privately held subsidiary of the Hyundai Group, Maxtor had fallen into financial distress. 

After a two-year turnaround program, the company went public in 1998 in the largest initial public offering in the tech sector that year, raising more than 300 million dollars. Mr. Tufano was later given the additional position of Chief Operating Officer in 2001 and named Maxtor’s Chief Executive Officer in 2023.          

His eventual retirement from Benchmark freed Mr. Tufano from the day-to-day responsibilities of company management. It enabled him to concentrate more on his board positions with EnerSys and Teradyne. 

“The role of the board of any company is to hire the CEO,” Mr. Tufano explained. “It is also to approve the company’s strategy, to provide oversight, and to support the management team in decision-making. Managing a board is a little different than managing a company. You are not as operationally focused, but you are focused on whether the company strategy is right and if the leadership and management are executing that strategy.”

Mr. Tufano earned a Master of Business Administration degree in three concentrations—Accounting, Finance, and International Business—from Columbia University. He credits St. John’s with providing him with professional and personal success essentials.