Anthony Christie

Anthony Christie, '91 Executive MBA, has a fast-paced and stressful job tending to the high-tech needs of his company's customers and partners. He is executive vice president and chief technology and information officer at Global Crossing, a leading telecommunications firm based in New Jersey that connects business enterprises and government agencies to the internet securely and manages their networks around the world.

His team manages a number of "mission-critical systems" including telephone service, billing and e-mail, with a goal of having the most customer-focused organization in the industry.

Christie, who also holds a Master of Science degree in management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has enjoyed a remarkable career in the telecommunications industry, holding various key positions with AT & T and Asia Global Crossing before joining Global Crossing in 2000. Presently, Global Crossing provides services to 40 percent of the Fortune 500 companies.

Christie's exposure to a diverse group of students and professors during his Executive MBA program at UNH profoundly influenced his professional life. His professors, he says, facilitated constructive discussions that challenged everyone's beliefs and values. As a result, Christie developed respect and understanding for their different perspectives.

"My classes at UNH always had ample time for debate and discussion," he recalls. "That was a great experience and a good foundation to learn from." Today, diversity is equally as important to him and to the company he works for. "There is no substitute for diversity," Christie asserts. "You must have an environment representative of the world you serve."

As such, Christie believes the world of technology should promote global understanding. That's a fitting philosophy for a dynamic leader who learned at UNH that people are the most "critical system" of all.