Scott Cook

Founder of Intuit, Cook launched the financial software company in 1983; it today offers software and online products to help individuals and small companies manage their finances.

He started his career at Procter and Gamble, where he learned about product development, market research, and marketing. He soon began using the insights he was learning there to look for an idea for a company of his own. That idea came to him one day when his wife was complaining about paying the bills. With personal computers just coming out at the time, Cook thought there might be a market for basic software that would help people pay their bills.

Cook has served as a director of Intuit from March 1983 and as Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Board. He served as Intuit's Chairman of the Board from February 1993 through July 1998. From April 1983 to April 1994, he also served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Intuit.

Mr. Cook has also served on the boards of directors of eBay Inc., and The Procter & Gamble Company. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Mathematics from the University of Southern California and a Masters in Business Administration from Harvard Business School, where he has served on the dean's advisory board.

In 2002, Mr. Cook and his wife, Signe Ostby, established the Center for Brand and Product Management at the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Business, the nation's first university-based center focused exclusively on training MBAs in brand and product management. Mr. Cook and Ms. Ostby both started their careers in brand management.