William Randolph Hearst III
CATEGORY: Billionaires
COMPANY: Hearst Corporation
INDUSTRY: Media
WHAT MAKES THEM HAUTE:
There is little that can be said about the background of William Randolph Hearst—the first, second, and third—that has not been covered countless time already. William III is haute because the Hearst family name is an undying part of American history books. His grandfather was a publishing legend and his father was a U.S. Senator who became owner of the San Francisco Examiner thanks to a lucky hand of poker. He is one of the anointed few that are affiliated with Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, which he joined in 1995. For the decade before that, he spent his days as the editor and publisher of the Examiner.
Reid Hoffman
CATEGORY: Thinkers
COMPANY: LinkedIn
INDUSTRY: Technology
WHAT MAKES THEM HAUTE: As founder of career networking site LinkedIn, which today gains one million new members each week, Hoffman sits high upon the Haute List. Hoffman was previously the Executive Vice President at PayPal and also founded SocialNet.
John Hummer
CATEGORY: Entrepreneurs
COMPANY: Hummer Winblad Venture Partners
INDUSTRY: Venture Capitalism
WHAT MAKES THEM HAUTE?
A six-year stint in the NBA put John Hummer in the spotlight at an early age. After retiring from the Seattle Supersonics in 1976, he did not shy away from the splendors of success. In 1989, he partnered with Ann Winblad to start up Hummer Winblad Venture Partners, which invests solely in software companies.
Sallie Huntting
CATEGORY: Thinkers
COMPANY: Academy of Art University
INDUSTRY: Public Relations
WHAT MAKES THEM HAUTE:
She has worn many hats throughout her lifetime, all of them from luxury labels, we’re sure. Huntting, daughter of one of IBM’s original engineers, has modeled, produced fashion events, and taught at the Academy of Art University before moving on to work as its executive vice president of public relations. Oh, and don’t forget about her philanthropic efforts, chairing more than 45 fundraising events like Opera Ball and the Junior League Fashion Show
Chad Hurley
CATEGORY: Thinkers
COMPANY: YouTube
INDUSTRY: Technology
WHAT MAKES THEM HAUTE: As creator of insanely popular and successful online video sharing site turned phenomenon YouTube, which he sold less than two years after its inception to Google for a staggering $1.65 billion, this is one haute-lister to watch. His newest project AVOS, is currently in the works.
Charles Johnson
CATEGORY: Billionaires
COMPANY: Franklin Resources
INDUSTRY: Finance
WHAT MAKES THEM HAUTE?
Charles Johnson is the chairman of Franklin Resources, which he runs with his half-brother Rupert, who serves as the vice chairman. In 2011, the Yale grad clocked in at No. 72 on the iconic Forbes 400 list and No. 200 on the Forbes Billionaires list with a net worth of $4.4 billion.
Rupert Johnson Jr.
CATEGORY: Billionaires
COMPANY: Franklin Resources
INDUSTRY: Finance
WHAT MAKES THEM HAUTE: Together with his brother Charles and nephew Gregory, Rupert runs Franklin Resources, Inc. The firm, known for acquisitions, like Fiduciary Trust in 2001 and Templeton Funds in 1992, has Rupert as vice chairman and his brother Charles as chairman.
Arturo Keller
CATEGORY: Entrepreneurs
COMPANY: Keller Estate Winery and Vineyard
INDUSTRY: Wine
WHAT MAKES THEM HAUTE?
This noted Mexican antique auto collector first purchased a plot of land in Sonoma to build a large showroom for his vintage and classic racecars. At the suggestion of some neighbors, he planted a vineyard for aesthetic sake, and founded Keller Estate Winery and Vineyards. His passion for cars continues, though, and his collection of pristine prewar Mercedes-Benz cars has received numerous accolades at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.
Thomas Keller
CATEGORY: Thinkers/Food
COMPANY: Thomas Keller Restaurant Group
INDUSTRY: Restaurant
WHAT MAKES THEM HAUTE:
The James Beard Foundation named Thomas Keller Best California Chef in 1996 and Best Chef in America in 1997. In 2005, his New York restaurant Per Se received three Michelin stars. In 2006, The French Laundry in Napa Valley became the first restaurant in the Bay Area to receive three Michelin stars. That made Keller the only American chef (and one of two in the world) to hold two Michelin three-star ratings simultaneously. And don’t forget about Bouchon, Bouchon Bakery and Ad Hoc.
Vinod Khosla
CATEGORY: Entrepreneurs
COMPANY: Khosla Ventures
INDUSTRY: Technology
WHAT MAKES THEM HAUTE:
Silicon Valley’s preeminent eco investor—named No. 1 venture capitalist by both Fortune and Forbes—Khosla invested more than $300 million of his personal fortune into start-up green technologies. Khosla was formerly a general partner at Kleiner Perkins and founder of Sun Microsystems. He created venture capital firm Khosla Ventures in 2004 to build businesses for the Internet, and the computing, mobile, silicon, and green technology arenas. In 2009, he announced that the Khosla Fund, one of the largest green tech funds, of which Bill Gates is an investor.
Michael Kim
CATEGORY: Entrepreneurs
COMPANY: Cendana Capital
INDUSTRY: Venture Capitalism
WHAT MAKES THEM HAUTE?
Another mogul with a passion and a talent for the art of the deal, Kim has built a career and reputation in private equity investing. Rustic Canyon Partners is where he built fame and fortune before forming Cendana Capital in December 2009. Kim was also President of the San Francisco Employee Retirement System, a $15 billion public pension fund. He currently serves on the board of the Asian Art Museum; and he and his wife Letitia Kim co-chaired the SF Fall Antiques show in 2010 and co-chaired the SF Symphony Opening Gala in 2009 and 2010.
Omid Kordestani
CATEGORY: Billionaires
COMPANY: Google
INDUSTRY: Technology
WHAT MAKES THEM HAUTE?
Another billionaire who has Google to thank for the bottom line of his bank account, Kordestani semi-retired as the senior vice president of global sales and business development. Today he is advising the execs and powers that be; he is listed on the Google management site as senior adviser, office of the CEO and Founders. He was named one of Time Magazine’s 100 People Who Shape Our World in 2006 and was The Persian Person of the Year in 2007. He is also one of the founders of the PARSA Community Foundation.
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