School of Business names 2019 Distinguished Alumni Award recipients

LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas School of Business will honor Tom Bené and Frank Friedman with its 2019 Distinguished Alumni Award.

Bené and Friedman will receive the award for their dedication to business excellence, community service and commitment to KU on Thursday, April 18, during a private reception at The Jayhawk Club.

Tom Bené holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from KU. He is the chairman, president and CEO of Sysco Corp. and a member of its board of directors. Bené has held a variety of executive leadership roles at Sysco, overseeing all of the corporation’s business operations, commercial functions and supply chain organization, as well as at PepsiCo Inc., where he spent 23 years.

Bené is a member of the School of Business Dean’s Advisory Board and involved in a variety of industry, community and philanthropic organizations, including the Multiple Sclerosis Society and the United Way of Greater Houston.

Frank Friedman graduated from the School of Business with a bachelor’s degree in accounting and business administration before joining Deloitte’s Kansas City office in 1979. Now Deloitte’s chief operating officer, Friedman leads the $43.2 billion network operations needed to drive Deloitte Global’s strategy.

Outside of Deloitte, Friedman is a trustee of the German Marshall Fund of the United States and has served on the board of many philanthropic Kansas City organizations, including the REACH Foundation, Starlight Theatre, HCA Midwest Health, and Menorah and Overland Park medical centers.