Robins School of Business names John Nester, B'84, president and CEO of Royall & Company, Executive of the Year

University of Richmond’s Robins School of Business has named John Nester, B’84, president and CEO of Royall & Company, as its Executive of the Year.

Nester will be honored at the Beta Gamma Sigma Induction Ceremony and Honors Convocation April 17. This event recognizes the installation of the Beta Gamma Sigma inductees along with recipients of merit scholarships for the 2014-15 academic year and 2015 awards for Robins School students.

Nester has held leadership positions across the high-tech and direct marketing industries throughout his more than 30-year-long career, which began at Ernst & Young. During the 10 years he was with Phillips Publishing International the company grew considerably in serving the consumer and business-to-business markets.

In 2004, he joined Royall & Company, a higher education enrollment management consulting firm, as CFO. In 2008 he was named CEO. Under his leadership, Royall & Company implemented mentoring programs for local underserved high school students.

Last year, he led the once privately owned company through its $850 million sale to the publicly held Washington D.C.-based Advisory Board Company.

Nester graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the Robins School of Business in 1984 and earned an MBA from George Washington University.

 # # #