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This article appears in the Fall 2025 issue of the Dominican University Magazine.
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International business executive and entrepreneur Klaus Thalmann Ramos ’98, MBA ’00 credits his Dominican University education for the way he approaches leadership.

“Thanks to being at this university, I became an ethical leader,” he said during the Brennan School of Business’ Global Speaker Series this year, where he addressed students and other members of the Dominican community.

He was also presented with the 2025 Global Leadership Award for his outstanding contributions to international business development.

Thalmann Ramos explained that his Dominican education helped him understand “leadership as service” and “making decisions that balance results with people’s dignity.”

A resident of Spain, he has held leadership roles in financial, security, software and public sectors around the world. He is a board member at Stratexecution, a business

consulting and services firm, and operating partner at Corsa Security, a cybersecurity firm.

“For me, a strong leader is someone who is able to lead with the heart and guide with the mind,” he said.

Thalmann Ramos was living in Spain when he received a scholarship to play on Rosary College’s soccer team, a “life-changing event” that brought him to the United States, he told Global Speaker Series moderator Dr. Len Treviño, Dominican’s 2024-25 Norman and Ruth Carroll Endowed Chair in Business and Economics.

One lesson he learned from playing sports was the ability to bounce back, which applies to business as well, he said.

In Chicago, he also found a welcoming Hispanic entrepreneurial community that mentored him in the values of entrepreneurship: ambition, resiliency and gratitude, Thalmann Ramos said.

“What truly stayed with me from my years at Dominican were the human experiences,” he said. The multicultural environment—studying, playing soccer and sharing daily life with people from around the world—taught me openness and respect. I was surrounded by people with strong values, both classmates and professors, and that sense of integrity and purpose shaped me deeply.”

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