Center for Brand & Product Management

The Center for Brand and Product Management is the nation’s first university-based center focused on producing talent and knowledge in the field of brand and product management. The Center was established to fill a gap; no one was training business students to be top-notch brand managers. Brand management is the one “specialty” that requires a breadth of business skills. The Center for Brand and Product Management’s unique environment – and uniquely effective blend of curriculum and applied learning – builds those skills.

Managing a brand is like running a business. At the Center, you learn to be a business leader, to be more entrepreneurial and insightful, to understand the whole picture. So, while you’re building world-class product management skills, you’re also readying yourself for general management.

The Center was established in 2002 by Scott Cook – co-founder of Intuit, Inc., the maker of Quicken, QuickBooks and TurboTax – and his wife Signe Ostby, former Vice President of Marketing for Software Publishing Corporation. And it’s supported by some of the finest product management companies in the world, who take a hands-on interest in our students through our Advisory Board. 

Media Gallery

Programs & Initiatives
Founders' Vision
Alumni Profiles
Mary McCoyClass of 2011Product ManagerCharter Communications
Board of Advisors

Our Advisory Board members and companies are a crucial source of the real-world learning emphasized at the Center for Brand and Product Management. The board members come from the finest brand and product management companies in the world. Many of them are University of Wisconsin graduates themselves.

We ask our Advisory Board members to contribute in many ways:

  • Facilitate student employment opportunities
  • Recruit prospective students
  • Enhance the educational experience through on-campus involvement
  • Mentor students in the program

Watch the 2011 Board Meeting Video

Visit the Advisory Board