Michael Alter is Clinical Professor of Entrepreneurship and a recent Entrepreneur in Residence at Booth. Previously, Alter was the Chief Executive Officer of The Tie Bar – the #1 e-commerce destination for stylish men’s accessories. Prior to The Tie Bar, Alter was a co-founder and President/CEO of SurePayroll, a SaaS technology company that is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Paychex®. Alter co-founded SurePayroll in 2000 after six years with McKinsey and Company, where he was a co-founder and leader of its Service Operations Practice. Prior to receiving his MBA from the Harvard Business School, Alter worked in various sales positions at IBM. He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Northwestern University.
Alter is an active board and advisory board member for leading industry and entrepreneurial organizations including: MAX Digital/FirstLook — the SaaS leader in Mobile Showroom and Digital Performance Management for Auto Dealers, Nambe, LLC — a leading design and lifestyle brand known for their award-winning tabletop giftware, and Vanco Payment Systems – the leading payments provider to the Faith-based Community.
A past recipient of the Illinois Technology Association CityLIGHTS CEO of the Year Award, Alter has been a nationally recognized spokesman on business issues, having served as a columnist for INC.com and appearing regularly in media outlets nationwide, including Bloomberg TV, and the Wall Street Journal.