Peter Cuneo ’67, HD ’13, HD ’22, is renowned for a career reversing the fortunes of struggling businesses. His most significant turnaround was at Marvel Entertainment, where he served as CEO for a decade in the early 2000s before the business was sold to the Walt Disney Company for $4.5 billion.
From his time as a student at Alfred, to his serving as a lieutenant in the Navy during two tours of duty in Vietnam, to his decades-long career in business—Forbes Magazine and Business Insider once called him one of the greatest turnaround CEOs in America—Cuneo has embraced leadership as a key to personal and professional success. In his new book, “Superhero Leadership. 28 Ways to Lead with Courage, Strength, and Compassion,” Cuneo discusses 28 “essentials” that he hopes can inspire in others the qualities of effective leadership.
The book, co-authored with six-time New York Times best-selling author Joe Garner, came out in mid-February and is available on Amazon. Cuneo says the book was decades in the making and reflects what he has learned about leadership over the course of his career.
“I’ve been working on the book about 20 years,” he commented. “It’s about lessons learned. I’ve been lecturing on leadership throughout my lifetime.”
Cuneo said that in 2003, while serving as CEO at Marvel Entertainment, a group reached out to him and asked if he would give a speech on leadership.
“I said I would,” he recalled, “but I really hadn’t spent much time consciously thinking about leadership. What am I going to say?” He said while on a long flight, he began jotting down some core principles of leadership. And thus, the 28 “essentials” of leadership outlined in Cuneo’s book, which have helped guide him in his career in business, were born.
While those essentials have changed over the years—he has added four, and removed a couple he felt were no longer relevant—their significance and meaning have remained steady. They include: “Communicate consistent messages: Walk the talk,” “Avoid prejudices and embrace diversity,” “Don’t be self-important, be accessible,” “Find a few people who will tell you the truth, even when it hurts,” and “Welcome problems: Worry about what you don’t know.”
“These are universal principles that will last as long as humans walk the earth,” said Cuneo. “Some of the essentials are 10 pages long; some are only two. There are personal stories for all 28.”
Cuneo said his leadership qualities came naturally from his upbringing. “It’s how I grew up, taking risks. I wasn’t born that way; I grew up around it. You have to learn from your successes and more from your failures, and learn your strengths and weaknesses.”
Leadership is important to Cuneo because he sees a lack of it today, particularly in the younger generation.
“I’ve been concerned about leadership in America, and the world. I talk with CEOs and executives and the stories I hear about young people are scary. Many have no social or interpersonal skills…no sense of a work ethic,” he said. “Young people aren’t learning leadership. Why not? What can we do to reverse that?”
In addition to his book, Cuneo talks about leadership in several podcasts. He started the “Superhero Leadership with Peter Cuneo” about two years ago, with Garner serving as producer. Season I had eight episodes and was available in audio only. Season II has 10 episodes, all video, which had invited guests. The discussions emphasize how people become effective leaders. “Leaders are not born, they’re made,” Cuneo explained. “Your life experiences mold you. It starts at a very young age.”
Season III of the he “Superhero Leadership with Peter Cuneo” podcast will roll out in May. Its guest list is a diverse set of figures, which includes Brian Shaw, a four-time winner of the “World’s Strongest Man” competition; Shailee Basnet, leader of Seven Summits Women’s Team, the first female team to climb the highest mountain peak on every continent; and General George Patton’s granddaughter.
Cuneo hosts another podcast called “The Marvel Mindset with Peter Cuneo,” inspired by his time leading Marvel Entertainment. The company was struggling when Cuneo took over the business in 1999, with just $3 million in cash assets. Ten years later, in 2009, the company was purchased by Disney for $4.5 billion. Cuneo’s leadership during the years when Marvel superheroes like Iron Man and Spider-Man hit the movie screens is credited with the company’s rise from near financial ruin.
“It has been referred to as the greatest business turnaround of the 21st Century. Every time I would give a speech, someone in the audience would ask me about it,” Cuneo commented.
“There had never been a book written about it. I wanted to talk in depth about it,” he said, explaining why he launched “The Marvel Mindset with Peter Cuneo” podcast. The podcasts consist of 10- to 15-minute segments where he discusses “how we changed the culture at Marvel and changed the rules of the game.”
Cuneo’ wife, Maris, has been an ardent supporter of Alfred University’s Equestrian Program. Her philanthropy provided resources which helped create the Maris Cuneo Equine Park—home to Alfred’s world-class equestrian facility and one of the top collegiate equestrian programs in the country. Peter Cuneo served 27 years on the Alfred University Board of Trustees, six as Board chair, and was confirmed as Chair Emeritus Life Trustee in 2020. He has been awarded two honorary degrees from his alma mater: Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa, in 2013, and Doctor of Commerce, honoris causa, in 2022.
He stays plenty busy these days. He is currently the managing principal of Cuneo & Company, LLC, a private investment and management company in which his sons, Gavin and Colin are partners. He serves as chairman of several tech companies and is a member of the Board of the National Archives Foundation.
“I like what I’m doing. I’m stimulated every day,” he said. “I’m ahead of the game for my age and it’s because of that constant stimulation.”