Eduardo Carbajosa: 2024 Distinguished Achievement Award recipient

BSIE and mathematics ’91 (MBA ’01, New York University)
CEO, Acme Smoked Fish Corporation

An industrial engineer and executive whose business acumen has enhanced his companies’ culture of innovation, driven growth, and expanded sustainability and climate-focused practices.

After following a girl from Spain to Madison, Eduardo Carbajosa found himself filing papers at the old Elvehjem Museum of Art on campus for a few dollars an hour to help cover his tuition.

A few more uninspiring summer jobs later—collecting unpaid bills for several different entities—Carbajosa finally got a chance to apply his industrial engineering knowledge as an intern at St. Mary’s Hospital. His first assignment was to devise a layout for the facility’s computer room, a 1,500-square-foot mess.

“I had just finished taking a layout class in industrial engineering,” he recalls. “Using those principles, I laid out the computer room for them, looking at flows and all sorts of different things. And, to my surprise, they actually implemented it. That’s also what gave me my self-confidence at the time to say, you know what? I can do this. It was really transformational.”

Since graduating more than three decades ago, Carbajosa worked in a range of roles at 3M for 10 years, and then another five years at BASF. But in 2007, he was looking for a new direction when he spotted a small ad in the classifieds section of the New York Times. He got the job—chief financial officer at Brooklyn-based Acme Smoked Fish Corporation—and has climbed the ranks at the company over the past 17 years. In 2024, he took over as chief executive officer.

Acme Smoked Fish, the largest producer of smoked salmon in North America (though Carbajosa prefers tuna, himself), boasts annual revenue of more than $350 million.

“I really owe my entire career to the University of Wisconsin-Madison,” he says. “The university was super-welcoming. It created a perfect environment for students to thrive.”

What do you enjoy about your career?

I think the responsibility. I really enjoy the ability to have a huge impact on an organization, whether it’s been at 3M, BASF or Acme. The decisions I make have a real impact on the organization, on people, and on their families. That is a huge responsibility.

Of what professional accomplishment are you most proud?

I’ve been with this company for 17 years. When I joined, it was a small company. Today, we are the leading smoked seafood processor, definitely in the United States and probably in the world. I would like to think that I’ve had a hand in that. We’re going head-to-head with companies that are much larger than us. But we are very influential, we hit above our weight.

Which do you prefer?

Winter or summer in Madison?
Winter.

Fun on the Terrace or fun on Lake Mendota?
The Union Terrace for sure. Hours and hours spent.

Bascom Hill or Observatory Hill?
Bascom Hill.

State Street or the Lakeshore Path?
Lakeshore Path now, but if you asked me 35 years ago it was definitely State Street.

UW Arboretum or Picnic Point?
Arboretum.