I'm an interesting case of this to some degree - I attended SUNY Binghamton for undergrad, applying last minute after I had gotten rejected/waitlisted/offered informally transfer acceptance at all of the colleges I applied to (Harvard, MIT, CalTech, Princeton, Columbia).
While I'm not an executive, I am a senior engineer being groomed for management at a FAANG currently. I have no doubt that I could move to being an executive or carve out a career in management if I want based on my track record.
While having better paper credentials help you earlier in your career, I'm a firm believer that the paper doesn't guarantee a successful career, and that there is no substitute for executing.
While I'm not an executive, I am a senior engineer being groomed for management at a FAANG currently. I have no doubt that I could move to being an executive or carve out a career in management if I want based on my track record.
While having better paper credentials help you earlier in your career, I'm a firm believer that the paper doesn't guarantee a successful career, and that there is no substitute for executing.