Kellogg Presents Award to Leadership Behind Jack Daniel’s
The following article was originally sourced from the news piece “Family Spirits,” published on Kellogg’s News & Events page.
Board Chairman G. Garvin Brown IV and CEO Paul C. Varga of Brown-Forman, the family-first spirit and wine company best known for Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey accepted the Kellogg School of Management’s 2014 Family Enterprise Leadership Award in front of an audience of faculty, practitioners and students.
The Brown family originally brought in Varga as an intern at the company. He worked his way up the corporate ladder for 19 years before being named CEO of the previously family-led company in 2005. Continue reading…
Stillman to Expand Leadership Development Program
Seton Hall University’s Stillman School of Business has announced that alumnus Gerald P. Buccino has made a $1 million gift commitment to the university in order to expand the reach of the school’s Leadership Development Honors Program at the Stillman School of Business.
Buccino is a successful businessman based in Chicago who specializes in saving troubled companies and turning them into profitable enterprises. He is the president of The Buccino Foundation and a Seton Hall University Regent Emeritus. Continue reading…
GMU MBA Wins Scholarship, Gets Invited to Mindshare Network
Chris Plourde, George Mason School of Management MBA, was recently awarded the newly established Pete Bianco Scholarship. The scholarship allows for one MBA to participate in MindShare, an exclusive, invitation-only program comprised of CEOs of Washington, D.C. area companies.
As a MindShare participant, Plourde will gain access to the 700 entrepreneurs in the Washington, D.C. area who are alumni of and currently comprise the MindShare network. He will have the opportunity to network with and learn from senior business leaders and gain advice from seasoned CEOs on how to overcome various entrepreneurial challenges. Continue reading…
Vanguard Chairman and CEO Bill McNabb Delivered Keynote at Drexel University’s LeBow School of Business Academic Conference
Chairman and CEO of the Vanguard Group Bill McNabb III delivered the keynote address at the Center for Corporate Governance (CCG) 2014 Academic Conference held at LeBow College of Business at Drexel University on April 25. Drexel faculty along with national and international academics participated in the conference.
In his address, McNabb spoke about the six key principles of responsible corporate governance that Vanguard adheres to and advocates by the companies in which their funds invest. Independent oversight, accountability, engagement, sensible compensation tied to performance, shareholder voting rights consistent with economic interests and minimal anti-takeover devices and annual direct elections serve to inform and influence Vanguard’s views on corporate governance. These principles highlighted the themes of many papers discussed at the conference. Continue reading…
CEOs of Lucky Brand, Warby Parker, Alice + Olivia and Triumph Motorcycles Are Among Speakers at Knowledge@Wharton’s Retail and Consumer Goods Summit
The Wharton School – University of Pennsylvania announced that Knowledge@Wharton’s Retail and Consumer Goods Summit will feature Wharton faculty and retail and consumer goods practitioners discussing growth strategies at established, emerging and start-up companies. Topics that will be addressed include innovation-fueled growth, digital strategy, assortment variety, disruptive business models, growth-oriented store associate planning, strategic brand extensions, collaborating with finance to achieve high performance, and effective talent management strategies. The conference will feature presentations, fireside chats, panels, and other interactive formats.
The summit is hosted by Knowledge@Wharton, the Wharton School’s online business research and analysis journal, in partnership with Wharton’s Jay H. Baker Retailing Center and Momentum. The NASDAQ and EY are the summit’s founding sponsors.The conference program will be held on April 28-29 at NASDAQ MarketSite and will feature Wharton faculty and retail and consumer goods leaders, including Carlos Alberini, Chief Executive Officer, Lucky Brand, Barry Calpino, Vice President, Breakthrough Innovation, Kraft Foods Group, George Calvert, Chief Supply Chain & R&D Officer, Amway, Vicki Cantrell, Senior Vice President, Communities, and Executive Director of Shop.org, National Retail Federation (NRF), Mukul Pandya, Editor-in-Chief, Knowledge@Wharton,
Mieke van der Loo, Chief Sales Officer, Bugaboo and Patti Williams, Wharton Associate Professor of Marketing
The conference is designed to be a unique learning and networking forum and may be of interest to people in senior-/mid-level positions at retail and consumer goods companies and related industries in a range of functions, including marketing, strategy, merchandising, customer service, sales, digital, IT, and finance. For more information, including details on how to register, please visit http://knowledge.whartonevents.com/growth.
St John’s University Awarded $16,000 in Prizes at Annual Business Plan Competition
Tobin College of Business – St. John’s University held the fifth annual James and Eileen Christmas Business Plan Competition and Expo on April 5. An internet-based service application that increases efficiency for trade shows and a martial arts after-school program were among the business ideas being pitched by budding entrepreneurs of St John’s University, who competed for $16,000 in prizes during the competition.
The five finalists, chosen from 83 plans submitted by St. John’s students, were vying for a top prize of $5,000 which can be used to upstart their business venture. Remaining competitors displayed their plans during the Expo to attract “investors” from attendees and win cash prizes.
“The Business Plan Competition is an opportunity for students to move beyond the pure classroom experience and actually go through the process of developing a business plan and selling their idea. It’s a great skill that will serve them well throughout any career they choose to pursue,” said James W. Christmas, event founder.
Competition top honors went to Jonathan Weiss, Green Garden Solutions, inventor of a collapsible wheelbarrow; Michael Napolitano, Flutter System, a developer of audio and amplifier systems for crew teams and Kevin Cernuto, Custom Coolers, a lightweight cooler manufacturer that offers attachments to fit multiple items such as seating and electronics. Margurite Lynn McDonald, Shawn Chowdhury and Dylan Moody took the top three Expo prizes.
The panel of notable judges included: James W. Christmas, Former Director and Vice Chairman of PetroHawk Energy; Cathy Borzon, Global CFO for Neo@Ogilvy; Gary Chan, Managing Director, JP Morgan Chase; Richard Haray, Senior Vice President, Corporate Services of the Interpublic Group; and Kathryn Wachsman, Esq., entrepreneur and managing partner of The Law Offices of Harvey F. Wachsman MD, JD, PLLC. Bob Frank, Co-Founder of digital syndication network, Quello, was keynote speaker for the event.
