Ahlers International Speaker Series

Developing business leaders with a global mindset

In addition to the conferences and workshops that bring in international business and academic leaders, the Ahlers Center hosts an International Business Speakers Series. Most of these events are free and all are open to the public. To join our mailing list, please click here to send a message to Ms. Erin Kellaway.

Spring 2013 Speakers:

• Thursday, February 21, 2013; 12:00 - 1:45pm
  Complimentary Lunch: 12:00pm-12:30pm; Presentation: 12:40pm-1:45pm
  Jorge Camil Starr, Social Entrepreneur, Co-founder and Chief Development Officer, Enova
  “Innovating for Impact”
  Please click HERE to view the presentation
• Tuesday, February 26, 2013; 12:00 - 1:45pm
  Complimentary Lunch: 12:00pm-12:30pm; Presentation: 12:40pm-1:45pm
  Dr. Vijay Kapur, Faculty of Management Studies, University of Delhi
  "China and India: Models of Compassionate Socio-Economic Globalization"
  Please click HERE to view the presentation
  
• Tuesday, March 19, 2013; 2013; 12:00 - 1:45pm
  Complimentary Lunch: 12:00pm-12:30pm; Presentation: 12:40pm-1:45pm
  Rachelle Snook, Global Talent Acquisition Manager, WD-40
  "Global Hiring and the Brand That Is You"
  Please click HERE to view the presentation
  
• Thursday, April 4, 2013; 12:00 - 1:45pm
  Hector Medina, Former CFO and Chief Planning Officer, CEMEX
  "Business Strategy for Innovation and Global Growth: The Case of CEMEX"
  Please click HERE to view the presentation
• 
  

Speakers from Fall 2012 included:

• Thursday, September 20, 2012; 12:15 - 1:45pm
  Gopinath (Gopi) Parayil, Founder of The Blue Yonder
  “Responsible Tourism: Creating Better Places for People to Live and Visit”
  
• Monday, October 8, 2012; 12:15 - 1:45pm
  Stephanie Barry, General Manager China, Shanghai Wu Di Trading Co. Ltd / WD-40 Company
  “Choices on the Path to Inspiring Leadership"
  
• Thursday, October 11, 2012; 12:00 - 1:45pm
  Roberto Servitje Sendra, Chairman of the Board of Directors of BIMBO and recipient of the 2010 Business for Peace Award
  “Making Business 'Truly Efficient and Truly Humane': The Case of Grupo Bimbo," Co-Sponsored with the Center for Peace and Commerce, International Constituent Relations, Transborder Institute and Provost Office. Click HERE to view video of the event.
  
• Wednesday, October 24, 2012; 12:30 - 2:00pm
  Marty Parisien, entrepreneur and co-owner of Singing Dog Vanilla
  "Business Model Disruption: Creating a Giant Brand in a Niche Market"
  
• Thursday, November 29, 2012; 12:15 - 1:45pm
  Michael Ahn , Senior Advisor and former Corporate President, LG Electronics
  “Leadership and Global Brand Management"
  

Speakers from the 2011-2012 academic year have included:

• Hector Ureta, Former Director of Patrimonio Hoy, CEMEX and Consultant
  “Business Model Design for the Base of the Pyramid,” September 2011
• Philipp Zimmermann, Senior Manager, CapGemini Consulting
  “The Second German Economic Miracle: Learning from the Past and Looking to the Future," August 2011
• Steve Lash, President & CEO, Satori World Medical
  “Medical Travel: Globalization of the Healthcare Market," October 2011
• Paolo Guerrieri, Ph.D.,Professor of International Economics, University of Rome
  “What are the Potential Scenarios for the European Debt Crisis?," October 2011
• Francis G. Estrada, Founder, CEO and President of Odyssey Capital Ventures
  “Business Dangers and Opportunities in Asia," October 2011
• Scott Lillie, President, Creative Leadership Group and former Disney executive
  "YOU are the Magic: Creating Personal Service Excellence," February 2012
• Steve Killelea, AM, Founder & Executive Chairman, Institute for Economics and Peace
  "The Opportunity of Peace for Business and Markets," February 2012
  Event co-sponsored by the Ahlers Center, Center for Peace & Commerce and the Institute for Peace & Justice
• Frank Pons, Ph.D., Professor of Marketing at Laval University (Québec, Canada)
  "European Trends in Sports Marketing: Current Issues in Activation and Sponsorships" February 2012
• Steve Charters, Ph.D., Professor of Champagne Management, Reims Management School (FR)
  "Creating a Global Territorial Brand: The Case of Champagne" February 2012
• Ariel Casarin, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Economics, IAE Business School, Universidad Austral (Argentina)
  "The Talent Market in Latin America" February 2012
• Jose Antonio Quesada, Partner and FS Leader, PwC Mexico, & President, Mexican Institute of Finance Executives
  "Mexico 2030: A Vision of the Future" March 2012
• Katherine Klingensmith, Economic and Policy Analyst, UBS
  "Roundtable: Discussion of the Global Financial Outlook" March 2012
  
• N.G. Kannan Ph.D., former Marketing Director & Human Resource Director, Indian Oil Corporation
  "Making an Elephant Dance: The Transformation of Indian Oil Corporation" March 2012
  
  

Speakers for the 2010-2011 academic year included:

• Alejandro Reyes, Director of Global Learning & Development, Dell, Inc.
  “Leadership for Organizational Transformation and Competitiveness: The Case of Dell in the USA and the World,” August 2010
• Philipp Zimmermann, Senior Manager, CapGemini Consulting
  “How the Economic Crisis Has Changed the Middle East / North Africa (MENA) Region: Examples from the telecommunication industry," September 2010
  
• James M. Zimmerman, Chairman Emeritus of the American Chamber of Commerce China
  “Consuming China: Commercial and Political Implications of Sustaining Economic Growth,” September 2010
• Alex Pryor, Co-founder and VP Latin America, Guayaki
  “Market Driven Reforestation and Community Building,” September 2010
• David Funkhauser, Strategic Outreach Coordinator, Fair Trade USA
  “Sustainability and Community Building Through Fair Trade,” October 2010
• Byung K. Yi, Senior Executive Vice President, LG Electronics USA
  “Telecommunications: Its history and where it will take us in the future,” October 2010
• Mannsoo Shin, Professor of International Business Korea University Business School
  "The Development Strategy of Dynamic Capabilities: In the Case of Samsung Electronics Company," October 2010
• Bala Manian, Founder and President ReaMetrix, Silicon Valley and Bangalore
  "Changing the Global Entrepreneurship Paradigm: Innovations in Affordable Healthcare”
  Co-sponsored with USD's Entrepreneurship Club (E-Club), November 2010
• Lourdes Casanova, Consultant and Lecturer in the Strategy Department at INSEAD
  "The Emergence of Latin American Multinationals," February 2011
• Deborah Riner, Chief Economist, U.S.-Mexico Chamber of Commerce, Mexico City
  "Update on the Mexican Economy: Back to Normal," March 2011
• Paolo Guerrieri, Professor of International Economics at the University of Rome, 'La Sapienza'
  "Will the Euro Survive the Crisis?" March 2011
• Ariel Casarin, Associate Professor of Business, Society and Economics, IAE Business School, Argentina
  "The Challenges of the Latin American Business Environment" March 2011
• Francis Estrada, Founder/co-founder of The Asian Oceanic Group, William E. Simon and Sons Asia, P.T. Bina Usaha Indonesia, Equity Managers Asia, Inc., Odyssey Capital Ventures (SPV-AMC), Philippines
  "Doing Business in Asia: Insights for International Executives” March 2011
• Dr. Ming Yu Cheng, Associate Professor, Universiti Putra, Malaysia
  "Malaysia Vision 2020: Creating Sustainable and Inclusive Growth" April 2011
  
  

Speakers for the 2009-2010 academic year included:

• Arturo A. Barahona, Former CEO of both ALSEA and Aeromexico
  “Designing Strategies to Grow the Franchise Business in Mexico and Latin America,” August 2009
  
• Alejandro Reyes, Director of Global Learning & Development, Dell, Inc.
  “Leadership Development and Organizational Learning in a Global Context,” August 2009
  
• Sergio Rodriguez Garza, Director FEMSA, Tecate, Mexico
  “Business in Mexico: Cross-Border Opportunities,” August 2009
  
• Hector Ureta, Former Director of Patrimonio Hoy, CEMEX
  “Designing Business Models for the Base of the Pyramid: the Experience of CEMEX”, October 2009
• Sarah Severn, Director of Mobilization for Sustainable Business and Innovation, Nike
  “Corporate Focus on the Triple Bottom Line,” October 2009
• Matthew Paull, former CFO and Senior VP, McDonald’s Corporation
  “The Global Meltdown: How Greed and our Government Combined to Change U.S. Capitalism...Forever?,” November 2009
• Andreas Reichhart, Ph.D., Senior Associate, McKinsey & Company
  “Change Management in International Transformation Projects,” December 2009
  
• Alex Pryor, Co-founder Guayaki Sustainable Rainforest Products
  “Designing a New Business Model for Sustainability,” January 2010
• Jeffery Adler, CEO and Founder, Dlush Beverage Joint
  “Lessons from a Local Entrepreneur on What it Takes to Scale a Brand Across the Globe,” January 2010
• Robert A. Eckert, Chairman and CEO, Mattel, Inc.
  “The Value of Reputation: Leading Through Crisis,” February 2010
• Leila Butt, Senior Economist, Economist Intelligence Unit
  “What Lies Ahead for the Global Economy: Smooth Sailing or Bumpy Ride?,” April 2010