Lecturer II
- PhD, University of San Diego, Leadership Studies
- MBA, University of Wisconsin-Madison
- BS, Catholic University-Caracas
Juan F. Roche has a 35-year career as a global C-Level executive, consultant, board member, and, more recently, as an academic. He has had P&L responsibility in the US, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.His last corporate position was as CEO of Gruma Corporation, a US$ 2 billion Mexican multinational company based in the US. Previously he was with Nabisco, first as President of Europe, the Middle East, and Africa and later as President of Latin America.
He started his career at Mavesa in Venezuela, then a Procter and Gamble joint venture, where he grew through the marketing, logistics, and finance ranks to become the CEO. In this position, he led the buy-out of P&G's stake and transformed the company into an NYSE publicly traded regional player with operations in the Andean Region. Forbes magazine featured Mavesa in the top 20 best-run small companies globally, and Harvard Business School wrote a case study regarding this strategic move.
He has a Bachelor of Science degree from the Catholic University in Caracas (78), an MBA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (82), and a Ph.D. in Leadership Studies from the University of San Diego in California (16). His research interests are Corporate Social Responsibility, ESG Strategies, Organizational Behavior and Culture, Social Innovation, and Global Leadership. Currently, he is a senior partner at Renaissance Growth Advisors, a business-consulting firm, and a professor of practice at the USD Kroc School of Peace Studies and the Knauss Business School, where he teaches graduate-level courses in Leadership and Ethics, Global Leadership, Sustainable Business Models, Business Strategy, and Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship. He also teaches at CETYS Universidad International MBA program in Tijuana, México. He is the faculty advisor of the USD Social Innovation Institute, a global accelerator for social innovation.
Dr. Roche's belief that Universities need to emphasize real-life experience combined with the academic side of education drove his re-invention as a "pracademic." He is passionate about developing young leaders with a global and ethical mindset that can transform and contribute to society.
Courses Taught
KROC 510 Leadership and Organizations
KROC 590 Intercultural Competency
KROC 592 WKSH Finance for Leading Change
KROC 594 Business and Social Innovation