George Pappas, Chancellor of Victoria University

Wed 10/1, 7pm – 8pm EST
Forum: Supporting 21st Century Competencies

George is the Chancellor of Victoria University, a position he has held for the last 4 years.  He was the Chairman of Committee for Melbourne from 2005 til 2013 where he led the Committee’s efforts to support the Higher Education Sector as well as new and innovative industry development.

George has over 30 years commercial experience in strategy consulting work for the largest companies in the United States, Japan, Asia and Australia.

He co-founded the business strategy consultancy, Pappas Carter Evans and Koop (PCEK) in 1979 and later became Managing Partner of Boston Consulting Group’s (BCG’s) Australasian offices following BCG’s acquisition of PCEK in 1990. He was also a member of BCG’s worldwide Executive Committee

Since retiring from BCG in 2002, George served as Under Secretary in the Department of Premier and Cabinet for the State of Victoria, as Member of the Dean’s Advisory Board for the Monash Faculty of Business and Economics, Chairman of the Monash Institute of Medical Research. He has also served on several other private sectors and not for profit boards.

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Ambi M.G. Parameswaran, PhD, Advisor, FCB Ulka Advertising

Tues 9/30, 10am – 11am EST
Forum: Engaging New-Generation Students & Employees

Ambi as he is known, is a Chemical Engineer from IIT Madras (Indian Institute of Technology) and a Management Graduate from IIM Calcutta (Indian Institute of Management).  In a career spanning three decades he has handled assignments in marketing, sales and advertising with companies like Rediffusion DY&R, Boots Company and UDI Yellow Pages before dropping anchor at FCB Ulka Advertising over two decades ago.  He has had a key role in the transformation of Ulka Advertising into FCB Ulka Group, one of India’s top three marketing communication group, with interests in advertising, media, consulting, digital, and healthcare. He has worked on numerous brands including Digene, Brufen, Santoor Soap, Sundrop Cooking Oil, TCS, ICICI Bank, Wipro, Tata Indica Cars, Zee TV among others, covering diverse categories such as automotives, healthcare, telecom, FMCG, corporate etc.

Ambi has been contributing articles to premier business publications, has conducted seminars and branding workshops for Indian/ MNC organizations and industry bodies. He has been a speaker at international forums including the Kellogg India Conference at Northwestern University and Cornell University; he has also been a guest faculty at several business schools including Indian School of Business and his alma mater, IIMC. He has also presented papers at international conferences of Association for Consumer Research and INFORMS.

Ambi now has seven books to his credit including: “FCB-Ulka Brand Building Advertising – Concepts and Cases”; “Building Brand Value – Five Steps to Building Powerful Brands” (Winner of 2007 NTPC – DMA Book Prize), and “For God’s Sake – An adman on the Business of Religion” (the last book was inspired by his research on “Religion and Consumer Behaviour”)

Ambi is involved in several industry organizations such as CII, IAA and has served as the President of Advertising Club Bombay. He successfully completed his PhD from Mumbai University in 2012, and the Advanced Management Programme from Harvard Business School in 2014. He was inducted into the Board of Governors of IIMC in 2007 and he received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from IIT Madras in April 2009. Ambi was elected as the President of the apex advertising industry body, the Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) in July 2014.

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Guy Pfeffermann, Founder & CEO, Global Business School Network

Thurs 10/2, 5pm – 6pm EST
Forum: Increasing the Value of Management Education

In 2003 Guy Pfeffermann founded the Global Business School Network on the principle that skilled management is critical to successful international development.

After 40 years as an economist at the World Bank, including 15 years as Chief Economist of the International Finance Corporation, he saw too often how lack of management talent was impeding economic and social development in communities throughout the developing world. Now as CEO of GBSN, which started at the IFC and is today an independent nonprofit, Guy oversees programs and events that harness the expertise and passion of a worldwide network of leading business schools to strengthen the institutions and educators who deliver management education for the developing world. GBSN’s unique approach pairs a robust network of experts with efficient administration to build institutional capacity, foster collaboration and disseminate knowledge, all aimed at promoting management education that delivers international best practice with local relevance.

Born in Montauban, France, Mr. Pfeffermann received his Licence en Droit et Sciences Economiques in Paris in 1962 and was awarded first prize, Concours General, a French national inter-university essay competition. He was a Besse scholar at St. Antony’s College, Oxford from 1962-65 and received a B.Litt. (Oxon.) in 1967 for his thesis: “Industrial Labour in Senegal,” which was also published as a book.

From 2000-2003 he was an Adjunct Professor at Johns Hopkins University, School of Advanced International Studies. From 2003-2007, he was a member of the Board of Directors of the GlobalGiving Foundation. He published “Paths out of Poverty – The Role of Private Enterprise in Developing Countries (IFC, 2000). He is currently on the Advisory Board of the Association of African Business Schools (AABS). Guy is also a member of the African Management Initiative’s Advisory Panel. His most recent publications include “Technology, Education and the Developing World” in nBizEd, a publication of the AACSB (July/August 2013) and “Cutting a Path to Prosperity – How Education Pioneers are Building Better Business Schools for the Developing World… and Why” (with co-authors, 2013). Guy is a Fellow of the International Academy of Management.

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James Post, PhD, John F. Smith, Jr. Professorship in Management, Boston University Questrom School of Business

Forum: Fostering Ethical Leadership

*Forum Hosts engage throughout the 60 hours at unscheduled times.

James E. Post holds the John F. Smith, Jr. Professorship in Management. He is a member of the Business Policy & Law Department and teaches courses in strategic management, professional ethics and responsibility, and corporate governance. He is the author or co-author of many books, including “Redefining the Corporation,” with L. Preston and S. Sachs, a study of governance and accountability.

 

See other Boston University VIPs:  Ken Freeman, Robert A. Brown, Michael Salinger, N. Venkatraman

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Claire Preisser, Senior Program Manager, Business and Society, The Aspen Institute

Wed 10/1, 10am – 11am EST
Forum: Engaging New-Generation Students & Employees

Claire Preisser is Senior Program Manager at the Aspen Institute Business and Society Program. In this role, she focuses on dialogue-based projects with business academics and executives; she currently leads the Aspen Undergraduate Business Education Consortium, and the annual Aspen Institute Business Education Symposium. Claire was Program Manager and Associate Director of the Business and Society Program from 2001-7. In 2008-9, Claire was Development Director at the Tobin Project, which seeks to connect academic research agendas with pressing public policy issues. She has also served as freelance writer on several projects examining corporate leadership.

Claire’s early career experiences include two years at a boutique management consulting firm specializing in systems thinking and seven years in direct service roles with the elderly, women in recovery, and political refugees. Claire holds a BA from The College of William and Mary and an MBA from The F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business at Babson College.

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Ajit Rangnekar, Dean, Indian Business School

Tues 9/30, 10am – 11am EST
Forum: Challenging the Business Model of Education

Ajit Rangnekar is the Dean of the Indian School of Business (ISB). Rangnekar leads the School’s vision to be among the globally top-ranked, research-driven management institutions. His role is to attract the best of research faculty to the School, create an

environment that promotes high quality research, strengthen its expertise on emerging markets issues, and to ensure the transformational development of the school’s students and alumni. Rangnekar has been associated with the ISB for close to a decade and has been instrumental in strengthening the School’s relationships with the external stakeholders – industry, policy makers, entrepreneurs, and experts. Rangnekar believes that education institutions have the responsibility to meet the needs of

government, business and society and envisions ISB playing its part in this transformation, not just in India, but all over the world. In line with this mission, he works closely with several international organisations and business school experts on improving the way management education is imparted across the world. He serves as a Director in the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC). He is also a member of the Blue Ribbon Committee of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools

of Business (AACSB). He is also involved in an advisory capacity with several educational, student and regulatory bodies in India. Rangnekar has a background spanning over thirty years in Consulting and Industry across different countries in Asia. Before joining the ISB, he was the Country Head, first for Price Waterhouse Consulting and then for PwC Consulting, in Hong Kong and the Philippines. He was head of the

Telecom and Entertainment Industry Consulting practice for PwC in East Asia (China to Indonesia). He worked with Associated Cements Companies, India prior to moving to Hong Kong. Rangnekar holds an undergraduate degree from the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai, and completed his post graduation in Management from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.

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Ananth Rao, PhD, Chief Academic Officer, Professor, University of Dubai

Wed 10/1, 5pm – 6pm EST
Forum: Producing Research with Impact

Dr. Ananth Rao is a Professor of Finance & Banking and Chief Academic Officer (CAO) at University of Dubai (UD). Dr. Rao obtained his PhD in Applied Economics-Banking from University of Minnesota (USA) in 1991, and MS in the same subject from Purdue University (USA) in 1985.

Prior to joining academics in 1997, Dr. Rao served State Bank of India – a premiere commercial bank in India in various Managerial roles for 15 + years. He passed the coveted Chartered Financial Analysts (CFA) Level 1 examination in June 2000 conducted by the CFA Institute (formerly Association of Investment & Management Research – AIMR) USA. He is an active professional member of Financial Management Association (FMA) International – USA and Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) – USA.

As CAO, he is involved in monitoring and controlling performance of all academic units at UD. Dr. Rao is an active researcher in the areas of Enterprise Risk Management, Investments, Bank Management, ALM, Corporate Finance, Stability of Emerging Financial Markets, Derivatives, and Efficiency of Financial Services Firms. He has more than twenty research publications in refereed international financial journals. Dr. Rao is currently teaching Risk Management, Investments & Portfolio Management, and Strategic Management to MBA students. He was instrumental in earning and maintaining AACSB (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business) international accreditation to UD business school.

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Rebecca L. Ray, PhD, Executive Vice President, Knowledge Organization and Human Capital Practice Lead, The Conference Board

Tues 9/30, 2pm – 3pm EST
Forum: Supporting 21st Century Competencies

Chat: Tues 9/30, 11:00 am – 11:30 am EST
Foster Business School and Corporate Partnerships

Rebecca Ray serves as the Executive Vice President, Knowledge Organization and Human Capital Practice Lead for The Conference Board. In this role, she has oversight of the research planning and dissemination process for all three practices areas (Corporate Leadership, Economics & Business Development and Human Capital) and is responsible for the research agenda which, in turn, drives the business planning process for The Conference Board. She is responsible for overall quality and the continuing integration of our research and engagement efforts. She oversees Ask TCB™ our Business Information Service as well as The Conference Board Review®. Rebecca is the leader of the global human capital practice. Human capital research at The Conference Board focuses on human capital analytics, labor markets, workforce readiness, strategic workforce planning, talent management, diversity and inclusion, human resources, leadership development and employee engagement. In addition to published research, related products and services at The Conference Board include peer learning networks, conferences, webcasts, and experiential and other executive events. She hosts the monthly Human Capital Watch™ webcast, which explores current issues, research and practitioner successes in the fi eld of human capital. She oversees the Human Capital Exchange™, a website that offers research and insights from The Conference Board, our knowledge partners, and human capital practitioners. She created the Senior Fellows Program in human capital with some of the profession’s most acclaimed leaders. She is the Director of The Engagement Institute™, a research community of practice she created with Deloitte Consulting and Sirota. She is the co-author of numerous publications with a focus on leadership development and engagement. Rebecca is a frequent speaker at professional and company sponsored conferences and business briefings around the world. She is often a guest in business media (Bloomberg TV (Hong Kong and Europe) and Bloomberg Radio, CNBC India, and her research, commentary, initiatives and the accomplishments of her various teams have been featured in the Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, and South China Morning Post newspapers as well as in Harvard Business Review, ChiefLearning Offi cer, Leadership Excellence, Training, CIO, Workforce Management, Human Resources, HR Magazine (Hong Kong), Chief Executive Offi cer, HR Magazine (UK), EMBA Magazine (Taiwan), People & Strategy (The Professional Journal of HRPS)and Talent Management. Rebecca was previously a senior executive responsible, at various times, for talent acquisition, organizational learning, training, management and leadership development, employee engagement, performance management, executive assessment, coaching, organizational development, and succession planning at several marquis companies. She taught at Oxford and New York Universities and led a consulting practice for many years, offering leadership assessment and development services to Fortune 500 companies and top-tier professional services fi rms. She was named “Chief Learning Offi cer of the Year” by Chief Learning Offi cer magazine, and one of the “Top 100 People in Leadership Development” by Warren Bennis’s Leadership Excellence magazine. She serves on the Advisory Boards for New York University’s Program in Higher Education/Business Education at The Steinhardt School of Education, and the University of Pennsylvania’s Executive Program in Work-Based Learning Leadership and was recently elected to serve on the Business Practices Council of the AACSB (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business). Rebecca received her Ph.D. from New York University. She is the author of numerous articles and books, including her co-authored work, Measuring Leadership Development (McGraw-Hill) in 2012 and Measuring Employee Engagement (ASTD), expected in 2014.

See other VIP guest from The Conference Board: Jonathan Spector

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John B. Reid-Dodick, JD, Chief People Officer, Dun & Bradstreet Corp.

Wed 10/1, 5pm – 6pm EST
Forum: Driving Learning Experiences

As Chief People Officer of Dun & Bradstreet, John and the HR team are supporting the company’s growth by helping create an authentically human place where top talent committed to the company’s brand and values and obsessed with customers, content, trends, and technology can grow and thrive.

John previously served as Chief People Officer of AOL from 2011 to 2013.  He joined AOL from Thomson Reuters, where he headed HR for Thomson Reuters Markets, which provided content and technology for financial and media markets. Following the Thomson acquisition of Reuters in 2008, Reid-Dodick led the people and culture integration of Reuters and Thomson Financial.  Previously, he held a range of senior HR roles at Reuters in New York and London.

An expert in leadership, talent, and organizational culture and change, John has led a number of initiatives that have received industry awards of excellence and been featured as best practice in publications such as Stephen Bungay, The Art of Action: How Leaders Close the Gaps Between Plans, Actions and Results (2011); Jeff DeGraff and Shawn Quinn, Leading Innovation: How to Jump Start Your Organization’s Growth Engine (2006); and Simon Barrow and Richard Moseley, The Employer Brand (2005).

A lawyer by training, John joined Reuters in 1995, serving as General Counsel for Reuters America from 1997 to 2000.  Prior to Reuters, he was an associate with Sullivan & Cromwell and a law clerk for the Honorable Robert W. Sweet of the Southern District of New York.

John graduated cum laude from Harvard Law School in 1988, where he was Managing Editor of the Harvard Law Review.  He holds a Masters degree in Politics from New York University and a Bachelors degree in Political Studies from the University of Manitoba.

John is married to his high school sweetheart, Darlene, and they have three children – Cassie, a management consultant with Accenture Strategy; Jorie, a 2014 education graduate from Lynn University; and Cody, a sophomore at Georgetown University.

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Max Reinhardt, Worldwide President at DePuy Synthes Spine Companies, Johnson & Johnson

Thursday 10/2, 9am – 10am EST
Forum: Fostering Ethical Leadership

ax Reinhardt is the Worldwide President of DePuy Synthes Spine, a global leader in spinal care. Mr. Reinhardt has been with the company since 2002, most recently as Vice President of Worldwide Marketing.

Mr. Reinhardt began his career with DePuy Spine in 2002 as Director of Sales and Marketing in the U.K. Four years later he became Vice President of Sales in the U.S., and in early 2011, was named Vice President of Worldwide Marketing. In 2012, when Johnson & Johnson completed its acquisition of Synthes, Inc., Mr. Reinhardt was charged with helping to integrate the global spine divisions of both companies into DePuy Synthes Spine.

DePuy Synthes Spine has one of the largest and most diverse portfolios in Spine that includes traditional and minimally invasive devices and solutions for a wide range of spinal disorders. Headquartered in Raynham, Mass., DePuy Synthes Spine is part of the DePuy Synthes Companies, which offer treatments and solutions that span joint reconstruction, trauma, spine, sports medicine, neurological, craniomaxillofacial, power tools and biomaterials.

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