Speakers
Whole Foods’ John Mackey Is Out to Change American Business
John Mackey, the CEO of Whole Foods Market chain, has loftier goals than getting Americans to eat healthy foods, one of the missions of his grocery empire. He is out to change American business as well, putting it on the path to higher consciousness.
Electric Cars Are Alive and Well, Says Carlos Ghosn
The electric car, a vehicle that was practically gone before it arrived, is anything but dead, Carlos Ghosn, the widely celebrated CEO of both Nissan and Renault, told a Stanford Graduate School of Business audience.
Balance of Power Shift Coming Says Wolfensohn, Former World Bank President
In the next 40 years, a global power shift will see today's leading economic countries drop from having 80% of the world's income to 35%, says John Wolfensohn, former World Bank president. By 2030, two-thirds of people in the world's middle class will be Chinese.
Best Entrepreneurs Attempt the Impossible Says John Doerr
The best entrepreneurs have a thirst for knowledge and may be willing to attempt the impossible, venture capitalist John Doerr told a student audience.
The Right Decisions Aren't Always Easy, Says Avon's Jung
Andrea Jung stuck with a company she loved. Today, she's turning heads, as Avon's CEO. The firm is a success story in a brutal economic climate.
TARP Head Allison Challenges the Banking Industry
Banking industry executives need to look broadly at changes to reform the American financial system, says Herbert Allison, MBA '71, the head of the government's Troubled Asset Relief Program.
Culture and People Made the Difference Says Kovacevich
Success in the business world is less about brains and more about developing people, Richard Kovacevich, MBA '67, chairman of Wells Fargo, told a View from the Top audience.
Networking Is More Than Lots of Names, Says Heidi Roizen
Networking is more than having a hefty collection of business cards and attending A-list parties. Heidi Roizen has been a Silicon Valley CEO, a venture capitalist, and a corporate board member but “the homework never ends,” she told students.
Don’t Invest in Russia Today, Warns Bill Browder
Hermitage Capital Management went from $25 million to $4 billion by investing in undervalued Russian companies. Today its founder, Bill Browder, MBA '89, says anyone investing in Russia long term "is out of their mind."
Credit Card Pioneer Fairbank Recalls the Early Days
As founder of Capital One Financial Corp., Richard Fairbank revolutionized the credit card industry with teaser rates and zero-balance transfers. But in the beginning he recalls, he had "no money, no experience, and no ideas."
Nobel Laureate Sharpe: There Are No Shortcuts in Investing
Although Nobel Laureate William F. Sharpe didn't give listeners any new advice about how to weather the current financial crisis and fill the holes in their portfolios, he did explain during a speech on the Stanford University campus how futile it is to read sure-thing investing books or watch the latest financial guru to find easy answers.
September 11 Attacks Changed FBI Focus
Today the Federal Bureau of Investigation is more focused on counterterrorism around the world than on racking up big numbers of arrests FBI Director Robert Mueller told a student audience.
Don't Waste Volunteers' Time
Many nonprofits fail to use their volunteers effectively, asking them to stuff envelopes when they could be doing more skilled and mission-critical work, speakers told a Stanford conference. While financial donations dropped in 2008, volunteering rose to more than 8 billion hours of service, worth an estimated $162 billion.
Microlending Gives Dignity to People with Leprosy
In India, microlending has been a powerful tool in helping individuals with leprosy move from a life of begging to economic self-sufficiency, leaders of the group Rising Star Outreach told a student audience.
Strategic Management: Routes to Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition
Four entrepreneurs discuss the idea of acquiring a small business as a route to entrepreneurship. The participants took different routes to Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA): search funds, a self-funded search, and a search sponsored by a private equity fund. Each entrepreneur shares his decision making on the right time to take the path of ETA. Participants: Moderator Peter Kelly; David Kennedy, Sean Callahan, Ciaran Power, and Michael Sanabria. Recorded: Oct. 5, 2009 as part of Strategic Management 543 course.
Microlending Gives Dignity to People with Leprosy
In India, microlending has been a powerful tool in helping individuals with leprosy move from a life of begging to economic self-sufficiency, leaders of the group Rising Star Outreach told a Business School student audience.
What's It Like to be the Boss of the "Most Interesting Man in the World?"
He’s suave, he’s wise, and his advice is always: “Stay thirsty, my friends.” Jose Antonio Fernandez, chairman and CEO of FEMSA, the largest bottler in Latin America, is the man behind the ad campaign featuring The Most Interesting Man in the World.
Oracle CFO's Career Didn't Follow Straight Path
When Jeff Epstein earned his Stanford MBA in 1979 and went to work for Boston Consulting Group on Sand Hill Road, he didn’t know about a young company a mile away—a company that would later become Oracle. Three decades later, Epstein is Oracle’s chief financial officer, but his path was no simple one-mile drive.
Leadership Means Responsibility
In his View from the Top speech, Dean Robert Joss defines what it means to be "at the top": "It's any position where you take responsibility for a group with a mission to fulfill."
Approach to Leadership Evolves
Jose Antonio Fernandez, Chairman and CEO of FEMSA, the largest beverage company in Latin America, discusses how his approach to leadership has evolved over the years.
Financial Institutions Caused this Crisis Says Wells Fargo’s Kovacevich
The current financial crisis was caused by financial institutions themselves, not by their customers, Richard Kovacevich, MBA ‘67, chairman of Wells Fargo, told a Stanford audience. Financial institutions exhibited a total disregard for basic risk management fundamentals “and even common sense.” It was fueled by greed, lapses in ethical behavior, and was unchecked by the ratings agencies he told a gathering of business and academic leaders at the day-long program organized by the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research on March 13.
Google’s Schmidt: 2009 is a Good Year to Be a New Graduate
Google Chairman and CEO Eric Schmidt told a Business School audience 2009 is a good time to be graduating. "Assets are cheap and expectations are set realistically. . . .Change happens when things are hard."
Gates CEO Jeff Raikes: Have a Plan But Be Flexible
Gates Foundation CEO Jeff Raikes has taken a circuitous path to lead one of the world’s largest philanthropic organizations. He started out on the farm then fell in love with software development. As his father advised, he’s flexible.
Colombian Vice President Santos Urges Investment, Free Trade
Colombia still has problems with drug cartels but a dramatic drop in violence and greater government investment in education, health, and democratic institutions makes it a good country for corporations to invest, Colombian Vice President Francisco Santos told a Business School audience.