Alumni Summit 2012

Attendees from the Summit

GBF 2012 Alumni Summit, Simon School of Business, Rochester NY

The GBF 2012in Rochester marked the second anniversary of the launch of the GBF Alumni Summit. Inspired by the great success of the first Alumni Summit at ESADE in 2011, the second edition saw alumni from all over the world congregating in Rochester, NY on March 29th-31st. The GBF Alumni Summit 2012 spanned three full days of connections, events and inspiring discussions, punctuated by presentations from successful CEOs, founders and VPs of global companies such as Newell/Rubbermaid, GE Capital and PAETEC Holdings, as well as world-renowned professors, speakers and academics.

Although the GBF 2012 Alumni Summit was held in parallel with the student delegate activities, the events had been tailored to offer a more relaxed schedule for this year’s participating alumni.  The Alumni Summit kicked off with an alumni-only welcome dinner held at the award-winning Good Luck Restaurant, where the delegates were introduced to each other and the GBF Alumni Committee team. Also present was a very special guest, the founder of the GBF Mr. Jim Deveau, who warmly welcomed the participants to the Alumni Summit.

For the next two days, the alumni had the option to partake in the early student delegate’s program or to arrive on campus later. Additionally, a variety of alumni-only events were offered, ensuring that each alumnus would be able to match their schedule to their needs and interests. Over the next couple of days the alumni were offered sessions from a variety of CEOs, VPs, founders, professors and inspirational student projects. A few highlights from the schedule include:

–  Justin Menkes, acclaimed author and specialist on Executive Intelligence, launching the GBF Opening Ceremony with a presentation on the essential traits needed to succeed as an executive, followed by a stimulating debate as he opened the floor for discussion.

– Mike Polk, new CEO of Newell/Rubbermaid, conducting a session highlighting the diverse challenges he had faced in brand management in the course of his impressive career at Unilever. Cases included the famous Dove Campaign for Real Beauty and the re-launch of AXE as a brand, both innovative campaigns that would change advertising forever.

– Bernie Ferrari, chairman and founder of Bernie Ferrari Consulting and 29-year veteran of McKinsey & co, interviewing his old friend Jeff Bornstein, CFO of GE Capital. Topics included the financial crisis, to which Mr. Bornstein had a front-row seat, the current economic situation and perspectives on the political climate, both in the US and in Europe.

– Prof. Edward Deci, professor in psychology at Rochester University and world-renowned for his theories on Motivation, conducting a workshop summarizing his latest research and presenting students and alumni alike with new understandings on how to motivate others – and themselves.

– Prof. Tobin of the Simon School of Business, mediating an alumni-only entrepreneurship seminar in which many of the alumni shared their experiences from their own startups. These ventures included, among others, an academic research tool, an IT firm and a ballet company.

On day two, the Friday Gala traditionally includes the announcement of the host of the GBF 2013, a very special event for both the host and the GBF this year, as 2013 marks the 30th anniversary of the Graduate Business Conference. It was announced that next year’s events would be held at the Indian Business School (ISB) in Hyderabad, India. The following night, at a dinner held at the one-of-a-kind Artisan Works venue in Rochester, the ISB team unveiled their plans for the GBF 2013. Next year will undoubtedly be one of the most incredible GBFs yet, and the GBF Alumni Committee is extremely excited to begin planning an outstanding Alumni Summit 2013 with the ISB-team.

The Alumni Committee would also like to take the opportunity to thank the Rochester Team for their flawless execution of the GBF 2012. These incredible individuals worked for a full year organizing this event, and we cannot emphasize enough the great job they did. We look forward to seeing many of them at the next GBF in 2013 in India.

If you are a former GBC organizer or a delegate we would love for you to join us at the 2013 Alumni Summit! More information will be available soon.

Also, make sure you sign up for the GBF Official Alumni Group on  LinkedIn to keep up to date with all the latest information on GBF-sponsored Groups, Local Events and Announcements!

The 2012 Annual Alumni Summit at Simon School of Business in Rochester, NY.

The 2012 Annual Alumni Summit was held as a parallel event to the Graduate Business Conference in Rochester, New York at the Simon School of Business University of Rochester from March 30-31, 2012.

The Alumni Summit, as usual, provided a great opportunity to hang out with the people you met from your conference, to connect with other alumni from other years (all the way back to 1983), and shared your experience with the current presidents.

Also, make sure you sign up for the GBF Official Alumni Group at LinkedIn to keep up to date with all the latest information on GBF-sponsored Groups, Local Events and Announcements!

Alumni Summit 2012 Speakers

Michael B. Polk
CEO Newell Rubbermaid
Jeffrey S. Bornstein
Senior Vice President GE / CFO GE Capital
Arunas A. Chesonis
Founder PAETEC Holding Corp
Edward L. Deci – PH.D.
University of Rochester
Bernard T. Ferrari
Chairman & Founder Ferrari Consulting
Justin Menkes
Wall Street Journal best seller author & PH.D.