Darden Businesscasts

The Darden Leadership Speaker Series welcomes Tobias Dengel, CEO of WillowTree. This event was co-sponsored by the Darden Technology Club. Prior to his role as CEO of WillowTree, Tobias co-founded Leads.com in 2003, based in Northern Virginia. He was at AOL from 1996 to 2003, with his final role being VP of AOL Local. Tobias holds a BS in Economics and a BS in Engineering, both from the University of Pennsylvania. WillowTree, Inc. is an international leader in digital strategy, design and development. The majority of its 150 employees are in Charlottesville, VA with an additional office in Durham, NC. Clients include HBO, Johnson & Johnson, GE, Fox News, CBS Sports, Regal Cinemas and Wyndham Hotels. Recorded 15 July 2017.

Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth President Shamina Singh is leading a global effort to close the data divide between data “haves” and “have-nots” so that the two billion people who are not currently participating in the formal economy can access the technology and tools needed to benefit from modern financial services. In this Darden Ideas to Action C-Suite Insights interview with University of Virginia Darden School of Business Dean Scott Beardsley, Singh details the steps she and global leaders are taking to end information inequality, which she calls “the issue of our time.” From banking on smart phones to data-collection systems used to confirm the identity of people in developing countries who don’t even have birth certificates, Singh said there are incredible technologies available today in financial services, but that those technologies must be put to use to achieve results that improve financial inclusion. 

Aston Martin former Chairman and former CEO Dr. Ulrich Bez sat down with University of Virginia Darden School of Business Dean Scott Beardsley to discuss the future of the luxury automaker, including how new technologies like electric vehicles, self-driving features and connected car features will change the iconic vehicles known for their custom craftsmanship. Bez also discusses the importance of Aston Martin’s relationship with the James Bond movie franchise and what new products customers will see from the company in the future.

What makes startups successful? Professors Raul Chao from Darden and Batten Fellow Rahul Basole from Georgia Tech discuss their research project, Visualizing the Startup Genome. This study brings together innovation science and computational toolkits to understand how the core elements of startup activities such as recruitment and financing, as well as the sequence of these events, relate to performance. Their project analyzes structured and unstructured data, as well as other forms of data such as images and video, to gain insights useful for innovation leaders. They also discuss the importance of data visualization for effective communication with a variety of stakeholders. Hosted by Erika Herz from Darden’s Batten Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.    

In this interview, you'll hear how RelishMBA co-founder Zach Mayo took his project from idea to tested business model. If you have a new idea and you're just dying to get some software built, don't listen to this interview because that's not what happened. Zach and his co-founder put their idea through the paces with minimum viable product (MVP) vehicles like PowerPoint and curated emails. Their idea changed substantially during the process and so did (ultimately) their software. If you want to hear about a lean, disciplined approach to new product development, tune in!

Kim Morrish (MBA’93), Owner and Director of Ground Control Ltd. joins us as part of Darden's Leadership Speaker Series. Kim and her husband are directors and majority shareholders of Ground Control Ltd., the UK’s largest landscaping company with over £100 million in annual turnover. In 2016, Ground Control received the prestigious Queen’s Award for Innovation for their leading edge technology that enables a rapid response to evolving customer demands. Additionally, Kim has launched several start-ups, acquired five businesses and enjoys backing promising entrepreneurs in new ventures. Kim holds a BA in Foreign Affairs from the University of Virginia and an MBA from the Darden School of Business.

Cultivating successful relationships between enterprise software vendors and their customers is a challenge- you know if you've been there! The customer has a lot of moving parts and your job is to listen, consider, and deliver them a good outcome. That's why they came to you in the first place. In this episode, Oren talks about his process at Socialcast (a VMWare company), balancing customer input with data and purposeful experimentation to get the customer great outcomes. 

Senior Associate Dean and Chief Strategy Officer Mike Lenox moderates a fireside chat with Jim Moffatt, CEO, Global Consulting, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited and Deputy CEO, Deloitte LLP, as part of Darden's Leadership Speaker Series. Since joining the Deloitte U.S. practice in 1987, Jim has earned a long-standing reputation for serving clients with distinction from strategy through execution and developing the next generation of leaders. He has served in various senior positions in Deloitte U.S., including serving as Chairman and CEO of Deloitte Consulting LLP from 2011-2015. Additionally, Jim has authored multiple articles on leadership, innovation, talent management, and mentoring in top tier media outlets including Bloomberg Business Week, Fox Business, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Forbes, CNBC.com, Huffington Post, and Consulting magazine. Recorded 15 November 2016.

How can universities be a significant engine for economic growth in their local communities and beyond? In The Economic Impact of Entrepreneurial Alumni: A Case Study of the University of Virginia, researchers Michael Lenox, Andrew King and Asif Mehedi from Darden, along with Batten Fellow Charles Eesley from Stanford, look at the pathways by which universities help generate economic growth and create jobs. They examine–based on a survey undertaken in 2013–the entrepreneurial efforts of U.Va. alumni who have founded new ventures, been one of the first five employees, served on the governing or advisory board, or provided capital to the venture. Carefully extrapolated, the responses to the survey suggest that entrepreneurially active alumni have created approximately 65,000 companies, 2.3 million jobs, and estimated annual global revenues of $1.6 trillion. The researchers discuss the methodology, data visualization, and ramifications of their work. Hosted by Erika Herz of Darden’s Batten Institute for Entrepre

McKinsey & Co. Global Managing Partner Dominic Barton sat down with University of Virginia Darden School of Business Dean Scott Beardsley during a recent visit to the School for a Darden Ideas to Action C-Suite Insights interview where the two discussed the four key trends impacting McKinsey’s clients around the world. Barton explained how business model redesign, organizational change, the introduction of advanced technology and business resilience were burning issues for many companies, regardless of where they operate. Beardsley and Barton also discussed new models of leadership given vast global change for employees, MBA students and McKinsey clients.

The Darden Leadership Speaker Series kicks-off its 2016-17 season with Dominic Barton, Global Managing Partner of McKinsey & Company. In his 30 years with the firm, Dominic has advised clients in a range of industries including banking, consumer goods, high tech and industrials. Prior to his current role, Dominic was based in Shanghai as McKinsey’s Asia Chairman from 2004 to 2009 and led the Korea office from 2000 to 2004.  For a full bio, visit http://www.mckinsey.com/our-people/dominic-barton Introduction by Dean Scott Beardsley. Recorded 8 September 2016.

What are the best ways to motivate socially-minded entrepreneurs to persevere in their quest to take on the world’s most pressing challenges? Using the tools of decision analysis and certainty equivalents, Darden professor and Batten Fellow Sam Bodily compared various backer financing mechanisms that encourage founders to launch a startup that has unacceptable risk although positive expected payout. These mechanisms include three traditional models: equity, incentive gifts, and insurance against downside loss. He also looked at two new ideas: swap hedges and revenue contracts, calculating the comparative risk-adjusted attractiveness of each mechanism to the entrepreneur for a similar level of expected cost to the backer. These efficient new ideas eliminate moral hazard and leave ownership in the hands of the entrepreneur. Hosted by Erika Herz of Darden’s Batten Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. To learn more, read Darden Ideas to Action.

More than 10 million Syrians are currently refugees in other countries or displaced from their homes within Syria, and more than five million of those people are children, according to Save the Children President and CEO Carolyn Miles. University of Virginia Darden School of Business Dean Scott Beardsley sat down with Miles, a 1988 Darden graduate, to discuss the biggest issues facing the safety and wellbeing of children in the world today as well as how organizations like Save the Children and Darden can inspire people to take on the world’s biggest challenges. Miles told Beardsley of her travel around the world to more than 80 countries where she has seen families disrupted by everything from war in Syria to poverty in Ethiopia to natural disasters in Nepal, but said she remains inspired by meeting children and the parents who want a better world for them.

Less than 2 percent of the world’s fresh water supply is required for basic human needs like hydration and sanitation. How should the world manage the other 98.5 percent of what is becoming an increasingly stressed and scarce resource? The challenges are many and global, but former Nestlé CEO and current Chairman Peter Brabeck is leading the charge among world leaders by fighting to make water challenges one of the highest priority issues for the United Nations and the World Economic Forum. He’s also leading a public-private partnership known as the 2030 Water Resources Group to start addressing the individual challenges one by one, from a global to a local level. In this latest installment of Darden Ideas to Action C-Suite Insights with Dean Scott Beardsley, Brabeck discusses his views and efforts around water. He also provides unique insight into what he hopes his legacy will be at Nestlé and advice for those at the beginning of their professional careers.

Corporate buyback activity has been a hot topic for investment analysts and market watchers.  Companies have bought back trillions of dollars of their own stock since the financial crisis.  Is buyback activity propping up the stock market?  Are buybacks a function of the broader economic environment?  What’s next?  Jake DuBois and Frank Coughlin, two Darden Capital Management student leaders spent a semester looking at the academic and industry research to gain a better understanding.  A research course from the Mayo Center for Asset Management helped them to explore the topic.

Darden School of Business Dean Scott Beardsley hosts PricewaterhouseCoopers Chief Financial Officer Carol Sawdye for a discussion about her career journey, global trends facing PwC’s clients, and her views on why it is important as a leader to speak out in support of important workplace issues like diversity and same-sex partnership rights.   PwC is one of the largest global professional services firms in the world, and Sawdye rose to the rank of CFO after leaving the firm early in her career to pursue other opportunities like serving as CFO of the National Basketball Association. She credits her aggressive and risk-tolerant approach to her career path as a key to coming back to PwC in a top leadership position. Dean Beardsley questions Sawdye about her advice for others on forging a career path and how business schools can better prepare students to make an impact at firms like PwC.

Darden School of Business Dean Scott Beardsley hosts ADT Corp. CEO Naren Gursahaney (MBA '89) for a discussion about how new smart technologies for the home are revolutionizing the home security business and driving disruptive innovation. The ADT Pulse suite of apps for your smart phone and the company’s partnership with Nest to sync control of a Nest Learning Thermostat with an ADT home security system through a mobile app are just a few examples of how ADT is innovating for the future. Wireless, connected devices and gadgets are a growing part of the smart home of the future, and they’re changing the way home security and monitoring is done as the sector focuses more on convenience for the consumer through automation and 24/7 ability to check on the security and status of a residence.

In this episode, Kiran describes a project where he was creating an in-store pickup option for buyers on eBay. When you've innovating in the context of a large, existing infrastructure you have to consider how a new concept will fit within the existing customer experience, not to mention, technical, logistical,and legal/regulatory frameworks in place. Kiran discuss his process for engaging with this web of people and process to introduce a successful innovation. You'll also hear a little about Kiran's career story- spoiler alert: it involves packing a car, driving across the country, and finding the cheapest possible place for a job seeker to live while in Silicon Valley.

In this episode, Josh describes a project where he was enhancing the signup and conversion on Google for Work. You'll hear about the project charter and how Josh and his colleagues used a disciplined process to iterate toward better and better outcomes. You'll also hear a little about Josh's career story. 

The Darden Leadership Speaker series welcomes John Mackey, co-founder and co-CEO of Whole Foods Market. Mr. Mackey has led the natural and organic grocer to a $15 billion Fortune 500 company with more than 435 stores and 85,000 team members in three countries. The company has been included on Fortune magazine’s“100 Best Companies to Work For” list for 18 consecutive years and ranked first in the food and drug store industry as part of the magazine’s “Most Admired Companies” list in 2016. A strong believer in free market principles, Mackey co-founded the Conscious Capitalism Movement. (http://consciouscapitalism.org/) The presentation was co-sponsored in partnership with the Adam Smith Society and Net Impact at Darden. Recorded 22 March, 2016.