Smith Business Magazine: Special Silver Jubilee Edition - Magazine - Page 16
CAREERS
LEARNING FROM
LEGENDS
Smith’s Biggest Events Bring
Big Names in Business
We’ve welcomed some impressive guests at Smith's biggest events over the
years—from Fortune 500 CEOs to famous entrepreneurs. These opportunities have
allowed our students, alumni, faculty and guests to learn from true legends in the
business world.
We’ve celebrated graduates at commencements, had leaders share insights at
CEO at Smith, and hosted Women Inspire to celebrate women business leaders.
Entrepreneurs have vied for tens of thousands of dollars in prizes to fund
their businesses at Cupid’s Cup and, more recently, in the Dingman Center for
Entrepreneurship's annual Pitch Dingman Competition. Successful entrepreneurs
have participated in the Robert G. Hisaoka ’79 Speakers Series.
Alumni, students and faculty have met to discuss and celebrate social
enterprises, social responsibility and corporate sustainability at the Center for
Social Value Creation’s Social Enterprise Symposium.
The Ed Snider Center for Enterprise and Markets hosts The Steamboat Institute’s
Campus Liberty Tour debate series, where attendees hear multiple perspectives
on a hotly debated topic. In the past, this center also hosted the BB&T Colloquium
on Capitalism, Ethics and Leadership, where business leaders shared insights from
their successful careers. Here are some of the highlights.
2008
COMMENCEMENT
BB&T COLLOQUIUM
—Robert H. Smith ’50, former chairman of Charles E. Smith Cos.
/
SMITH BUSINESS: SILVER JUBILEE EDITION /
WOMEN INSPIRE
“Women do not promote their
accomplishments as much, so we have
to use each other as support networks
in order to share all of the great work
that we’re doing.”
—Sherika Ekpo, MBA ’09, global diversity and inclusion lead, Google AI
2015
CEO AT SMITH
“Greatness is not an individual pursuit.
We put into action an entrepreneurial
idea that was good for business, good
for consumers and good for society.”
—Indra Nooyi, chairman and CEO, PepsiCo
2015
“The world today is very different from the
day I graduated, and it is changing almost
too swiftly to comprehend. It is vital you
become involved, and take an active part
in shaping the world which you are going
to inherit from my generation.”
14
2020
“It’s a shame that our children don’t really
understand what capitalism is, and they
don’t really understand that it’s not a dirty
word. No system is perfect, but there is no
other system that can compare. It’s what
enabled this country to become great.”
—Ed Snider ’55, founder, Philadelphia Flyers; chairman, Comcast Spectacor
fall 2023
2016
PITCH DINGMAN
“Events like this really encourage and support
young entrepreneurs to help move things
forward. Without question in my mind,
entrepreneurship is really the engine for
growth and a catalyst for innovation in
this country.”
—David Quattrone, MBA ’05, co-founder and CTO, Cvent Inc.
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