Leadership and Ethics News

Student Leadership and Ethics Board member Maisha Tasnim ’26 explains why utilizing AI to elevate skills empowers the workforce to focus on complex problem-solving, strategic innovation, and nurturing relationships.

Professor Modupe Akinola shares stress management techniques with staff at a California State Prison.

Columbia Business School Professor Aamir Rehman explores ethical considerations in private equity negotiations.

Clara Wu Tsai, Owner of the New York Liberty and Brooklyn Nets, received the 2025 Botwinick Prize for her empowered leadership, transformative investment in women’s sports, and advocacy of science and social justice.

Hear the winner of the 2024 Botwinick Prize in Business Ethics describe his values-based approach to leadership.

Daniel Lubetzky, Founder of KIND Snacks, who embodies the values of curiosity, compassion, and courage, implores future business leaders to change the world by doing the right thing.  

Diversity, equity, and inclusion is breaking through into business schools around the globe. Here we discuss how experts from renown institutions are sharing their knowledge with the wider academic community.

Bernstein Faculty Director Modupe Akinola made her blue-carpet debut as a featured expert on National Geographic’s new docuseries, Limitless with Chris Hemsworth.

The 2022 Klion Forum examined the challenges of political issues for both employees and company leadership.

Distrust of business is rampant in the U.S. Angela Rossetti '80, adjunct assistant professor at New York Medical College, associate at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and Bernstein guest writer, explains how we can turn this around by teaching ethics. 

Indra Nooyi, former CEO and chairman of PepsiCo, opened up about her leadership journey and her hopes for an ethical and fair future.

Tessa West, author and NYU professor of psychology, provides advice on dealing with—and ultimately breaking free from—your most toxic coworkers.

The 2021 Klion Forum examined humanistic leadership through the lens of today’s societal challenges. 

Organizations—including business schools—are increasingly focused on expanding their DEI capabilities. Here we discuss best practices for having productive conversations around DEI.

Matthew McCarthy spoke candidly about his values-based leadership style and his company’s avid social activism during his acceptance of The Botwinick Prize in Business Ethics at Columbia Business School.

Dan Wang, Associate Professor of Business and Bernstein Faculty Leader, puts pen to paper to help our community better understand the experience of being Asian in America.  

The leaders of the multinational corporation dug deep into the importance of the CEO-General Counsel relationship as it relates to organizational culture and shared career advice, including where to start when you’re fresh out of graduate school.

The Phillips Pathway for Inclusive Leadership is a one-of-a-kind co-curricular initiative designed to help students understand and appreciate the inherent value in diversity and inclusion as future business leaders.

Joi Gordon, CEO of Dress for Success Worldwide, reflects on her career journey, which began with early leadership lessons from her mother and continues through her lifelong commitment to service.  

Todd Jick, veteran professor, takes on the role of Reuben Mark Faculty Director of Organizational Character and Leadership this fall.

Modupe Akinola, Associate Professor of Management, steps into the role of Faculty Director this fall.

Recent graduate, Hemish Dave '20, founder of Boda Coffee speaks to his new venture and how CBS prepared him to lead in a sustainable and purposeful way.

The second annual Academic DEI Conference virtually assembled top professors from peer schools around the world to discuss and develop best practices for teaching diversity, equity, and inclusion in business school and beyond.

Former CEO of Honeywell International, David Cote, discusses his new book "Winning Now, Winning Later" and opens up about becoming the leader of a company that was on the verge of failure.

Magda Wierzycka, co-founder and chief executive officer of Sygnia Limited, talks leadership, integrity and seizing opportunities.

Dr. Roy Vagelos ’54PS shares his perspective on the current pandemic as well as leadership insights from his long-storied tenure as CEO of Merck & Co.

Angela Rossetti ’80, a guest lecturer at Columbia’s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, brings to light businesses’ evolving ethical compass by comparing the dishonorable business decisions of the 1918 flu pandemic with the collaborative, moral commitments made by today’s business leaders in the time of Coronavirus.

Top executives discuss leading through the COVID-19 crisis while striking the proper balance between personal and professional.

Bernstein Faculty Leader and David W. Zalaznick Associate Professor of Business, Dan Wang, explores the power behind creating, maintaining, and leveraging meaningful relationships in today’s altered social climate.  

"I have always thought that the relationship between the CEO and the General Counsel is the most important partnership that exists," said Reuben Mark, former CEO of Colgate-Palmolive for nearly two and a half decades. 

James Keyes '80, Chairman of Wild Oats Marketplace and member of the Board at Columbia Business School, cycles through his greatest professional wins and learnings to provide three key pieces of advice for leading through a crises.

President and Chief Executive Officer of outdoor apparel company Patagonia discusses leading a company at the forefront of strong social change and environmental activism.

"We put a ton of emphasis on company culture," David Heath, founder of apparel brand Bombas, said during the Reuben Mark Organizational Leadership Series.

Hilary Krane, the recent Leader-in-Residence for the Reuben Mark Initiative, discusses her vision for leadership and the importance of being a team player as part of an effective organizational culture.

“Change is what’s going to drive improvement of the world,” says Michelle Dunstan, an ESG-focused portfolio manager at asset manager AllianceBernstein.

Tim Kopra ’13 was the guest of honor for the annual Leadership and Ethics: Military in Business Speaker Series where he spoke to his leadership style and the intersection of his military and business careers.

As part of the Reuben Mark Organizational Leadership Series, business and legal executives share their top leadership lessons that help create strong workplace cultures.

Subtle mental shifts can increase people’s responsiveness to the gender gap, and their commitment to doing something about it.

Faculty experts and educational practitioners from peer schools gathered for the inaugural DEI Academic Conference at Columbia Business School. 

The inaugural Leader-in-Residence for the Reuben Mark Initiative discusses personal leadership styles and effective organizational cultures.

The Bernstein Center hosted its annual Klion Forum featuring a discussion on the business case for addressing the global refugee and immigration crisis. 

Felipe Larrain, Minister of Finance of the Government of Chile, discussed global economic policies, climate change, and multi-lateral trade at Columbia Business School with Professor Joseph Stiglitz.

When a corporate scandal occurs, business leaders should be able look to their organizational values to see them through.  

A panel of industry leaders discussed gender equality, diversity, and inclusiveness in today’s corporate workplace with Columbia Business School's Professor Katherine W. Phillips.

Kenneth Frazier, CEO of Merck & Co., Inc., broke away from the earnings guidance from shareholders and continued the core commitment to research, substantially refocusing the organization on the launch and growth of products that benefit the public for the long term.