The Silfen Distinguished Leaders Lecture Series launched the spring semester with two renowned guest speakers: Anita Roddick, founder and cochair of the Body Shop, and Sanford I. Weill, chairman and CEO of Citigroup.
A self-described renegade business leader, activist and agitator, Roddick spoke to students on the first day of classes about the importance of corporate responsibility. She cited the Body Shop as an example of a company whose profits have not been harmed by its emphasis on human rights and social justice and encouraged other companies to follow suit.
Weill spoke to students a few days later, noting that graduating MBAs are entering into an extremely exciting marketplace. As leader of the world’s largest financial services company and with more than 45 years of finance experience, Weill predicted that the business world will see more change in the next decade than has occurred in the past 30 years and encouraged students to take risks to achieve success.