Harvard Business School Alumni

Network: President’s Report

GLF Showcases London

Ted Fischer (PMD 71, 1996) President HBS Alumni Association Photo by Stuart Cahill

After a long summer break, it was great to get together with the Alumni Board on campus in mid-October and to welcome twelve new members. Before I highlight the important committee work ahead, let me first bring you up-to-date on the Global Leadership Forum (GLF) set for June 21–23 in London.

The forum, titled “New Barriers and New Opportunities: Leading in an Uncertain World,” is shaping up to be a truly remarkable event. Professor Nancy Koehn, the forum’s faculty chair, has done an outstanding job of organizing a lineup of HBS faculty and industry leaders who will deliver cutting-edge thinking on a variety of timely business topics. Participants will hear presentations by HBS professors Clayton Christensen, Howard Stevenson, Krishna Palepu, Max Bazerman, and Debora Spar, among others. Sir Ronald Cohen (MBA ’69), executive chairman of Apax Partners, a leading private equity firm; and Sir Martin Sorrell (MBA ’68), chief executive of WPP Group and the forum’s alumni chair, also will speak.

The planning committee, chaired by Sherry Leigh Coutu (MBA ’93), has put together an extraordinary social program, including a welcome reception at Guildhall, a networking dinner at The British Museum, and a gala dinner at the Royal Albert Hall featuring a command performance of Romeo & Juliet by the English National Ballet. Come early for optional trips to France or Ireland, or stay afterward for golf in Scotland or tennis at Wimbledon. There’s even a fun and educational two-day program for kids ages 11 to 18. Get details and register online at www.alumni.hbs.edu/glf/. But don’t wait until the last minute. Based on the huge success of the Shanghai forum last June, the London event will quickly reach its limit of 1,000 participants.

In addition to providing ongoing planning support for the GLF, the board this year has organized around three committees, each with a variety of projects.

Priority one for the Alumni Career Services Committee, chaired by Andy Waite (MBA ’93), is assisting with the successful launch of the online Alumni Job Bank. Chris Sullivan, director of HBS Alumni Career Services, previewed the new service, which will feature the ability to search jobs by industry, function, geographic region, salary range, keyword, and type of position. Modeled after the Job Bank built for MBA students in 2002, the site will be updated with new information daily, and jobs will remain active for ninety days. The service debuted in limited release in November and will ramp up to full service early next year.

The Knowledge Network Committee, chaired by Debby Farrington (MBA ’76), is working on plans to better inform alumni of all the educational resources available to them as graduates of the School. In addition, the group will explore ways to attract more alumni to the School’s lifelong learning programs, including working with HBS clubs and associations to identify and deliver such programs.

The Executive Education Alumni Committee, chaired by Flavia Almeida (MBA ’94), will continue efforts begun last year to design a workable reunion model for Executive Education alumni. The committee also will work with staff to develop specific outreach efforts that will address the unique needs of Executive Education graduates and connect them more readily to the School and to their fellow alumni.

I’ll keep you posted on all the committees’ work as the year progresses. In closing, let me say that one of the things that really impresses me about the Alumni Board is the level of intensity and commitment each of these volunteer members brings to strengthening the relationship between alumni and the School.