Programs & Events
Live from Klarman Hall
Live from Klarman Hall

On June 2 and 3, 2023, HBS faculty will address a range of issues facing business and society, seen through the lens of their research and teaching, as part of the 2023 Spring Reunions. Alumni are invited to watch several of these presentations via livestream from Klarman Hall.
The livestream sessions will appear on this page beginning June 2 at 8:30 a.m. EDT.
2023 SPRING REUNION PRESENTATIONS
Friday, June 2, 2023
8:30 a.m. EDT
Dean’s Welcome Address
Dean Srikant Datar
Hear an update on the Dean’s key priorities, which will strengthen and accelerate
the School’s impact in the world.
10:00–11:15 a.m. EDT
Competing in the Age of AI
Karim Lakhani
We have entered a new era in which artificial intelligence (AI) is challenging the very concept of how a company is put together. AI-centric organizations exhibit a new operating architecture, redefining how they create, capture, share, and deliver value. Professor Lakhani will discuss how reinventing the firm around data, analytics, and AI removes traditional constraints on scale, scope, and learning that have constrained business growth for hundreds of years. From Airbnb to Ant Financial, research shows how AI-driven processes are vastly more scalable than traditional processes, enable companies to straddle industry boundaries, and open up powerful opportunities for learning.
11:45 a.m.–1:00 p.m. EDT
The Trusted Leader: Building, Rebuilding, and Maintaining Trust
Frances Frei
Trust is the foundation for everything we do. By learning to trust one another more, we can unlock unprecedented human progress. In this highly interactive session, Professor Frei shares an intuitive framework for building and maintaining trust. Through introspection, you will identify how to earn trust, rebuild it if broken, and how to avoid trust shortfalls in the future.
Saturday, June 3, 2023
10:00–11:15 a.m. EDT
Dignity, the Populist Backlash, and the War in Ukraine: How to Imagine the Next Global
Economy
Rawi Abdelal
The greatest challenge to the sustainability of our current era of globalization comes from within the US. Most Americans now reject globalization. What can we learn from parts of the developed world where the backlash is also profound—or more muted? One conclusion: It is not just about money. Those who feel left behind feel they have lost respect and dignity. The populist backlash also coincides with a shift in the global balance of power. We will explore the ways in which the disappointments with globalization in the West connect to the efforts of other great powers to rewrite the rules of the system.
11:45 a.m.–1:00 p.m. EDT
The Portfolio Life: How to Future-Proof Your Career, Avoid Burnout, and Build a Life
Bigger Than Your Business Card
Christina Wallace
If there's one thing that the pandemic and the resulting economic volatility has made painfully clear, it's that most people need—and want—a dramatically different relationship with work. Whether you are personally experiencing this shift, or you're seeing the transformation in the teams you manage, the demand for a new model is clear. Join Senior Lecturer Christina Wallace for a discussion of her new book, The Portfolio Life, which offers a framework for work and life. Participants will leave this session with a new model that upends the notion they should have ever been at odds.
2:30–3:45 p.m. EDT
Moving from Strength to Strength in Work, Life, & Happiness
Arthur Brooks
Our skills and interests naturally change as we age—a fact that can be difficult and frightening for many “strivers.” How can we prepare for the changes that come later in life, and how can we structure our lives in a way that uncovers new strengths and leads to lasting happiness? Blending the latest in behavioral social science research, ancient wisdom, and historical analysis, Professor Brooks will reveal how effectiveness and wellbeing at all stages of life come not from holding on to past achievements, but from cultivating new habits and a different understanding of success and fulfillment.
PAST PROGRAMS
Srikant M. Datar
HBS Alumni Conference: Accelerating Climate Solutions Welcome Remarks
Wednesday, May 10, 2023
Srikant M. Datar, Dean of the Faculty; George F. Baker Professor of Administration
George Serafeim (DBA 2010), Charles M. Williams Professor of Business Administration
Lynn Schenk, Director, HBS Business & Environment Initiative
George Serafeim (DBA 2010)
How Climate Is Central to Every Business
Wednesday, May 10, 2023
Faculty Moderator: George Serafeim (DBA 2010), Charles M. Williams Professor of Business Administration
Speakers: Shirley Lu, Assistant Professor of Business Administration; John Macomber (MBA 1983), Senior Lecturer of Business Administration; Mike Toffel, Senator John Heinz Professor of Environmental Management; Gunnar Trumbull (PMD 76, 2001), Phillip Caldwell Professor of Business Administration
Peter Tufano (MBA 1984, PHDBE 1989)
Toward a Decarbonized Future: Who Pays? Who Profits?
Wednesday, May 10, 2023
Faculty Moderator: Peter Tufano (MBA 1984, PHDBE 1989), Baker Foundation Professor
Speakers: Scott Jacobs (MBA 2007), CEO & Cofounder, Generate Capital; Girish Nadkarni (MBA 1988), Senior Advisor, OCGI Climate Investments; Jayant Sinha (MBA 1992), Member of the Indian Parliament and Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Finance; Dan Stephens, Senior Partner, McKinsey & Company
Eleanor Laurans (MBA 2006)
Rebuilding Industry and Infrastructure: The Need for a New Climate Workforce
Wednesday, May 10, 2023
Faculty Moderator: Eleanor Laurans (MBA 2006), Senior Lecturer of Business Administration
Speakers: Evette Ellis, Cofounder & Chief Workforce Officer, ChargerHelp!; Kate Gordon, Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Energy, US Department of Energy; Gordon Jones, President, College of Western Idaho (CWI)
George Serafeim (DBA 2010)
Driving Climate Performance Through Accountability and Governance
Wednesday, May 10, 2023
Faculty Moderator: George Serafeim (DBA 2010), Charles M. Williams Professor of Business Administration
Speakers: Carter Roberts (MBA 1988), President & CEO, World Wildlife Fund; Debora Spar (PMD 62, 1991), Jaime and Josefina Chua Tiampo Professor of Business Administration; Senior Associate Dean for Business and Global Society; Board Director, Thermo Fisher Scientific; Bonita Stewart (MBA 1983), Board Partner, Gradient Ventures; Lauren Taylor Wolfe, Cofounder & Managing Partner, Impactive Capital
Peter Tufano (MBA 1984, PHDBE 1989)
Competition or Collaboration? Navigating a Path for Successful Climate Alliances
Wednesday, May 10, 2023
Faculty Moderator: Peter Tufano (MBA 1984, PHDBE 1989), Baker Foundation Professor
Speakers: Angela Barranco, Executive Director for North America, Climate Group; Mindy Lubber, President & CEO, Ceres; Curtis D. Ravenel, Senior Advisor, Co-Chair and Vice-Chair, Glasgow Alliance for Net Zero; Eric Usher, Head, UNEP Finance Initiative
Jim Matheson (MBA 2001)
Beyond Business as Usual: Climate Disruptors
Wednesday, May 10, 2023
Faculty Moderator: Jim Matheson (MBA 2001), Senior Lecturer of Business Administration
Speakers: Danielle Colson (MBA 2022), Cofounder & Chief Operating Officer, Mantel; Richard Needham (MBA 2002), Chief Commercial Officer, Commonwealth Fusion Systems; Carmichael Roberts, Partner, Breakthrough Energy Ventures; Cofounder & Managing Partner, Material Impact
Peter Tufano (MBA 1984, PHDBE 1989)
Closing Remarks: Your Role in the Climate Future
Wednesday, May 10, 2023
William A. Sahlman
Entrepreneurial Solutions to World Problems
Panelists: Colin Hill, GNS Healthcare; Evan Marwell (MBA 1992), Educational Superhighway; Chris McKown (MBA 1981), Iora Health; Shara Ticku (MBA 2017), C16 Biosciences
Friday, November 4, 2022
Colleen Ammerman
Solutions that Work: Increasing Diversity in Startups, VCs, and Tech
Saturday, November 5, 2022
Moderator: Colleen Ammerman, Director, HBS Race, Gender, and Equity Initiative
Panelists: Gil Addo (MBA 2011), RubiconMD; Professor Jeffrey J. Bussgang (MBA 1995), on behalf of Hack Diversity, Flybridge VC; Sarah Fay, Glasswing Ventures, All Raise; Leslie Feinzeig (MBA 2007), Graham & Walker Venture Fund, Female Founders Alliance
Dean Srikant Datar
Dean's Welcome Address
Friday, October 14, 2022
Video Recording
Rawi Abdelal
Dignity, the Populist Backlash, and the War in Ukraine: How to Imagine the Next Global
Economy
Friday, October 14, 2022
The greatest challenge to the sustainability of our current era of globalization comes from within the US. Most Americans now reject globalization. What can we learn from parts of the developed world where the backlash is also profound—or more muted? One conclusion: It is not just about money. Those who feel left behind feel they have lost respect and dignity. The populist backlash also coincides with a shift in the global balance of power. We will explore the ways in which the disappointments with globalization in the West connect to the efforts of other great powers to rewrite the rules of the system.
Karim Lakhani
Competing in the Age of AI
Saturday, October 15, 2022
We have entered a new era in which artificial intelligence (AI) is challenging the very concept of how a company is put together. AI-centric organizations exhibit a new operating architecture, redefining how they create, capture, share, and deliver value. Professor Lakhani will discuss how reinventing the firm around data, analytics, and AI removes traditional constraints on scale, scope, and learning that have constrained business growth for hundreds of years. From Airbnb to Ant Financial, research shows how AI-driven processes are vastly more scalable than traditional processes, enable companies to straddle industry boundaries, and open up powerful opportunities for learning.
Rawi Abdelal
Dignity, the Populist Backlash, and the War in Ukraine: How to Imagine the Next Global
Economy
Saturday, June 11, 2022
The greatest challenge to the sustainability of our current era of globalization comes from within the United States. Most Americans have come to reject globalization. We must discern the lessons from the parts of the developed world where the backlash is also profound—and where it has been more muted. There is one inescapable conclusion: It is not just about money. Those who feel left behind feel they have lost respect and dignity. We must begin to imagine together how to build a more politically sustainable globalization by focusing on how people find meaning and purpose in their work.
Arthur Brooks
From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second
Half of Life
Friday, June 17, 2022
It is an almost inevitable—and, to many of us, frightening—fact that our professional abilities decline as we age. As leaders, how can we prepare for the changes that come later in life, and how can we structure our lives in a way that uncovers new strengths and leads to lasting happiness? Blending the latest in behavioral social science research, ancient wisdom, and historical analysis, Professor Brooks will reveal how effectiveness and wellbeing at all stages of life come not from holding on to past achievements, but from cultivating new habits and a different understanding of success and fulfillment.
Dean Srikant Datar
Dean’s Welcome Address
Friday, June 3, 2022
Hear an update on the Dean’s key priorities, which will strengthen and accelerate the School’s impact in the world.
Francesca Gino
Managing a Polarized Workforce
Friday, June 3, 2022
One of the toughest challenges leaders face is managing diverse perspectives. At the same time, productive disagreement and engagement with opposing views are crucial to high-functioning teams and organizations. Drawing from my research I will discuss how leaders can approach disagreements productively and help employees at all levels do so. Tactics include training that defuses fears of disagreeing; encourages people to cultivate a receptive mindset; teaches people to choose words carefully, hedge claims, and emphasize areas of agreement; and fosters a culture of tolerance. Honing these skills can decrease frustration and negativity and is well worth the effort.
Ranjay Gulati
Deep Purpose: The Heart and Soul of High-Performance Companies
Tuesday, June 7, 2022
Drawing upon my recent book, I will offer a compelling reassessment of purpose as a management ethos, documenting the performance gains and social benefits that become possible when firms get purpose right. Based on extensive field research, I will show how deep-purpose companies energize their enterprise by inspiring employees and fostering greater loyalty and trust with customers and partners. Purpose is also a compass with which these firms effectively navigate the inevitable tradeoffs across stakeholders and balance their short- and long-term goals. Ultimately, a deeper engagement with purpose holds the key not merely to the well-being of individual companies but also to humanity’s future.
Adi Ignatius and Juliette Kayyem
Risks, Threats, and Preparing for the Worst
Tuesday, June 7, 2022
With war, a pandemic, cyberattacks, and natural disasters, the world can seem overwhelming. The Kennedy School and CNN’s Juliette Kayyem, in conversation with Harvard Business Review Editor in Chief Adi Ignatius, will draw on lessons from her new book, The Devil Never Sleeps: Learning to Live in an Age of Disasters, on how we can reframe our thinking about disasters and prepare for the unknown.
Karim Lakhani
Competing in the Age of AI
Friday, June 10, 2022
We have entered a new era in which artificial intelligence (AI) is challenging the very concept of how a company is put together. AI-centric organizations exhibit a new operating architecture, redefining how they create, capture, share, and deliver value. Professor Lakhani will discuss how reinventing the firm around data, analytics, and AI removes traditional constraints on scale, scope, and learning that have constrained business growth for hundreds of years. From Airbnb to Ant Financial, research shows how AI-driven processes are vastly more scalable than traditional processes, enable companies to straddle industry boundaries, and open up powerful opportunities for learning.
Karim Lakhani and Stéphane Bancel
Building an AI-First Biotech Company
Friday, June 10, 2022
Join Professor Karim Lakhani and Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel (MBA 2000, AMP 170) on a discussion about building an AI-First Biotech company. They will explore how to leverage artificial intelligence and other digital resources to speed operations, manage processes, and ensure quality across research, testing, and manufacturing.
Herman ("Dutch") Leonard
Managing in Turbulence
Friday, June 3, 2022
In this session, we will consider the implications of living in a permanent state of elevated turbulence. COVID has been an object lesson in having to continuously reassess changing conditions and adapt both strategy and operations to the emerging environment. But there is further turbulence ahead. We will look at an example—a company that is optimized to operate in a differentially turbulent environment and is thriving in part by virtue of its ability to handle elevated levels of risk. We will then consider other ideas about how firms can operate more effectively in the increasingly volatile world we all inhabit.
Herman ("Dutch") Leonard
Managing in Turbulence
Friday, June 10, 2022
In this session, we will consider the implications of living in a permanent state of elevated turbulence. COVID has been an object lesson in having to continuously reassess changing conditions and adapt both strategy and operations to the emerging environment. But there is further turbulence ahead. We will look at an example—a company that is optimized to operate in a differentially turbulent environment and is thriving in part by virtue of its ability to handle elevated levels of risk. We will then consider other ideas about how firms can operate more effectively in the increasingly volatile world we all inhabit.
Deepak Malhotra
Wednesday, June 8, 2022
11 Essential Lessons for Strategy, Leadership, and Deal-Making: Re-examining Chamberlain’s
Negotiations with Hitler
Chamberlain’s negotiations with Hitler, and the resulting “Munich Agreement” of 1938, are often considered among the greatest strategic and moral failures in history. Is this a fair characterization of what transpired in the lead-up to World War II? What could have been done differently? Would your preferred approach have been feasible or effective? We can’t afford to ignore the lessons of the past—nor can we afford to learn the wrong lessons. In this session, we will do a deep dive into what led to Munich, as well as the details of the negotiations themselves, with the goal of extracting lessons for leaders, strategists, and negotiators of all kinds.
Debora Spar and George Serafeim
Accounting for Change – A Conversation with Professor George Serafeim
Friday, June 17, 2022
As faculty cochair of the Impact-Weighed Accounts Project, Professor Serafeim heads a growing effort to affect corporate behavior through the tools of accounting, and to develop rigorous methodologies for assessing areas—such as carbon emissions generated, decarbonization efforts, or commitment to social justice—that are too often seen as either intangible or immeasurable. In this session, Professor Debora Spar, the Senior Associate Dean for Business and Global Society, will interview Professor Serafeim about his work, his goals, and the role that measurement and the construction of a new global accountability infrastructure can play in truly changing the world.
Karen Stanley (MBA 1991) and Archie Jones (MBA 1998)
Using Our Business Leadership to Advance Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Saturday, June 18, 2022
Panelists will discuss using business leadership to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in business and in society. HBS Class of 1991 alumni will share their experiences, first as students, then employees, and now as executives, educators, and researchers. Attendees will gain an understanding of past actions and current plans to improve DEI at HBS, as well as new insights on advancing DEI beyond color and gender lines, and will leave with a broader understanding of the impact of DEI as well as actionable measures they can take to advance DEI in their workplaces and in their communities. Panelists include: Susan Harmeling (virtual), Charles Henderson (virtual), Glenn Fox (virtual), Nina Henderson-Moore (MBA 1991), Lewis Long (MBA 1991), Jeff Perry (MBA 1991); Terrill I. Drake (HBS Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer).