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Business Success Means Community Success in Wisconsin; GNN Roundup
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Wisconsin executives share success
More than 100 alumni and guests of the HBS Club of Wisconsin gathered on October 8 at the Fiserv Forum, home arena of the Milwaukee Bucks, to explore how two local business leaders are positively impacting the community as well as their own bottom lines.
The event, titled Collaborating Business Strategy with Local Communities, featured Peter Feigin, President of the Milwaukee Bucks, and Kevin Steiner, President and CEO of West Bend Mutual Insurance Co. Both shared their stories of how they built successful organizations while simultaneously deploying resources to serve local nonprofits and community groups.
“I just had this idea to get these two different leaders from very different organizations together to hear how they work to benefit our community,” says Phil Hway (MBA 1970), a current HBS Club of WI board member who spearheaded the evening’s programming, along with the club’s new president Ellen Galezewski (MBA 2012), past president Karen Hung (MBA 1998), vice president for programs Melanie Maddux (MBA 2004), and board member Lisa Wright (MBA 1999).
“This event was structured around bringing in two major local organizations—West Bend Mutual and the Milwaukee Bucks—to demonstrate how our strong leaders can come together to help their organizations make a real impact in our community,” says Galezewski. “As a statewide HBS Club of Wisconsin, an event like this hits all of our strategic pillars of lifelong learning, community impact, and building relationships.”
The gathering, which was held in a suite perched high above the court in Fiserv Forum, included a chance for attendees to do some networking before the main talk, and enjoy food and drinks while taking in the unobstructed views.
Steiner spoke about West Bend’s rebranding over its 100-year history, and its Spirit of the Silver Lining Award, which celebrates independent insurance agents for outstanding service to nonprofit organizations in their communities, and includes grant money to support their missions.
Feigin talked about strategy and shared his story of turning around the Bucks organization, which includes a major focus on supporting the broader Milwaukee community.
“He never called the Bucks a basketball team,” says Hung. “He called them a service organization or a performance organization. He sees them as serving their fans and the larger community. I have to say, it was a spectacular event.”
Certainly the release—on the same day as the club’s event—of a newly published case on the Bucks’ meteoric rise by HBS Professor Anita Elberse, may have added to the excitement just a bit.
Hway says proceeds from this event benefit HBS Club of Wisconsin scholarships for nonprofit leaders to attend Social Enterprise Executive Education programs at the Harvard Business School.
Global Networking Night: One night, 74 chances to connect worldwide
In a show of HBS pride and unity, 69 alumni clubs and associations, club affiliates, shared interest groups, and alumni groups enjoyed a night of networking over food and drinks at 74 separate events worldwide during the 2019 Global Networking Night (GNN), held on October 16.
Billed as a chance for HBS alumni to “see old friends, make new connections, and explore opportunities,” the GNN drew thousands of participants to pubs, restaurants, and hotels around the world.
While many events had no agenda other than socializing, others featured special guests or roundtable topics.
In São Paolo, 25 alumni and guests gathered for a lively discussion about corporate transformation in the digital economy,” says Guido Lemos (GMP 20, 2016) from the HBS Club of Brazil. Featured speakers included Fernanda Pires, HR director for Energias de Portugal/ Brazil, and Marco Santana, Senior Partner at Korn & Ferry.
“In Cleveland, about 20 people braved a windy and rainy night to get together at the home of Sam Hartwell (MBA 1988),” says Douglas Suna (MBA 1994) from the HBS Club of Northeastern Ohio. “It really was fun just to get to know people without any programming.”
According to Manpreet Kaur, director of events and membership for the HBS Club of India, the club coordinated GNN social events with local alumni in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad.
“We hosted GNN in five cities with more than 150 attendees,” says Kaur. “It was an awesome experience and a fun-filled evening enjoyed over drinks. Old memories of sectionmates took center stage while the newer graduates were seen interacting with each to forge new connections. The overall feedback was that it was a wonderful, well-spent Wednesday.”
HBS alumni and affiliates also gathered in Singapore, South Africa, the UK, Australia, Hong Kong, Sweden, Dubai, Portugal, Serbia, Thailand, and Nigeria, among other sites.
For more images of the fun-filled GNN, check out the social media coverage.
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