2022 Alumni Achievement Award recipient Bob Wilson (MBA 1961, DBA 1963) on his journey from Depression-era Nebraska to a 2020 Nobel Prize

2022 Alumni Achievement Award recipient Bob Ryan (MBA 1970) had just stepped off his last board when he was called on for a different sort of service: revitalizing the oldest African American-owned business in north Minneapolis.

2022 Alumni Achievement Award recipient Tosh Barron (MBA 1972) describes her experience as a pioneering woman in the board room, the elements of effective corporate governance, and what to look for when seeking a board role

Sal Khan’s ambition for Khan Academy: Empower billions of learners and provide a safety net for education systems around the world

In the first of a weekly series of Skydeck episodes honoring recipients of the 2022 Alumni Achievement Award, finance veteran Naina Lal Kidwai (MBA 1982) talks about her second act as chairman and founder of the India Sanitation Coalition, an organization coordinating business, government, and nonprofit efforts to improve India’s water quality and health outcomes.

Naveen Tewari, founder of InMobi and now Glance, is at the forefront of a growing trend of global consumer technology companies created in Asia—not just powered by it

Anada Lakra’s startup helps non-native speakers master the art of the English language

How Walker & Dunlop CEO Willy Walker’s experience with anger management therapy transformed his life and career

Parsec Ventures CEO Richard Steel (OPM 45, 2014) has had a wide range of professional experiences, including everything from running both private and public companies to serving on nonprofit boards to advising the White House Business Council. Which means that he has spent a lot of time speaking with leaders in both business and government about the factors that are driving their organizations’ strategy. Over the last several years, there has been a dominant theme in those conversations: ESG. Environmental, Social, and Governance.  And Steel wasn’t just hearing it, he was seeing it. At some point, it felt like he would see a new story every day about companies that were grappling with climate change, racial justice, or diversity and inclusion. He was watching a sea change take place. His recent book, Elevated Economics: How Conscious Consumers Will Fuel the Future of Business, is his effort to explain the implications of this watershed moment—and help readers understand what it takes to succeed in the new economy it has created. 

In 2009, in the wake of the financial crisis, with ratings agencies weighing whether or not to downgrade its stock, GE CEO Jeff Immelt made the decision to cut the company's annual dividend for the first time since 1938. It was gutting for Immelt. He knew the financial impact such a move would have not just on the company, but also on its retirees—a group that notably included his own parents. In this second part of our Skydeck conversation with Immelt, we talk about the trials of the financial crisis, the loneliness of life at the top, and what his post-GE career in education and venture capital have taught him about the future of global business.