UVA Darden Podcasts

2016-08

Episodes

Thursday Aug 04, 2016

More than 10 million Syrians are currently refugees in other countries or displaced from their homes within Syria, and more than five million of those people are children, according to Save the Children President and CEO Carolyn Miles. University of Virginia Darden School of Business Dean Scott Beardsley sat down with Miles, a 1988 Darden graduate, to discuss the biggest issues facing the safety and wellbeing of children in the world today as well as how organizations like Save the Children and Darden can inspire people to take on the world’s biggest challenges. Miles told Beardsley of her travel around the world to more than 80 countries where she has seen families disrupted by everything from war in Syria to poverty in Ethiopia to natural disasters in Nepal, but said she remains inspired by meeting children and the parents who want a better world for them.

Thursday Aug 04, 2016

Less than 2 percent of the world’s fresh water supply is required for basic human needs like hydration and sanitation. How should the world manage the other 98.5 percent of what is becoming an increasingly stressed and scarce resource? The challenges are many and global, but former Nestlé CEO and current Chairman Peter Brabeck is leading the charge among world leaders by fighting to make water challenges one of the highest priority issues for the United Nations and the World Economic Forum. He’s also leading a public-private partnership known as the 2030 Water Resources Group to start addressing the individual challenges one by one, from a global to a local level. In this latest installment of Darden Ideas to Action C-Suite Insights with Dean Scott Beardsley, Brabeck discusses his views and efforts around water. He also provides unique insight into what he hopes his legacy will be at Nestlé and advice for those at the beginning of their professional careers.

Thursday Aug 04, 2016

Corporate buyback activity has been a hot topic for investment analysts and market watchers.  Companies have bought back trillions of dollars of their own stock since the financial crisis.  Is buyback activity propping up the stock market?  Are buybacks a function of the broader economic environment?  What’s next?  Jake DuBois and Frank Coughlin, two Darden Capital Management student leaders spent a semester looking at the academic and industry research to gain a better understanding.  A research course from the Mayo Center for Asset Management helped them to explore the topic.

Wednesday Aug 03, 2016


Darden School of Business Dean Scott Beardsley hosts PricewaterhouseCoopers Chief Financial Officer Carol Sawdye for a discussion about her career journey, global trends facing PwC’s clients, and her views on why it is important as a leader to speak out in support of important workplace issues like diversity and same-sex partnership rights.
 
PwC is one of the largest global professional services firms in the world, and Sawdye rose to the rank of CFO after leaving the firm early in her career to pursue other opportunities like serving as CFO of the National Basketball Association. She credits her aggressive and risk-tolerant approach to her career path as a key to coming back to PwC in a top leadership position. Dean Beardsley questions Sawdye about her advice for others on forging a career path and how business schools can better prepare students to make an impact at firms like PwC.

Wednesday Aug 03, 2016

Darden School of Business Dean Scott Beardsley hosts ADT Corp. CEO Naren Gursahaney (MBA '89) for a discussion about how new smart technologies for the home are revolutionizing the home security business and driving disruptive innovation. The ADT Pulse suite of apps for your smart phone and the company’s partnership with Nest to sync control of a Nest Learning Thermostat with an ADT home security system through a mobile app are just a few examples of how ADT is innovating for the future. Wireless, connected devices and gadgets are a growing part of the smart home of the future, and they’re changing the way home security and monitoring is done as the sector focuses more on convenience for the consumer through automation and 24/7 ability to check on the security and status of a residence.

Monday Aug 01, 2016


In this episode, Kiran describes a project where he was creating an in-store pickup option for buyers on eBay. When you've innovating in the context of a large, existing infrastructure you have to consider how a new concept will fit within the existing customer experience, not to mention, technical, logistical,and legal/regulatory frameworks in place. Kiran discuss his process for engaging with this web of people and process to introduce a successful innovation. You'll also hear a little about Kiran's career story- spoiler alert: it involves packing a car, driving across the country, and finding the cheapest possible place for a job seeker to live while in Silicon Valley.

Monday Aug 01, 2016


In this episode, Josh describes a project where he was enhancing the signup and conversion on Google for Work. You'll hear about the project charter and how Josh and his colleagues used a disciplined process to iterate toward better and better outcomes. You'll also hear a little about Josh's career story. 

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