Virtual Upside
Charlotte, USA
(Photo: espiegle/iStock/Getty Images Plus via Getty Images)
One of many examples of the silver-lining benefits of remote opportunities, four Wharton alumni clubs came together in May to host a virtual event spanning three times zones. In collaboration, the Wharton clubs of Charlotte, Paris, Boston, and the U.K. hosted Robbie Kellman Baxter, management consultant and author of The Forever Transaction, for an interview conducted by Philip Guarino WG98 on subscription-based and recurring-revenue business models.
Full Calendar
Paris, France
(Photo: Eva-Katalin/E+ via Getty Images)
In addition to the international collaboration detailed in “Virtual Upside,” alumni in France are keeping busy, as usual. The Wharton Club of Paris in recent months has hosted events such as a “back to real life” lunch in June and a conversation in September with Crédit Agricole deputy general manager Jérôme Grivet on challenges within the banking and financial sectors. And for details on an effort by members of the club and others across Europe to mentor startups, see the essay by Aviva Brooks W86 WG90 in “The Power of the Wharton Alumni Network.”
There and Back Again
Copenhagen, Denmark
(Photo: AleksandarGeorgiev/E+ via Getty Images)
Talk about a long commute: For Sushma Taranal WG20, 12-hour trips to and from campus were the norm during her two years as an Executive MBA. Having traveled from Copenhagen to Philadelphia for the duration of the program, the alumna — today a program director at Maersk in Denmark — recently spoke about the experience in a Wharton Stories article titled “Why Wharton’s EMBA Program Was Worth the Commute from Denmark to Philadelphia.”
Back in Action
Hong Kong, China
(Photo: Chunyip Wong/iStock/Getty Images Plus via Getty Images)
Following a hiatus brought on by the pandemic, the Wharton Club of Hong Kong relaunched its popular Wharton Speaker Series in July with an in-person event featuring Xing Liu WG04. A partner at Sequoia Capital China, Liu discussed venture capital and investment in the country during the event, hosted by club president Ferdinand Cheuk W96. Liu focuses on deals in the consumer and technology, media, and telecommunications sectors, having been involved in Sequoia’s investments in companies such as Alibaba, JD.com, and Vipshop.
Supporting Tomorrow’s Leaders
Mumbai, India
(Photo: Adrian Catalin Lazar/iStock/Getty Images Plus via Getty Images)
If not for the aid of scholarships, Sandeep Naik WG04 might never have stepped foot on Wharton’s campus. Today, as part of the More Than Ever campaign that concluded in June, Sandeep and his wife, Bhakti Prabhu Naik, have established a scholarship aimed at providing opportunities to promising students much like him, particularly those from India. Read more about the Achyut Madhu Naik Endowed Scholarship Fund and the impact of the School’s record-setting $1 billion fundraising effort in “A Campaign Like No Other.”
Difficult Decisions
Buenos Aires, Argentina
(Photo: diegograndi/iStock/Getty Images Plus via Getty Images)
Facing an ethical dilemma at work? Wharton legal studies and business ethics professor G. Richard Shell joined the Wharton Club of Argentina in September for a virtual conversation about standing by your values when confronting sticky moral situations in the office. Read more about the topic and Professor Shell’s new book, The Conscience Code: Lead with Your Values, Advance Your Career, in “Strategies for Bringing Your Conscience to Work.”
The Greatest Generation
San Juan, Puerto Rico
(Photo: SeanPavonePhoto/iStock/Getty Images Plus via Getty Images)
Believed to be Wharton’s oldest living graduate, Angel Martín W39 WG40 has experienced more than a century’s worth of history. See “Meet Wharton’s Oldest Living Alumnus” for a conversation with Martín about his service during World War II, his time on Puerto Rico’s Supreme Court, and his insights into living a long life.
Published as “Wharton’s Global Impact” in the Fall/Winter 2021 issue of Wharton Magazine.
