On the Road Again (and Again, And Again)

Tel Aviv, Israel
Cityscape of Tel Aviv.

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This spring marks a year of travel for the Wharton Impact Tour, which has brought conversations with world-class faculty, industry speakers, and Dean Erika James to Wharton alumni around the globe. The tour in the past few months has been to Dallas, Tokyo, Tel Aviv, Dubai, and Mumbai, with its latest appearance in Miami in February. Alumni speakers have included Ernest Higa W74, chairman, president, and CEO of Higa Industries Co., in Tokyo and Navin Valrani W93 GED18 GRD23, vice chairman and managing director of the Al Shirawi Group, in Dubai. Mark your calendars for the tour’s next stops, on May 12 in Philadelphia and June 6 in São Paulo.

 

AI Overload

Paris, France
Photo of the Eiffel Tower.

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“How much AI is enough?” Addressing this question amid rapid advancement in the world of artificial intelligence, Virginie Lannevere WG96, an analytics leader at data, insights, and consulting company Kantar, spoke with members of the Wharton Club of France in January about smartly integrating the technology into analytics processes.

 

Good Times With Close Friends

Philadelphia, U.S.A.
Riverside view of downtown Philadelphia.

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MBA Reunion is just around the corner! Classes ending in three or eight, the Class of 2022, and members of the Wharton Graduate Emeritus Society are invited back to campus on May 12 and 13 for a weekend packed with faculty talks, alumni panels, celebratory dinners, and more (including an alumni authors panel hosted by Wharton Magazine). Scheduled for later this year: Reunions for all WEMBA Philadelphia alumni on October 7 and for all WEMBA San Francisco alumni on October 21.

 

An Event of Epic Proportions

Singapore
Cityscape of downtown Singapore.

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The long-awaited 55th Wharton Global Forum drew more than 800 attendees to Singapore on March 10 and 11 for an array of activities examining important issues for global business. Guests heard from over 50 faculty, alumni, and industry leaders during roundtables, fireside chats, and panel discussions. Networking breakfasts, complimentary career advising, and local treks offered additional opportunities for attendees to connect with each other and make use of Wharton resources. A closing reception was held atop the city’s Marina Bay Sands on Saturday evening.

 

Bonded by Basketball

Trieste, Italy
The Canal Grande and surrounding buildings in Trieste, Italy.

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See “Hoop Dreams” for the story of how six WG23 Executive MBA students — Prab Sekhon, Fitzann Reid, Richard Johnson, Richard de Meo, John Jefferies, and Connor Barwin — came together to purchase an Italian basketball team.

 

The Customer Experience Done Right

London, U.K.
A street in London with U.K. flags hanging overhead.

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Marketing professor Peter Fader met with the Wharton Club of the United Kingdom in January to discuss his new book, The Customer-Base Audit: The First Step on the Journey to Customer Centricity, co-authored with Bruce Hardie G92 GRW94 and Michael Ross. A virtual follow-up hosted by the U.K. club and the Wharton Club of France in February offered an opportunity for members of clubs across Europe to learn key marketing insights from Fader.

 

Cultivating New Opportunities

Lagos, Nigeria
A bustling street in Lagos, Nigeria.

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In the 20-plus years since Wharton Magazine profiled Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli W96 in “Wharton Women Mean Business,” the entrepreneurial alumna has founded three organizations that are enabling advancements in agriculture and nutrition on the continent. See “Where Are They Now?” to learn more about Nwuneli’s work and how other alumni have been making impacts worldwide since we last checked in with them.

 

Insights From the Top

Geneva, Switzerland
Landscape of Geneva with a snow-capped mountain in the background.

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The Wharton Club of Switzerland co-hosted a February luncheon with speaker Fabienne Fischer at which she discussed key issues related to her work as state councilor of the Canton of Geneva in charge of the Department of Economy and Employment.

 

Published as “Wharton’s Global Impact” in the Spring/Summer 2023 issue of Wharton Magazine.