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News Release

Last modified: Monday, September 17, 2007

Successful alumni share ideas at Kelley School's Brand Leadership Conference

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana University's Kelley School of Business has invited several alumni back to share insights with students and other alumni about working with some of America's most popular brands.

Sponsored by the Center for Brand Leadership, the second Brand Leadership Conference, to be held Thursday and Friday (Sept. 20-21) at IU Bloomington, will feature Kelley School alumni who are or have been in senior-level positions at companies such as PepsiCo, Dollar General, General Mills and Hanesbrands.

Presenters and topics will include:

• Cynthia Custer Alston, M.B.A., '84, former vice president and chief marketing officer for Gatorade and Propel PepsiCo, and currently a marketing consultant, will talk about the challenges of managing a category-defining brand;
• Dave Beré, B.A., '75 and M.B.A., '78, interim chief executive officer, president, chief operating officer and director of Dollar General Corp., will discuss how companies can develop brand leaders;
• Kevin Hall, M.B.A., '85, executive vice president and chief marketing officer of Hanesbrands, Inc., will talk about driving big ideas; and
• Anton Vincent, M.B.A., '93, vice president of marketing and business unit director of the Baking Products Division at General Mills, Inc., will discuss how to measure performance.

Co-chairs for the conference are Jonlee Andrews, associate chair of the M.B.A. program, clinical associate professor of marketing and director of the Consumer Marketing Academy; and Tom Hustad, professor of marketing and a founder of the Product Development and Management Association. PDMA is a 2,000-member, non-profit organization dedicated to improving the effectiveness of individuals and organizations in product development and management.

Andrews, who also established the Center for Brand Leadership in 2002, said the Kelley School is creating a unique community of graduates who are successful in branding, and who can gather regularly to network and share the latest marketing thinking. The school earned a No. 1 ranking in the consumer products industry in the 2006 Wall Street Journal Guide to the Top Business Schools.

"This initiative was conceived by members of the Kelley School of Business Alumni Association," Andrews said. "Our M.B.A. marketing alumni wanted to do this because of the great leadership that Kelley has at major companies. It also gives our faculty and students the opportunity to network with and benefit from the wealth of knowledge that our alumni have gained in the profession."

In addition to alumni, graduate students in Kelley's Consumer Marketing Academy will attend. Registration is very limited and will cost $200 for IU Alumni Association members and $250 for non-members. The fee covers all program costs, including an opening reception Thursday, and breakfast and luncheon on Friday. For more information, contact Amanda Burnham, Kelley School of Business Alumni Association, at 812-855-2521 or aburnham@indiana.edu.

The media is welcome to cover Friday's presentations but will need to contact Burnham at 812-855-2521 or aburnham@indiana.edu.

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