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News Release

Last modified: Wednesday, September 10, 2008

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

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 10, 2008

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana University's Kelley School of Business has invited several world-class 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 third Brand Leadership Conference, to be held next Thursday and Friday (Sept. 18-19) at IU Bloomington, will feature Kelley School alumni who hold senior-level positions at companies such as Nestle, Monsanto and Kraft.

Presenters and topics will include:

• Brad Alford (MBA '80), chairman and chief executive officer of Nestle USA, will present, "Developing Talent in a Global Company and Some Things You Can Do to Catch the Eye of Senior Executives."
• Donna Heckler (MBA '88), global brand lead and chief branding officer at Monsanto, will discuss "The Challenges of Installing Brand-Based Thinking in a Global Agricultural Company."
• C. Mack (MBA '84), CEO, IHT Technology Inc., will talk about "Developing Winning Strategies for Consumer Brands, Business Services, Retail Banking and High-Tech Innovations: Searching for Universal Practices That Create Value."
• Maurice Markey (MBA '94), vice president of marketing, Grocery, Kraft Foods, North America, will present on the topic, "Lessons Learned from Managing Kraft's Brands in Asia."

Deborah New (MBA '96), chief executive at New Enterprises Inc., will serve as emcee, and Mark Barbato (MBA '82), vice president for alliance management at Eli Lilly and Co., will serve as moderator.

Co-chairs for the conference are Jonlee Andrews, associate chair of the M.B.A. program, clinical 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.

"We're fortunate to have so many alumni who have made their mark in the world of marketing and branding," Andrews said. "This conference provides a wonderful opportunity for our students, alumni and faculty with common interests to network and learn from each other."

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. Online registration is available at https://kelley.iu.edu/alumni/secure/reg_E.cfm?key=BL080919. The registration deadline is Sept. 16. Call 812-855-6340 after the deadline.

The media is welcome to cover Friday's presentations but will need to contact George Vlahakis at 812-855-0846 or gvlahaki@indiana.edu.

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