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Leadership Conversations

Creighton University’s College of Business is partnering with Cox Business Systems to sponsor in-depth discussions exploring the essence of business and personal leadership.  Through this leadership series, Creighton students and Omaha business executives will experience the personal stories and leadership journeys of leaders who have embodied excellence and developed excellence in others. These conversations will be personal, inspirational, occasionally provocative, and certainly compelling for anyone serious about business and leadership.

All Leadership Conversations programs are available for viewing on Cox On Demand, Channel 1.  Past guests include:

Past Leadership Conversations Guest Profiles:

Andrea Ragnetti, Mar. 2, 2009:As Chief Executive Officer, Philips Consumer Lifestyle, Andrea Ragnetti is responsible for the $20 Billion consumer business of Philips Worldwide.

Andrea Ragnetti started his career at Procter & Gamble, holding various marketing positions in Italy and Portugal before joining Reckittt Benckiser in France. In 1997, he founded the Post Graduate School, Perugia, a training and consultancy firm. Prior to joining Philips, he was Executive Vice President Marketing for both the mobile and fixed line businesses of Telecom Italia, one of the largest telecom operators in the world. In 2003, Andrea joined Philips, as its first ever Chief Marketing Officer, a position that he held until the end of 2007. In 2005, he became also the CEO of the Domestic Appliances and Personal Care Division, and in 2006 he joined Philips’ Board of Management.

Andrea holds a degree in political science from the Università degli Studi di Perugia. He is married and has three daughters.

James M. Kilts, Oct. 6 2008: A graduate of Knox College, Galesburg, Illinois, James M. Kilts earned a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Chicago.

Kilts is a Founding Partner of Centerview Partners, the private equity and financial advisory firm, which he joined in October 2006. Throughtout his distinguished career, Kilts has been involved with many well-known companies. He began his career with General Foods Corporation, and went on to Oscar Mayer and Kraft, where he served as President of Kraft USA, President of Kraft Limited in Canada, Senior Vice President of Kraft International and Senior Vice President of strategy and development. From there he went to the Worldwide Food group of Philip Morris, where he was an Executive Vice President. In 1998, Kilts joined the Nabisco Company and served as President and Chief Executive Officer until its acquisition, and continued on to The Gillette Company, where he was Chairman of the Board, President and CEO; and then to the Procter & Gamble Company, where he served as Vice Chairman of the Board.

Mr. Kilts is a member of the Board of Directors of MetLife, MeadWestvaco and Pfizer. He also is a member of the Board of Overseers of Weill Cornell Medical College. He serves on the Board of Trustees of Knox College and the University of Chicago, and is Chairman of the Advisory Council of the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business. He is a past Chairman of the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA).

Richard Parsons, Feb. 26, 2008:  Since taking the reins at Time Warner, Inc. as CEO in 2002 and chairman in 2003, Richard Parsons set the company on a solid path toward sustainable growth, put in place an experienced and successful management team, strengthened the balance sheet, and simplified Time Warner’s corporate structure. In 2005, Institutional Investor magazine named Parsons the top CEO in the entertainment industry.  Parsons will reflect on his philosophy of business, his personal management style, his journey to the top, and most of all, his thoughts on leadership.  Parsons was recently asked to be a member of the Economic Transition Advisory team for president-elect Barak Obama.