Spring 2013 CEO Speakers

Tuesday, April 16, 2013 at 5:30 p.m.
B. Muthuraman, Vice Chairman, Tata Steel

Event highlights: B. Muthuraman Concludes CEO@Smith Speaker Series

Muthuraman joined Tata Steel in 1966 and has held various positions during his 47-year tenure at the company, including vice president (of both Marketing & Sales and Cold Rolling Mill Projects), executive director, managing director, and non-executive vice chairman. Currently he is the chairman of Tata International Ltd., Tata Africa Holdings Ltd. and serves on the boards of Bosch India Ltd., Tata Industries and Strategic Energy Technology Systems Ltd.

Under his visionary leadership, Tata Steel became a truly global company. The acquisition of Corus, UK and Netherlands in 2007 was a landmark event in the history of both Indian steel and India itself, heralding the coming of age of Indian companies on the global map.

In 2012, Muthuraman was conferred with the prestigious Padma Bhushan award, given by the government of India for his significant contribution to Indian trade and industry. Among his many other awards are the CEO of the Year Award from Business Standard and an Economic Times Award for Corporate Excellence.

A pre-eminent Indian thought leader, he has a vested interest in lifelong learning. After receiving his bachelor’s degree in metallurgical engineering in from IIT, Madras and his MBA from XLRI, Jamshedpur, he went on to complete leadership and management programs at the European Centre for Executive Development and INSEAD.

Wednesday, March 13, 2013, 6:30 p.m.
Gary Shapiro, President and CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)®

Event highlights: Be Ninja Innovators, Revive the Economy: Top Strategist to Smith Students

Gary Shapiro is president and CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)®, the U.S. trade association representing more than 2,000 consumer technology companies. CEA also owns and produces the International CES®, the world’s largest annual innovation event.

Shapiro is the author of CEA’s two bestselling books: Ninja Innovation: The Ten Killer Strategies of the World’s Most Successful Businesses, which was just released in January 2013, and The Comeback: How Innovation Will Restore the American Dream, published in 2011. Ninja Innovation examines the critical characteristics of highly successful companies and individuals through the lens of Shapiro’s martial arts training.

Few people are more qualified to speak about technology-driven change than Shapiro. He believes that innovation, when supported by a policy environment that enables entrepreneurship and technology-led change, can drive the U.S. economic recovery. Shapiro has led the technology industry for more than 30 years through seismic shifts and the revolutionary changes, including the transition from analog to digital TV. He has testified before Congress more than 20 times on technology and business issues including HDTV, the Internet, intellectual property and innovation policy.

A prolific writer, Shapiro contributes regular columns to Forbes.com, the Daily Caller and the Huffington Post. His writing has also appeared in CEO Magazine, FoxNews.com, The Hill, the New York Times, Politico, Real Clear Politics, Roll Call, the Washington Examiner, the Washington Times and more. He is regular guest on Bloomberg, CNBC, CNN, C-SPAN, Fox News and MSNBC. Follow him on Twitter @GaryShapiro.

Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2013, 5:30 p.m.
Mike Kahn, President, ATK Defense

Event highlights: Spring CEO@Smith Launches with ATK Defense President

Mike Kahn is a senior vice president for ATK and president of ATK Defense. ATK is a Fortune 500 aerospace, defense and commercial products company.

Kahn has extensive background across aerospace and defense, serving in multiple senior leadership positions within ATK, where he was responsible for overall management of defense, space, strategic and commercial system businesses and related operations.

Combining his MBA and degree in electrical engineering, Kahn strongly values customer relationships and employee engagement. He has received numerous awards for leadership and management, and fosters a workforce culture centered on meeting commitments, performance excellence and continuous improvement.