In the face of hotel industry disruption, Marriott International’s answer is to grow, the company’s president and CEO said April 26, 2016, at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business. The Bethesda, Md.-based hospitality giant is poised to become the world’s biggest hotel company later this year with the acquisition of Starwood Hotels & Resorts, allowing it to create more connections with middle-class travelers worldwide.

Business leaders need to win to advance their careers, but SAP CEO Bill McDermott says they must never lose sight of the need to play fairly. “You gotta win, but you gotta win the right way,” he told an audience of more than 250 people crowded into Frank Auditorium in Van Munching Hall on Feb. 11, 2016. “Winning the wrong way is losing in the end, and your character will reveal itself. Keep that in mind as you climb the ladder.”

The Smith School’s CEO @ Smith speaker series will continue in April with a presentation from Marriott International’s Arne Sorenson. Marriott operates and franchises more than 4,300 lodging properties in 81 countries and territories under 19 brands. Sorenson co-founded Marriott’s Global Sustainability Council in 2007, and in 2008 he launched the firm’s rainforest preservation partnership with the Amazonas Sustainable Foundation in Brazil.

The University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business Presents CEO @ Smith Speaker Series Arne Sorenson President and Chief Executive Officer Marriott International, Inc.

Bill McDermott is a fantastic storyteller with tremendous energy. The CEO of SAP enthralled an audience of students, alumni, faculty, and staff at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business with tales of his life experiences. From his first entrepreneurial venture, to his most memorable sale, to his an overhaul of the worst branch at Xerox, to what he learned from a terrible accident, McDermott had his audience on the edge if their seats.

Big companies need more of the entrepreneurial spirit that pervades the University of Maryland, PepsiCo Chairman and CEO Indra Nooyi said March 25, 2015, during a CEO @ Smith keynote address in College Park, Md.

Do the right thing when nobody is looking, Deloitte Global CEO Barry Salzberg said April 13, 2015, during a CEO @ Smith keynote address in College Park, Md. The executive, who manages a network of 47 consulting and advisory services firms in more than 140 countries, said Millennials respond when organizations have a purpose beyond profit. Here are excerpts from his presentation:

Barry Salzberg, Global CEO of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (DTTL), spoke to students, faculty and alumni at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business on April 13, 2015, at the final CEO@Smith lecture of the semester.  In a conversation with Dr. Jeffrey Kudisch, assistant dean of corporate relations, Salzberg shared his insights on the challenges of managing an organization that spans continents: the global network has 47 member firms operating in more than 140 countries, with approximately 210,000 staff members.

Organizations of all sizes need more of the entrepreneurial spirit that pervades the University of Maryland, PepsiCo Chairman and CEO Indra Nooyi said March 25, 2015, during CEO@Smith at the Robert H. Smith School of Business. “People often think that entrepreneurship is about the little guy, the garage tinkerer  -- David going out to battle against Goliath,” Nooyi told a packed auditorium of about 400 faculty, staff and students. “I say 'no'.

In the largest CEO@Smith event to date, Wes Bush, CEO and president of Northrop Grumman, discussed developing critical technologies of the defense industry and developing great employees and leaders that make those technologies happen. “One of the most important activities of any leader is developing the team of leaders for the future,” he said to the audience of students, faculty and staff in Frank Auditorium. Bush came to the Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland, on Feb. 3, 2015, as the first speaker in the 2015 CEO @ Smith Speaker Series.