Yale SOM Speaker Series

The Colloquium in Advanced Management provides Master of Advanced Management students the opportunity to meet with accomplished professionals in small-setting, off-the-record conversations about topical issues and enduring life lessons. Past speakers have included social entrepreneurs, high-ranking government officials, activists, and CEOs of multinationals.

Speakers

Patrick Struebi, Founder and CEO, Fairtrasa: October 6
Steven Kauderer, Bain & Co: September 25
Danny Weissberg, cofounder and CEO, Voiceitt & Sara Smolley, head of business development North America, Voiceitt: April 12, 2016

A series of candid talks with leaders of major investment funds, heads of hedge funds, practitioners, and senior research faculty shaping the field.

Speakers
David Swensen, Chief Investment Officer, Yale University: April 7, 2017
Takehiro Sato, Member of the Policy Board, Bank of Japan: March 28, 2017 (Yale SOM)
Marina Niessner, Assistant Professor of Finance, Yale School of Management: February 17, 2017
Paul Marcussen, Senior Portfolio Manager, Head of Market Allocation & Head of NY Office, Norges Bank Investment Management: January 20, 2017
Patrick Sweeny, Principal and Co-Founder, Symmetry Partners, LLC: December 2, 2016
Deborah Spalding, Chief Investment Officer, State of Connecticut, Office of the Treasurer: November 18, 2016
Osman Nalbantoglu, Management Committee Member, Bridgewater Associates: October 7, 2016
David Kupersmith, Managing Director and Vice President, AQR Capital Management, LLC: September 9, 2016

The EMBA Global Perspectives Colloquium is a series of interactive sessions featuring speakers who address geopolitical issues and international affairs.

Mellody Hobson, President of Ariel Investments, February 2, 2018
Aubrey Hruby, Co-Founder of the Africa Expert Network (AXN): April 21, 2017
John L.S. Simpkins, General Counsel of USAID: February 3, 2017
Ehsan Masood, Science Writer, Journalist, Broadcaster. Author: The Great Invention: The Story of GDP and the Making and Unmaking of the Modern World (2016): October 21, 2016
Finbarr O’Reilly, Yale World Fellow, photographer and journalist: September 18, 2015
Graeme Wood, Correspondent for The Atlantic, and the Edward R. Murrow Press Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. He is a lecturer in political science at Yale Univ.: February 5, 2016
Palan Mulonda, Ambassador of the Republic of Zambia to the U.S.: April 1, 2016
David Cameron, Yale Professor of Political Science and Director of European Union Studies: September 23, 2016

A series of candid talks with thought leaders from the healthcare industry, including leaders of hospitals; CEOs of medical device, insurance, and drug companies; policymakers;and other experts shaping the field.

Speakers
Fred Aslan, MD, MBA (YSM ’02), Vice President, Venrock, Founder and CEO, ADVANCE Medical: February 17, 2017
Elizabeth Bradley, PhD, MBA, Brady-Johnson Professor of Grand Strategy, Professor of Public Health; and Faculty Director of the Yale Global Health Leadership Institute, Yale School of Public Health: February 17, 2017
 Jessica J. Federer (YSPH ’08), Chief Digital Officer, Bayer: January 20, 2017
Bob Katter, MBA (SOM ’89), Executive VP of Marketing, Sales, Business Development, Customer Relations, First Databank: December 2, 2016
Nirav R. Shah, MD, MPH (YSM/YSPH ’98), Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Clinical Operations, Kaiser Permanente, Southern California Region: November 18, 2016
Andrew K. Bhak,  Managing Director, Investment Banking, J.P. Morgan: October 7, 2016
Carolyn M. Clancy, MD, Deputy Under Secretary for Health for Organizational Excellence US Department of Veteran Affairs: September 9, 2016

A series of candid talks with innovators, leaders of global corporations, policymakers, and other experts who are proving the business case for advancing sustainability in all industries. 

Speakers

Huub Savelkouls, Vice President of Strategic Policy Initiatives, Philip Morris International: April 7, 2017
John Warner, President & Chief Technology Officer, The Warner Babcock Institute for Green Chemistry, LLC: March 3, 2017
Craig Cogut, Founder and President, Pegasus Capital Advisors: February 17, 2017
Stuart DeCew, Program Director, Yale Center for Business and the Environment: January 20, 2017
Robert Bettigole, Managing Partner, Elm Street Ventures December 2, 2016
Julia Marton, Former General Director International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN): November 18, 2016
Peter Boyd, Executive Fellow, Yale Center for Business and the Environment: October 7, 2016
Amy Knight, Senior Director of Corporate Social Responsibility Hasbro, Inc.: September 9, 2016

The Colloquium on Education is a visiting speaker series that connects SOM students and others at Yale with leaders in education.

The Colloquium on Business and Society welcomes alumni and other practitioners and experts in a variety of fields to discuss issues at the nexus of business and society.

Speakers
Claude Grunitzky, CEO, The Equity Alliance, and Founder, TRUE Africa, April 7, 2021
Viral Acharya, Deputy Governor of Reserve Bank of India: February 27, 2018
Hani Al-Qadi, CEO and General Manager, Arab Jordan Investment Bank: March 2, 2017
Tim Wollaeger ’66 BA, Managing Director, Sanderling Ventures: December 8, 2016
Gita Wirjawan, founder of Ancora Group and former trade minister of Indonesia: October 22, 2015

The GE Colloquium in Sustainability Leadership brings business professionals and thought leaders to campus to help students understand the challenges of achieving sustainability, and to provide them with necessary skills to prepare for careers in this emerging sector.

Supported by the Sabin Sustainable Venture Prize, this series features diverse speakers who reflect on their entrepreneurial endeavors and discuss opportunities for sustainable outcomes while working in urban environments.

The Colloquium on Marketing Leadership brings leaders in marketing, insights, and innovation together with students and faculty to share personal perspectives on their careers, companies, and industries. It explores the latest challenges, opportunities, and developments in the world of marketing, from a wide variety of disciplines, perspectives, and backgrounds.

Speakers

Linda Kaplan Thaler, Former Chair of Publicis Kaplan Thaler: April 13, 2016
John Frascotti, President of Hasbro Brands: April 9, 2015

The ICF Colloquium on Asset Management provides a forum for leaders in the asset management industry to share their experiences and insights on a wide range of topics with students pursuing careers in the asset management industry. Featured speakers include portfolio managers from hedge funds and investment management firms, private equity investment professionals, and leading scholars in the field.

Speakers
Ed Morris, Author of Wall Streeters: The Creators and Corruptors of American Finance with William H. Donaldson.  October 26, 2016
The Dynamism of Chinese Markets: A Panel with Lei Zhang '02: April 27, 2015
David Booth, Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer, Dimensional Fund Advisors: April 1, 2015
Robert Shiller, Sterling Professor of Economics, Yale University: March 6, 2015
David Swensen, Chief Investment Officer, Yale University: February 6, 2015
Sandra Urie, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Cambridge Associates: April 24, 2015

The Colloquium on Entrepreneurship connects founders, innovators, and entrepreneurs with students and faculty for candid discussions on innovation, iteration, and team building, and provides frank advice for Yale students considering launching their own ventures. The series takes a close look at the unique issues facing entrepreneurs and allows students to cultivate strong relationships for future partnerships.

Speakers

Jen Wong YC '96, Chief Operating Officer, Reddit. April 9, 2024
Kara Goldin, Founder and CEO of Hint, December 14, 2020
Antoine van Agtmael MA '70 and Fred Bakker, authors of The Smartest Places on Earth: Why Rustbelts are the Emerging Hotspots of Global Innovation: March 30, 2016

The China India Insights Colloquium promotes an understanding of emerging economies, with a focus on Chinese and Indian markets. The series is designed to create exchange of ideas between leading-edge business practitioners and Yale MBA students on topics relevant to marketing and business strategy in emerging markets.

The Colloquium on the Behavioral Science of Philanthropy showcases marketing leaders who are changing charitable giving with innovative platforms, programs, and communications that attract new donors, reengage current donors, and increase repeat donations. It explores the existing and potential impact of consumer understanding and behavioral science on charitable giving and donor relations, and develops a deeper understanding of the marketing challenges and opportunities of donor relations and charitable giving.

Speakers
Katy Davis ’12, ideas42: December 5, 2016
Dean Karlan, Professor of Economics, Yale University: February 17, 2016

The Colloquium on Social Media invites speakers to explore trends and discuss topics in social media as it relates to business and society.

Speakers
David Wertime YC ’01, Foreign Policy:  April 25, 2016
Ragy Thomas, Sprinklr, May 9, 2016

Sustainability metrics is a work in progress, but solutions are beginning to emerge. This series brings to campus practitioners who are working to overcome challenges and create systems to develop comparable metrics within and across sectors.

The PSEII Speaker Series brings Yale SOM alumni and other prominent leaders in the social sector to Evans Hall to speak to students about the domestic and global landscape of social entrepreneurship. Speakers explore challenges and opportunities in bringing business skills and market disciplines to bear on major social issues, including economic development, education, healthcare and sustainable energy.

Kenneth C. Griffin, Founder and CEO, Citadel: April 12, 2023 
Mellody Hobson, President, Ariel Investments: February 2, 2018