MAM Leadership Series Welcomes Siemens CEO Eric Spiegel

As the inaugural guest for the MAM Presents Leadership Talk Series, Eric Spiegel, CEO and President of Siemens Corp USA made a visit to Yale SOM on April 8, 2014. The event was a resounding success not just for the MAM Program but also for the Global Network for Advanced Management at Yale SOM.

In conversation with the students, Mr Spiegel, emphasised on bringing back jobs to the industrial sector of US. He spoke about the technological innovations in Energy and Health Care in particular at Siemens. He stressed that in order to sustain the future development of high tech equipment at Siemens more software engineers will be needed to meet the demands of producing cutting edge technology. With the help of a strong human capital base in the US, Eric Spiegel hoped that more job opportunities will be created for the US markets as a consequence. 

During the day he spent at Yale SOM, he also interacted with the faculty including Deans Ted Snyder, David Bach and Anjani Jain. Eric Spiegel shared interesting thoughts with the faculty which act as a feeder for classroom discussions, where faculty members learned about the public policy impact on private sector firms and the government to private sector relationships.

The experience of interacting with CEO's of U.S. corporate giants and international companies with a global footprint enables Yale students to gain a full 360 degree view on management perspectives and philosophies. I believe these experiences make Yale SOM truly unique for its students. 

Eric Spiegel spoke at length about the changing landscape of corporate America and how the next generation of students should embrace for change by choosing careers wisely to maximise their impact in the society. 

For companies like Siemens, which have a major national and international impact, Mr Spiegel discussed the dynamics of managing government relationships with the students as well, which are necessary to make a greater impact in the Americas. Touching on diverse topics from bringing back jobs to the U.S. to his published views on energy needs for the future, Mr Spiegel inspired students with his valuable insights on Siemens various businesses. 

As a student host to Mr. Eric Spiegel, it was an honour for me to learn some quality lessons from Mr. Spiegel himself. He shared his thoughts about global business practices particularly from his time as a consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton and Co. It was an experience to understand how Chinese and Japanese cultures embrace foreign business consulting so differently. 

With more than 60 sub business units and a number of joint ventures, an interesting aspect highlighted by Mr. Spiegel was diversity in businesses at Siemens. Interestingly, this makes Siemens one of the most diversified businesses in the world.   

Finally, this being my last blog as a student at Yale SOM, I would like to thank everyone from students to faculty members to mentors who guided me through this journey. I will soon be a proud Yale Alumnus and would like to wish every one the best in their lives and careers ahead.