Past Conversations

September 20, 2013

In business today—and in life—the landscape is a minefield of challenges and shifting terrain. Craig Weatherup has demonstrated throughout his career that sustainable leadership requires agility in focusing on the end game while staying flexible in the game plan—all while holding true to your core values.

Weatherup served until January 2003 as the founding Chairman and CEO of The Pepsi Bottling Group (PBG). PBG is a Fortune 200 company with nearly $11 billion in revenue. He currently serves on the Boards of Directors of Macy’s Department Stores, Inc., Starbucks Coffee Company and The Arizona Nature Conservancy. He is also an active supporter of Arizona State University and past Chairman of The Arizona State University Board of Trustees.

Before joining PepsiCo, Craig worked in brand management for General Foods Corporation. A native of Syracuse, N.Y., he holds a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from Arizona State University. Craig and his wife, Connie, have three children and live in Scottsdale, Arizona, and the Adirondack Mountains of New York

John Kanas has spent a career proving being agile is not about being small. Currently Chairman, President and CEO of BankUnited, the largest bank in Florida, Kanas has an entrepreneur’s disposition to seize opportunities. He led a consortium of internationally known private equity firms in purchasing BankUnited in a history-making transaction in May 2009. Two years later, Kanas presided over that company’s Initial Public Offering, raising nearly $900 million—the largest bank IPO in US history.

Previously the chief executive at North Fork Bancorporation, he was named president of that company in 1977. Kanas is the recipient of dozens of awards recognizing his work both within and outside the banking industry, including the national Woodrow Wilson Award for Corporate Citizenship. He is a frequent contributor to CNBC Squawk Box and Bloomberg News.

Investing in an Unpredictable Economy
October 19, 2012

Bob Doll is a consultant at BlackRock, the world's largest asset management firm. Previously, he was BlackRock's Chief Equity Strategist and Senior Portfolio Manager of the U.S. Large Cap Series equity team and had primary portfolio management responsibilities for these products.

Mr. Doll's service to BlackRock dates back to 1999, including his years with Merrill Lynch Investment Managers (MLIM), which merged with BlackRock in 2006. At MILM, he served as the President and Chief Investment Officer and Senior Portfolio Manager of the Merrill Lynch Large Cap Series Funds.

Prior to joining MLIM, Mr. Doll served as the Chief Investment Officer of Oppenheimer Funds, Inc. He received a B.S. in accounting and a B.A. in economics from Lehigh University of Pennsylvania. Mr. Doll is both a Certified Public Accountant and a Chartered Financial Analyst. He appears regularly in the national financial media discussing economic developments and markets.

A CEO's Last Stand
March 9, 2012

They teach ethics in business school, but few executives ever face a moment of truth—a time when they must choose between deeply held ethical principles and calculated business practices. These are decisions that can profoundly impact the ethos of a company and the lives of its employees.

Gerard Arpey did. As CEO of American Airlines, he steadfastly resisted for nearly a decade the bankruptcy option that most U.S. carriers have used to solve financial issues. When confronted with the proverbial ultimatum from the airline's board, Arpey chose principle over popular practice and stepped away from a 30-year career with American.

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