SECRETARY OF COMMERCE TO MODERATE FORUM ON INNOVATION AT UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA WITH GOVERNOR AND TOP CEOS
MINNEAPOLIS, MN (July 16, 2008) – U.S. Secretary of Commerce Carlos M. Gutierrez will co-moderate a CEO forum on innovation July 28 at the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management.
Hosted by the Institute for Research in Marketing, the forum, Innovation: Drivers and Impediments, will focus on research and development, sales and marketing, and the willingness to take risk in a competitive marketplace. Panel participants are executives of three major U.S. companies and the Governor of Minnesota, a state that is home to some of the most innovative businesses in the world (19 of which are Fortune 500 firms).
Secretary Gutierrez will co-moderate the panel with Rajesh K. Chandy, James D. Watkins Chair in Marketing and the Co-Director of the Institute for Research in Marketing. The panelists are George Buckley, Chairman of the Board, President, and CEO of 3M; William Hawkins, President and CEO of Medtronic; Marilyn Carlson Nelson, Chairman of the Board of Carlson; and Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty. This distinguished group will discuss innovation drivers and impediments in today's enterprises and economies, sharing their insights and presenting their thoughts on how government policies help or hinder innovation.
The forum is a response to the recent recommendations of Secretary Gutierrez’s Advisory Committee on Measuring Innovation in the 21st Century Economy. Both Chandy and Buckley were members of this committee, which included 15 top CEOs and academics.
“Innovation is a topic of intense interest to all of us – consumers, managers, and policy makers. We are delighted and honored to host such a distinguished panel on such an important topic,” comments Chandy.
The CEO Forum Innovation: Drivers and Impediments will be held from 1:00 – 3:00 pm on July 28th at the Carlson School of Management. It is free and open to the public, but an RSVP is required. More information can be found at carlsonschool.edu/marketinginstitute/ceo.
About the Institute: The Institute for Research in Marketing at the Carlson School of Management fosters innovative, rigorous research that improves the science and practice of marketing. It leverages the expertise of the Carlson School’s world class marketing faculty and an advisory board of top business leaders to generate new insights about companies, consumers, and communities. Through initiatives that include academic-practitioner research partnerships, forums featuring global thought-leaders, and the creation of the latest research on today’s pressing topics, the Institute provides a forum for dialogue among marketing scholars, industry practitioners, policymakers, and students.
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