Scheller College Hosts Innovation Panel for Business Leaders

The Georgia Institute of Technology – Scheller College of Business and the Aspen Institute recently co-hosted a panel on leadership, inviting CEOs from top companies in the nation to discuss groundbreaking trends in business today.

The panel, which was held in late September, included such esteemed panelists as Muhtar Kent, chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company, Craig Menear, chairman, CEO and president of The Home Depot, Jonah Peretti, founder and CEO of Buzzfeed, and Greg Coleman, president of BuzzFeed.

The panel was co-hosted by the Aspen Institute, one of the top organizations for fostering open-minded dialogue on contemporary issues. Though it was the Institute’s first time at Scheller College, more than 400 community members gathered for the dialogue—including business leaders, Fortune 500 CEOs, students, faculty and staff.

Walter Isaacson, best-selling author and CEO of the Aspen Institute, offered his observations on leadership and innovation as the panel focused on the question of how innovation represents itself in today’s disruptive global marketplace.

“In a way you have to dream a litte bit to have innovation that you can commercialize,” said Coca-Cola Company CEO Muhtar Kent. “A brand is a promise, and a good brand is a promise kept. At the end of the day we want to keep our promises.”

The CEO and president of BuzzFeed shared their thoughts on how to reach out to customers in a personalized way. “We want to integrate brands into people’s lives,” said Peretti. “You have to serve the whole human.” BuzzFeed President Greg Coleman added: “If we just wanted to settle the bottom line we wouldn’t make investments to create the media company of the future.”

regions: Atlanta

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