May 3, 2016 - On the beautiful Northwestern Campus along the shores of Lake Michigan, FEI Chicago’s premier full day leadership conference at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management focused on innovation, entrepreneurship and the global economy. Professors Robert Wolcott and Sergio Rebelo, leaders in today’s challenging and global business environment, shared thought provoking concepts during this unparalleled event.
Among the superb teaching and picturesque campus, FEI colleagues had several opportunities to network and engage with each other throughout the day, which received rave reviews! Our thanks to Professor Allan Drebin and the Kellogg School of Management for their partnership of this event.
We would like to share thoughts from one of our attendees, Caitlyn Ross, Assistant Vice President, Treasury Management Officer for The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc.
“This was my first year participating in FEI's Professional Development Program at Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management. I was not entirely sure what to expect going into the program but was certainly looking forward to a break from the normal workday, getting a fresh perspective from the professors and to network with the other attendees from FEI. I found myself quickly engaged and thoroughly enjoyed each new topic & idea throughout both the morning and afternoon sessions.
During the morning session, Robert Wolcott had me very intrigued throughout his discussions on corporate innovation and entrepreneurship. I found his idea of fortification vs. exploration to evaluate both people & projects extremely relevant in both my professional and personal lives. The notion that all people tend to be either a fortress or a ship, whereby everyone has a tendency to be more effective at shorter term projects and execution-based roles vs. more strategic planning, idea generation and longer term initiatives. This concept can be easily applied both internally within an organization with internal partners and teams as well as externally with existing & prospective customers. Wolcott's idea of using foresight, insight and action to build a portfolio of options for the future helped me to frame the context in which to help evaluate long-term plans and decisions.
In the afternoon session, Sergio Rebelo provided a wealth of data and insight into the global economy, trends and other data points around economic growth. I found his discussion on demand polarization extremely revealing & timely with regard to "growth on the edges" and a stagnate middle class -- helping to frame a lot of the debates and opinions with regard to the upcoming election. Overall, the program surpassed my initial expectations, and I found a lot of relevant takeaways that I can apply to my daily activities. I am very much looking forward to next year's event and will, without a doubt, be an advocate to others who are looking for professional development opportunities.”