BT Online — Business Today Online Journal

Third Place Winner of the Writing Competition: "The Future is Data" by Katie McCarren

The breakfast preventing millennials from buying houses: avocado toast and a side of fruit accompanied by coffee from a Seattle-based beverage conglomerate. In this typical American breakfast, the avocados grown in Colombia, the blueberries shipped from Mexico, and the coffee blend originating in Latin America, Africa, and Asia-Pacific. A scroll through Instagram shows people traveling all over the world, a result of the jet age: easier and cheaper travel has aided over 1.2 billion people in crossing international borders and pursuing their wanderlust. Even the iPhone displaying these images is comprised of parts from 43 countries.

Second Place Winner of the Writing Competition: Blockchain: Long Live Globalization: by Tanner Wegrowski

With stories like BREXIT, trade wars, and the rise of nationalism inundating the daily news, it’s hard not to ask the question: is globalization dead? The rapid decline of global foreign direct investment, nationalist parties roiling politics in the European Union, and the weakening of global trade for the first time since the Great Recession intimate that this could be the end of an era. Yet all the while, blockchain is sending us an entirely different signal: hang on, because globalization is very much alive and well.

Winner of the Writing Competition: The Child Consumer by Grace Chuan

It is commonly said that the world is becoming a “smaller place” as communicative technologies become increasingly more accessible. While the world itself is not actually shrinking, it feels as if the practical barriers of traveling, retrieving information, and consuming entertainment are minimizing for everyone—including children. Children are now, more than ever, an increasingly reachable audience for digital services. A growing number of online businesses and industries are creating platforms that specifically target younger audiences to capitalize on their growing profitability.

A New Vision of Water Quality with H2Ok Innovations, the Winners of the 2019 Impact Challenge

In the environmental industry, it is extremely difficult to strike a balance between product efficiency and market viability; improvements on one end often require a sacrifice on the other. However, a team of students from Harvard and Brown have successfully transcended this stereotype with their startup H2Ok Innovations, which offers a host of technologies that perform a nearly instantaneous analysis of organic and chemical contaminants in water samples. Their fusion of data analytics with consumer accessibility has already led them to garner several accolades.

Curating Personalization in Hospitality with Ed Scheetz, CEO of Chelsea Hotels

In the words of Ed Scheetz, “Personal service is the new luxury. It’s not more marble or gold faucets or fancy chandeliers, but it’s being recognized that you’re treated in a place where you should be.”

Susan Dawson, President of E3 Alliance, on Business and Educational Reform

Susan Dawson is a Princeton alumna and the President of E3 Alliance, a non-profit which aims at improving economic outcomes by reforming the education sector. She sat down with BT to talk about her career in business and her initiatives in the non-profit sector.

InterviewsEmily ChestonDecember 30, 2019business, education, student magazine, Interview, leadership

When You Do Good Work, Good Things Will Happen: Career Wisdom From John Lemmex, VP and CFO of Covestro

John Lemmex, VP and CFO of Covestro’s US operations, has worked in the chemical industry for more than three decades. He received a degree in chemistry from McMaster University and later pursued an MBA degree from Syracuse University. Both chemistry and business have played an integral role in Mr. Lemmex’s career and he has noted the many similarities between both disciplines. For him, “accounting was very much like chemistry, it involved a lot of balancing and logic”.

Patti Brennan, Founder and CEO of Key Financial, on the Importance of Perseverance

Over the course of her professional life, Patti Brennan went from being a nurse to being President and CEO of one of America’s leading independent financial companies. “How did I do that?” she asked at the start of her executive seminar. The attendees looked around, baffled. How did she do that?

Lisa Utzschneider, CEO of Integral Ad Science, on Leading with a Global Mindset in a Connected Digital World

Before entering the traditional workforce, Lisa Utzschneider started her life after college in the Peace Corps teaching English in Bulgaria after the Berlin Wall fell. It’s unsurprising, then, that she’s constantly led every role she has had with an eye toward global impact. Now CEO of Integral Ad Science, Lisa oversees a technology company focused on digital advertising, which has become ever more pertinent in an increasingly connected online world.

Playing the Long Game: An Interview with Weston Hicks, CEO of Alleghany Corporation

Weston Hicks fell into the world of insurance after working in commercial banking and being randomly assigned to work in a division that serviced insurance companies. Before he knew it, he was an expert specializing in property and casualty insurance. This December marks 15 years of Hicks serving as the CEO of Alleghany Corporation, and we were fortunate to sit down with him to discuss his journey and insights in the insurance business.

Law & Crypto: Katie Haun of Andreessen Horowitz on Investing and Career

From Washington D.C. to Silicon Valley, Katie Haun, GP at Andreessen Horowitz, shares her insights on investing in crypto and advice for students interested in pursuing careers in the public and private sector.

Combining Passion and Career: Scott Rostan, CEO of Training The Street

Scott Rostan is the Founder and CEO of Training The Street, a company that specializes in Finance, Investment Banking, and Financial Modeling Training. Rostan’s executive seminar covered topics ranging from his own career path to pertinent job advice for members of the Millennial and Gen-Z generations.

David Bolotsky on the Importance of Running Civically Minded Businesses

In 1999, David Bolotsky founded UncommonGoods—an online marketplace to connect handmade and artisan products with shoppers. 20 years later, he sat down with BT to reflect on his career and business.

InterviewsRhea ParkDecember 21, 2019entrepreneurship, marketplace, online shopping, retail, Interview

Globalization as a Collaboration of Skills, People, News and Technology: A Conversation with Lloyd Howell

Globalization, the new era buzzword, is easy to see in our world, but the extent of its elusive effects is not so easy to ascertain. Nevertheless, it is increasingly difficult to operate with a pigeon-holed view of the world, and we must start to combine different skill sets and knowledge in order to ride this wave. Mr. Lloyd Howell speaks to a progressively collaborative and geo-politically and technologically sensitive method of approach, with his own pathway a reflection of what globalization values.

A Web Weaving Wonders: Mark Taub’s Perspective on Modern Education in a Digital World

Mark Taub is the Vice President of the IT Professional group at Pearson Education. He previously served as the Editor-in-Chief. He sat down with BT to talk career, advice, and the educational media industry.

InternationalArjun JagjivanDecember 20, 2019Interview, publishing, education, media, leadership

Rachel Stocks, EVP of Global Premium Products and Benefits at American Express, on Luxury in the Digital Age

Rachel Stocks, EVP of Global Premium Products and Benefits at American Express, kicked off this year’s International Conference with a poignant look into company management and consumer relations in today’s world. Stocks spoke about her career path, how she worked to improve Amex’s equity and diversity, and how Amex handled the transition into a more digital, global, and fast-paced world.

Chris Mahatma, Principal at Cloverlay Investment, talks career and advice for students entering Private Equity

Chris Mahatma is a Principal on the Cloverlay Investment Team with extensive experience in Private Equity. He sat down with BT to talk about his career and advice he would give for students seeking careers in this industry.

InterviewsBusiness TodayDecember 19, 2019Interview, finance, business, career, leadership

A Conversation with Jane Grote Abell, Founding Member and Chairwoman of the Board at Donatos Pizza

A founding family member of Donatos Pizza, Jane Grote Abell currently holds the title of Chairwoman of the Board. She sat down with BT to talk about her business and her career.

InterviewsAnne WenDecember 18, 2019Interview, entrepreneur, pizza, FOOD, leadership, entrepreneurship, career

Ted Karkus (CEO of ProPhase Labs) on Transitioning from Wall Street to Pharma and Becoming a CEO

Ted Karkus, the CEO of ProPhase Labs, sat down with BT to speak about his career, the pharmaceutical industry, and advice he had for students.

InterviewsKimberley TranDecember 17, 2019pharmaceuticals, industry, entrepreneur, Interview, leadership, entrepreneurship, career

Innovation and Sustainability in Metal Packaging with Dan Abramowicz, Executive VP for Technology and Regulatory Affairs of Crown Holdings

Dan Abramowicz is Crown’s Chief Technology Officer with global responsibility for innovation and technology development across Crown’s business platforms. Before joining Crown, Dr. Abramowicz was a Technical Director in GE’s Global Research Center, responsible for innovation and technology.

InterviewsJia YuDecember 11, 2019innovation, sustainability, business, Princeton, technology, leadership, career