Wake Forest MBA Student Wins "CEO of Tomorrow" Contest for the N.C. CEO Forum
Paul Davis, an MBA student at the Wake Forest University Schools of Business, won the “CEO of Tomorrow” contest that is part of this year’s N.C. CEO Forum, to be held on Tuesday, May 18, 2010 at Marriott City Center in Raleigh, NC. As a result, Davis will appear on stage with the founders of Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Inc, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield.
Davis, a first-year student in the Winston-Salem Evening MBA program, was one of four finalists – selected by the event from more than 200 entrees – vying to present a question live to Cohen and Greenfield. Davis then won a weeklong online voting competition against business school students from Duke University, North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill that had “epic” turnout, according to event organizers. More than 3,300 votes were cast during the online contest.
“It’s an honor to be able to go to the forum and represent Wake Forest,” Davis said. “I am extremely proud of how our students, faculty and staff responded, demonstrating what a great university we have. The support I received over the past two weeks has been phenomenal and is greatly appreciated.”
The forum’s focus is “The Triple Bottom Line: 21st Century Leadership in People, Planet and Profit.” Students were asked to develop questions associated with the topic. His question is designed to help outsiders understand how the iconic ice cream company selects sustainability projects and then communicates those decisions to employees and investors.
“I didn’t want my question to be viewed as soft serve,” Davis said. “Rather, I wanted to challenge Ben and Jerry by developing a question that would help people better understand how the company views and prioritizes social responsibility.”
Davis also secured entry to the all-day event, to be held May 18 at the Raleigh Marriott City Center. He is prepared to chronicle his experiences through the @WakeForestMBA Twitter account, which served as the primary medium for the “CEO of Tomorrow” competition, and through the student blog. Those efforts were honored last month by TopMBA as must follow social media sites for prospective MBA candidates.
About 2010 N.C. CEO Forum (www.ncceoforum.com)
The 2010 N.C. CEO Forum is a premier, invitation-only event for North Carolina business leaders to discuss the Triple Bottom Line: 21st Century Leadership in People, Planet and Profit. The event, scheduled for Tuesday, May 18 at Marriot City Center, in Raleigh, N.C., will provide attendees a platform to gain insight into the challenges and opportunities posed by environmental initiatives, social mandates, and near-term economic constraints. Attendees will learn from global and local business leaders how successful companies are seizing opportunity by focusing their attention on people, the planet and profit. The 2010 N.C. CEO Forum will be led by a keynote address from Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, the iconic founders of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream.
