CEO Photo Essay - NiMA Integrated Marketing Boutique

with this issue 

2009-2010 Event Syllabus 

mark your calendar! 

FROM GARDENS TO GALLERIES 

Advocating the Arts with Jim Fleck 

VEILS AND WALLS 

Building Bridges with Kathy Hubbard 

RESILIENCE AND FORTITUDE 

Reflections of the Holy Land 

October 2009 

the legacy of 

the british empire 

Does Britain Remain Great? p6 

p10 

p16 

p18

Board of Directors 

2009-2010 

(as of 13 October 2009) 

OFFICERS 

Fraser Morrison 

President 

Bill Morton 

President-Elect 

Shad Khan 

Senior Vice President and 

Vice President for Events 

Steve Pond 

Vice President for Education 

Pat Powers Jr. 

Vice President for Membership 

Yum Arnold 

Vice President for 

Marketing and Communications 

Ahmad Al-Sari 

Area Vice President, Africa/Middle East 

Ian Gandel 

Area Vice President, 

Australia/New Zealand 

Andreas Madaus 

Area Vice President, Europe 

Arni Thorsteinson 

Area Vice President, North America – 

Canada 

Jeff Levitt 

Area Vice President, North America - 

Northeastern US 

Stina Hans 


Pacific US 

Jim Sobeck 


Southern US 

Myrna Schlegel 


Western US 

Don Wolf 

Secretary/Treasurer 

DIRECTORS 

Greer Arthur 

John Barford 

Danny Bejarano 

Jim Bildner 

Colin Butt 

Michael Collins 

Allen Dick 

Tony Garnier 

Michael Hanning 

Ernie Higa 

Paul Hill 

Jim Jameson 

Andy Kahn 

Steve Kalb 

Walter Koning 

Papa Doug Manchester 

Jim Martin (2007-2008 President) 

Ted McCarter (2006-2007 President) 

Dave Metzler 

Ekin Ozker 

Jeff Ross 

John Ruan 

Raj Salgaocar 

Nelson Schwab 

Dennis Sun 

Josyanne Stijns-Giudici 

David Uther 

Ron Weiner (2008-2009 President) 

Chris Wiedenmayer 

Alison Winter 

celebrate fall in new england 

Boston College: 10-15 October 2010 

Experience New England’s capital in all its autumn glory as resident Chairs Jeff 

and Elinor Ross take you behind the scenes of their beloved city. Here, in “the 

thinking center of the planet,” you’ll explore the themes of education, science, arts, 

and technology; visit historic sites, significant landmarks, and major institutions; and 

meet with key authors, artists, scientists, and scholars. 

For more information, please contact CEO Events Manager Jean Campo at 

jcampo@ceo.org or +1 301 280 2555. 

Published by Chief Executives Organization, Inc. 

Chief Executives Organization (CEO) is a select community of 2,000 global leaders in more than 50 countries. 

It represents current and former members of YPO who have distinguished themselves through excellence 

in leadership. CEO’s vision is to create life-enriching experiences that provoke new wisdom, inspire crossgenerational 

friendships, and nurture a passion for life. 

Chief Executives Organization, 7920 Norfolk Avenue, Suite 400 Bethesda, Maryland 20814-2507 USA 

T : +1 301 656 9220 F : +1 301 656 9221 www.ceo.org Executive Director: Barbara Reno. 

Editor: Summer Amin. Editorial Team: Carla Alburqueque, Michael Corrigan, Jerrica Thurman. 

Contributing Writers: Ken and Trish Byers, Margaret Rose Caro, Katherine Davies, Kerry Reichs, 

Leah Romero, Bill Shields, Marc Stegeman. 

RON WEINER is president of 

Perelson Weiner LLP, a regional 

CPA and consulting firm based 

in New York City, where he 

lives with his wife, Vicki, who is 

founder and president of VMW 

Corporate & Investor Relations, 

a boutique investor relations 

and communications firm. 

Together, they travel extensively 

for business and pleasure, 

in part to see their daughter, 

Jennie, and son-in-law, 

Jeremiah, who live in Boston; 

and their daughter, Maureen, 

who lives in Chicago. 

dear friends, 

What a year! I began my presidential term of office on the first of November last year with optimism 

as well as a slight sense of foreboding over rapidly changing economic conditions. Little did we realize 

then how dramatically the world would change during the next few months, leaving many apprehensive 

about the unfolding global marketplace. 

Our event chairs and staff had long planned Universities, Colleges, and Seminars as well as other 

smaller events. Costs were locked in, based on then-existing terms and conditions and consistent with 

the participation levels of the preceding years. By January 2009, however, we were in a different 

world, one of pending economic crisis. 

It was clear that, under the direction of our new executive director, Barbara Reno, CEO would assure 

– first and foremost – that our quality of service to our members continued to improve. But, we also 

needed to minimize losses due to the new economic reality and membership participation that was 

lower than previously anticipated. 

CEO’s 2008-2009 budget went from break-even in November 2008 to a projected US$2 million deficit 

in January 2009. Prompt and decisive action was taken to renegotiate contracts with hotels and other 

service providers, staff bonuses were waived, and staff took a 10 percent across-the-board pay cut, 

among many other cost-cutting initiatives. 

Due to the combined efforts of the Board, our event chairs, and the CEO headquarters staff, I 

am pleased to report that once again we anticipate that we will finish our year at break-even or 

better, and we are projecting 1,850 members on our roster. But this is only part of the story. 

Vicki and I were privileged to attend Board meetings in Napa Valley, San Diego, and Paris along 

with CEO programs in Tanzania and Zanzibar; Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Qatar; the Vatican; 

Paris; Israel and Jordan; Copenhagen; and Hong Kong, Taipei, and Seoul as well as Gettysburg; 

Harvard; West Point; and Nemacolin, Pennsylvania, where this year’s Women’s Seminar was 

held. Our only regret is that we were not able to attend every event. 

What we have learned more than anything else is that CEO events are the medium for us all to meet 

and be with our fellow members. Vicki and I have had the most extraordinary year of opportunity to 

get to know and become friends with so many of you, including those who are new to the organization. 

Our new members have all gone through a rigorous selection process, and I can assure you that the 

quality of our membership continues to be superb. 

Our current and forthcoming presidents and our executive director have also established a stronger 

positive working relationship with YPO/WPO leadership, having met in January and again this month 

as part of a recurring meeting process. We look forward to creating more opportunities for the mutual 

benefit of our respective memberships. 

It is each of you who has made our experience so worthwhile. We thank you for the privilege of service 

and hope to continue to see and be with you at many more events in the future. My congratulations to 

our new president, Fraser Morrison, and his wife, Trish, who will continue to transform CEO from a 

great organization to an even greater one. 

2 ceocompass – october 2009 

© 2009 Chief Executives Organization, Inc. All rights reserved. 

CEO 

Ron Weiner 

International President 2008-2009 

ceocompass – october 2009 3 

® and Chief Executives Organization ® are registered trademarks in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. 

Best regards,

CEO Headquarters 

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S OFFICE 

Barbara Reno - Executive Director, 

breno@ceo.org 

Bianca Collins - Executive Assistant, 

bcollins@ceo.org 

AREA CONSULTANTS 

AFRICA/MIDDLE EAST - Carole Kibrit, 

ckibrit@ceo.org 

ASIA - Winnie Kwok, wkwok@ceo.org 

AUSTRALIA/NEW ZEALAND - Lyn Hercus, 

lhercus@ceo.org 

EUROPE - Christiane von Deichmann, 

cdeichmann@ceo.org 

LATIN AMERICA/CARIBBEAN - 

Mayela Rubio, mrubio@ceo.org 

UNITED KINGDOM - Hugh Merrill, 

hmerrill@ceo.org 

EDUCATION 

Jennifer Lehmann Weng - Director of 

Education, jlweng@ceo.org 

Leah Romero - Senior Education 

Manager, lromero@ceo.org 

Katherine Davies - Education Associate, 

kdavies@ceo.org 

EVENTS & REGISTRATION 

Natalie Noakes - Director of Events, 

nnoakes@ceo.org 

Anne Agniel - Senior Events Manager, 

aagniel@ceo.org 

Jean Campo - Events Manager, 

jcampo@ceo.org 

Mary Rider Kline - Senior Events 

Manager, mkline@ceo.org 

Lauren Mongeon - Associate Events 

Manager, lmongeon@ceo.org 

Maria Sheffler - Associate Events 

Manager, msheffler@ceo.org 

Amanda Almassy - Events Registration 

Specialist, aalmassy@ceo.org 

Julie Block - Events Registration 

Specialist, jblock@ceo.org 

FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION 

Peter Monroe - Director of Administration & 

Member Connections, pmonroe@ceo.org 

Shaun Bladow - Controller, 

sbladow@ceo.org 

Susan Davies - Office Manager, 

sdavies@ceo.org 

Noel Dominguez - Accounting Assistant, 

ndominguez@ceo.org 

MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS 

Summer Amin - Director of Marketing & 

Communications, samin@ceo.org 

Carla Alburqueque - Graphic & Web 

Designer, calburqueque@ceo.org 

Michael Corrigan - Web & Direct 

Marketing Manager, mcorrigan@ceo.org 

Jerrica Thurman - Senior Communications 

Manager, jthurman@ceo.org 

MEMBERSHIP & GOVERNANCE 

Bill Shields - Director of Membership & 

Governance, bshields@ceo.org 

Scott Colati - Membership Coordinator, 

scolati@ceo.org 

Allison Sedwick - Senior Membership 

Manager, asedwick@ceo.org 

Deanna Sibbald - Senior Adviser, 

International Expansion, dsibbald@ceo.org 


features 

THE LEGACY OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE 

Does Britain Remain Great? 

FROM GARDENS TO GALLERIES 

Advocating the Arts with Jim Fleck 

CEO EXECUTIVE EDUCATION 

Harvard Presidents’ Seminar, IMD Presidents’ Seminar, 

and Kellogg Presidents’ Seminar 

VEILS AND WALLS 

Building Bridges with Kathy Hubbard 

RESILIENCE AND FORTITUDE 

Reflections of the Holy Land 

EXPERIENCE. UNCOMMON. CONNECTIONS. 

Making the Most of Membership 

OUTSTANDING LEADERSHIP 

Putting Private Sector Experience to Work in the Public Sector 

THE POWER OF CEO 

One-on-One with Fraser Morrison 

THE YEAR IN REVIEW 

CEO Photo Essay 

6 

10 

13 

16 

18 

20 

24 

27 

28 

RETREAT TO THE EXOTIC INDONESIAN ISLAND OF BALI with Hosts Jaka and Sally Singgih and Ming 

Chew and a small group of CEOers during the Asia Retreat – Bali from 5-8 August 2010. 

your ceo staff 

A Note From Barbara Reno 

BARBARA RENO 

CEO’s Executive Director 

longtime CEO member recently asked me in Copenhagen about 

the CEO staff. “I know the staff organizes events,” he said, “but 

what else do they do?” 

The answer is “a lot.” We operate like a small business, overseeing and administering a US$15 

million annual budget and coordinating the work of approximately 30 staff and consultants (see 

sidebar on opposite page). Our central purpose is to organize and facilitate the member-led activity of 

your organization. To a large degree, this translates into events, but it also means member activity 

and governance. 

Here are some numbers that help illustrate the picture. Within a given year, your CEO staff: 

• Helps recruit and onboard 80-120 new members 

• Publishes the annual Member Directory, Compass magazine, and event catalogs 

• Informs about upcoming events and faculty via a new weekly e-mail 

• Produces pre-newsletters, on-site newsletters, and profile books for all events 

• Updates the member website and member database daily 

• Plans, promotes, and conducts 40-60 events while researching for future years 

• Negotiates and administers event budgets as well as 6-15 contracts per major event 

• Processes approximately 1,500-2,000 registrations 

• Processes ≈2,500 credit card transactions totaling ≈US$10 million 

In addition, we support your CEO leadership, which includes the five members of the Presidents 

Council, the 52-member Board of Directors, and the 13-member Executive Committee as well as 

committees and member-led initiatives for spouse involvement as well as finance, investments, 

compensation, membership, events and education, marketing, governance, and international expansion. 

Let me give you a brief rundown of how we’re organized. 

Working with the VP for Membership Pat Powers is the Membership team led by Staff 

Director Bill Shields, who also directs the organization’s governance function. Bill’s team 

includes Scott Colati, Allison Sedwick, and Deanna Sibbald, who works closely with Board 

Member Colin Butt on international expansion. To support the work of the Area Vice 

Presidents (AVPs) and Regional Vice Presidents (RVPs), CEO sifts through data on more than 

600 YPO graduates and manages the entire recruitment and onboarding process. 

We have six part-time area consultants – located in Beirut, Hong Kong, Sydney, Liechtenstein, 

London, and Mexico City – who support membership development and gatherings outside the US. 

Their vital work is coordinated by the AVPs in each geographical region and Deanna Sibbald. 

To work with CEO’s VP for Education Steve Pond in the development of the educational components 

of our events and seminars, we have a dedicated team that includes Staff Director Jennifer Lehmann 

Weng, Leah Romero, and Katherine Davies. They support CEO’s educational mission by cultivating 

relationships with experts on key topics and managing strategic partnerships with leading institutions 

such as Harvard, Kellogg, and Oxford. 

continued on page 30 

ceocompass – october 2009 5

the legacy of the 

british empire 

Does Britain Remain Great? by Marc Stegeman 

ith the British economy continuing to contract even as other nations show 

signs of turning the corner, some late night talk show hosts have taken to 

joking about removing the “Great” from “Great Britain.” 

As recently as 2007, Britain’s per-capita GDP was the 

highest of the six leading economies of the world, ranking it 

wealthier than even the US. Today, Britain not only lags the 

US but also has been bested by France, Italy, and Japan. 

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) announced 

in July that it expects the British economy to contract by 

4.2 percent in 2009, far deeper than the 2.8 percent drop it 

predicted for Britain just six months earlier. In comparison, 

the US is already showing a considerable decrease in its 

economic slowdown, contracting at an annualized rate of 

only 1 percent in the second quarter. 

Britain’s performance is prompting some observers 

to question whether the nation can or should even try to 

maintain its role as a leader on the world stage. 

“Let’s go back 50 years,” says CEOer Stephen Barclay, 

a former British investment banker. “In 1959, Britain still 

had an empire. We were pretty powerful in the world. Today, 

should we have a seat on the UN Security Council or should 

the EU have a seat? Should we be standing alongside the 

United States [politically and militarily] in controversial 

areas like Afghanistan and Iraq?” 

Others, both inside and outside 

Britain, maintain that the current 

economic crunch is simply a cyclical and 

necessary correction, and that Britain 

will come out just fine. 

“Reports of the death of Britain 

are greatly exaggerated,” says CEOer 

Andrew Kaldor, chairman of ASI 

Group, an Australian maker of office 

products and home ware. “I would 

not ignore what’s going on in Britain. 

People pay attention. They influence 

the world.” 

But even so, it is clear that things 

have changed. 

“My personal view is that this 

recession has seen a fundamental 

change,” says Hugh Merrill, director 

of the Briefing Circle in the United 

Kingdom and CEO UK Area 

Consultant. “We are living way beyond 

our means. Although historically – and 

in recent history – we have punched 

above our weight, we no longer have the 

economic resources to do so now.” 

As has been made all too clear over 

the past year and a half, the world’s 

economic and financial systems today 

are inextricably linked. Indeed, global 

interdependence – which made the 

recent financial crisis a global one – 

also offers the best hope for a solution. 

Globalization and Trade 

Globalization, for better or worse, 

has become a fact of life. Historian 

Niall Ferguson, in his book Empire: 

How Britain Made the Modern World, 

argues that we can thank the British 

Empire for much of this. 

When discussing globalization, 

economists tend to focus on flows of 

goods, capital, and labor. From this 

point of view, it would be easy to dismiss 

Britain as past its sell-by date. But 

equally important are exchanges of 

culture, knowledge, and institutions. 

It is here that this tiny island nation 

continues to exert a tremendous impact 

on the world of today. 

Ferguson contends that the British 

Empire’s great legacy to the modern 

world was a uniquely British penchant 

for free trade. Like all colonial powers, 

the British conquered by force, and in 

this regard were perhaps no better or 

worse than other imperial powers of 

the past. 

But Britain was often able 

to maintain strong post-colonial 

relations, in part, because this “nation 

of shopkeepers” was perhaps more 

successful in turning its former subjects 

into free business partners. Even 

more important, it was able to instill 

in its colonies that same penchant for 

economic liberalism. 

This belief in the inherent wisdom 

of a free market helps explain why many 

of Britain’s former colonies remain 

among the strongest of the developed 

and rapidly emerging economies, while 

former colonies of other imperial powers 

continue to lag far behind, even when, 

as in parts of Africa, they often enjoy 

great wealth in natural resources. 

“One of the main cornerstones of 

the British Empire was trade,” notes 

Merrill. “I think it has to do with the 

fact that we are an island race and our 

history has been based on trade. If you 

want to trade with people, you need 

common values and common principles, 

and here I think the empire helps, 

because you wouldn’t get the same 

openness, freedom, and liberalism in 

[some other countries].” 

One reason for this liberal economic 

tradition, according to Ferguson, is the 

fact that England’s monarchy remained 

dependent on Parliament and a 

wealthy aristocracy to fund its imperial 

ambitions. Private entrepreneurs played 

a far greater role in building the British 

Empire than was the case, for example, 

with Spain, where gold and other riches 

from the New World filled the royal 

coffers. The English throne, therefore, 

was obliged to rely instead on privateers 

and private enterprise, such as the 

East India Trading Company and other 

entrepreneurial ventures. 

Language and Infrastructure 

This focus on free enterprise is one 

reason why English quickly became the 

lingua franca of the modern business 

world. 

“Language is certainly [one] thing 

that unites,” says Merrill. “In India 

it was imposed. It was a vast country, 

with hundreds, perhaps thousands, of 

languages. British rule meant [it was] 

united by a common language.” 

Empires, by definition, impose their 

will on a conquered people through force 

and repression. The British Empire was 

no exception. Slavery was legal until the 

1840s, when growing political dissent 

led to major constitutional reforms. 

Here, too, the deep-rooted British 

notion of a free and democratic society 

ruled by law played a key role. 

“Without the underpinning of the 

rule of law, there is no way to have 

shared prosperity,” says Steve Pond, 

chairman and chief executive officer 

One of the main cornerstones of the British Empire 

was trade. I think it has to do with the fact that we are an 

island race and our history has been based on trade. 

6 ceocompass – october 2009 ceocompass – october 2009 7

of the US-based Education Center, a publisher of 

magazines and books for grade-school teachers, and 

CEO’s VP for Education. “The biggest problem in the 

underdeveloped world is the lack of infrastructure for 

contracts to be recognized and upheld. If you look at 

the colonial history of the British, they left the greatest 

infrastructure support of all the colonial powers.” 

The British focus on infrastructure and law goes a 

long way to explain why Britain’s former colonies were 

better able to flourish later as independent nations, 

compared with those of other former imperial powers. 

“Yes, they were exploitive, as were all the others,” 

maintains Pond. “But if you examine the history of 

Britain and India, for example, they were able to 

maintain control with a ratio of military power to 

population that was lower than any other colonial 

power in history. They were much more successful 

controlling their empire and therefore did not have to 

be as repressive.” 

The collapse of the British Empire occurred only 

after other, far more ruthless imperial powers arose in 

the 1940s: Germany, Russia, Spain, Italy, and Japan. 

Had Britain chosen to appease rather than fight these 

dictatorships, as Neville Chamberlain originally sought 

to do, Britain might well have managed to hold on to 

its own empire, at least for a while longer. Fortunately, 

Britain again made the right choice. 

If you look at the colonial 

history of the British, they left the 

greatest infrastructure support of all 

the colonial powers. 

Today, many former British colonies remain 

among the leading developed and developing nations. 

Natural resources do play a role, of course, but if 

that were all, then the former Belgian Congo would 

certainly be on par with India, Australia, or Canada. 

The planet does not seem as big as it once did, 

when new worlds could be discovered, explored, 

and exploited. And yet, it would be naïve to think 

that the lure of empire has waned. Many wonder 

whether China today is building a new empire for 

the new century. But if so, it is a battle most likely 

to be fought by business rather than bullets, where 

alliances are forged not with tyranny but with trade. 

This, in the end, may be the greatest legacy of the 

British Empire. 

Next May, CEOers will learn firsthand about the 

nation’s role in the world during the United Kingdom/ 

Ireland University (see opposite page). 

intellect, identity, and insight 

Discover the origins of the Western world United Kingdom/Ireland University: 16-22 May 2010 

From the English language to the 

Industrial Revolution, the United 

Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland 

have had a great impact on much 

of the culture, systems, and forms 

of government in place throughout 

the western world today. Explore this 

historically significant region with 

Chairs Dave and Cookie Metzler, 

as they bring you a first-of-its-kind 

University designed to immerse you in 

the origins and legacy of the Englishspeaking 

world through a fascinating 

two-part program. 

For more information, please contact 

CEO UK Event Director Mary Kline at 

mkline@ceo.org or +1 301 280 2542 or 

CEO Events Manager Jean Campo at 

jcampo@ceo.org or +1 301 280 2555. 

During the first half of the program, the University will operate along three tracks simultaneously, as 

small groups of CEOers gather from 16-19 May 2010 at one of three renowned educational institutions: 

University of Oxford University of St Andrews University College Dublin 

Reflect upon the 

cultural and legal 

impact England has 

had on the wider world, 

from common law to 

the Church of England, 

with Chairs Stephen and Jane 

Barclay. While based at the University 

of Oxford, you’ll explore the events, 

people, and culture of Britain and take 

part in activities such as an architectural 

walking tour of Oxford; special visits 

to the Ashmolean Museum, the Christ 

Church, and Stratford-upon-Avon (with 

a Shakespeare specialist); and an 

enchanting social evening set in the 

15th century Bodleian Library. 

Discover how Europe’s 

commercial, intellectual, 

and industrial 

powerhouse has 

continued to remain 

relevant with Chairs Joe 

and Marguerite Marino. While based 

at the University of St Andrews, you’ll 

explore the events, people, and culture 

of Scotland and take part in activities 

such as an architectural walking tour 

of St Andrews; a visit to the Holy Trinity 

Church; a session with David Kidd, a 

world-renowned golf course design 

expert; and an enchanting evening at 

the fairytale Glamis Castle while it is 

closed to the public. 

Learn how the Irish 

people emerged from 

years of struggle to 

take their place on the 

world stage with Chairs 

Jim and Mimi Murphy. 

While based at the University College 

Dublin, you’ll explore the events, 

people, and culture of Ireland and 

take part in activities such as a private 

viewing of the Book of Kells at Trinity 

College Dublin; a visit to the Hill of Tara 

(the birthplace of Christian Ireland); a 

cooking lesson at the Ballyknocken 

Cookery School; and cocktails and 

dinner at Number 10 – a private 

mansion overlooking the River Liffey. 

Then, all three groups will come together in Edinburgh from 19-22 May 2010 to take part in 

informative education sessions, elegant socials, and explorative off-sites to gain insight into the 

“golden thread” running through this historically vital region. 


Member Profile 

from gardens to galleries 

Advocating the Arts with Jim Fleck by Kerry Reichs 

ubbed “Mr. Arts” in Canada, CEOer and 1972-1973 YPO International 

President Jim Fleck is a true Renaissance man, one who has blended his interests, 

accomplishments, and accreditations into – let’s be honest – a slightly intimidating 

curriculum vitae. All contained in a humble and down-to-earth package. 

Born in Toronto, Canada, Jim Fleck has had successful careers as an entrepreneur, public servant, and business 

professor. In addition to starting and building Fleck Manufacturing Inc. into a multi-million dollar enterprise with 3,500 

employees in Canada, the United States, and Mexico, he has helped shape ventures such as Alias Research, ATI 

Technologies, and CUC Cable and served on numerous Boards of Directors. He has also served as the chief executive 

officer for the Office of the Premier; Secretary of Cabinet; and Deputy Minister of Industry and Tourism of the Government 

of Ontario as well as a member of the Federal International Trade Advisory Board. Today, he serves as chairman of the 

Council for Business and the Arts in Canada; president of the Art Gallery of Ontario Foundation; chairman of the Art 

Gallery of Ontario’s Building Committee overseeing the Frank Gehry renovations and extension; and chair of the Minister’s Advisory 

Council on Arts and Culture (MACAC). He was also past chairman of the Board and president of the Art Gallery of Ontario; founding 

president of The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery at Harbourfront Centre; and director, treasurer, and vice president of The National 

Ballet of Canada. Jim, and his wife, Margaret, have four children – Robert, Ellen, David, and Christopher – and five grandchildren – 

Jamie, Erin, Seymore, Quinn, and Devon. 

After all, Fleck is the kind of 

man who would rather discuss his 

longtime friendships with CEO and 

YPO colleagues, Canadian politics, 

or the accomplishments of his wife, 

Reverend Margaret Fleck, than his 

own achievements. Yet the breadth and 

depth of what he has accomplished 

are astonishing. Having succeeded 

as a savvy businessman, government 

insider, educator, orator, tennis ace, 

humanitarian, and family man, he has 

turned his attention to his passion – 

the arts. 

Pragmatic and understated, Fleck 

credits his interest in philanthropy not 

to a chord of music or a painting that 

stopped him in his tracks but to a stroke 

of luck. 

“The key was selling the business for 

more than I thought I would,” he said. 

A Right-Brain Idea 

After selling their first business, 

Fleck Manufacturing Inc., and setting 

aside funds for their children, the 

Flecks made a simple decision: “it 

would be fun giving away the rest while 

we were still alive.” 

Soon thereafter, having established 

himself in business, government, and 

education, Fleck took on a fourth 

career – as a philanthropist. A longtime 

collector, Fleck decided to put his 

“love of the arts” – which spans the 

fields of painting, sculpture, classical 

music, jazz, ballet, modern dance, 

theater, architecture, landscape design, 

multimedia, and museum studies – to 

good use. 

While many patrons and artists 

often narrow themselves to the precision 

of thin-slice expertise, Fleck decided to 

remain a generalist. His projects include 

everything from gardens to galleries. 

It would be fun giving 

away the rest while we 

were still alive. 

One of his favorite projects is 

the Toronto Music Garden, for which 

he collaborated with internationally 

renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma and landscape 

designer Julie Moir Messervy to create 

a visual exploration of J. S. Bach’s 

Suite No. 1 for Unaccompanied Cello, 

as interpreted through landscape on a 

grand scale. From Prelude to Gigue, the 

Garden, like the Suite, encompasses six 

musical movements, creating an urban 

idyll infused with the spirit of music, 

dance, and artistic genius, a public 

place for all ages to enjoy and learn, a 

meditative space to sit and quietly ponder 

nature’s relationship with inspiration. 

The 2 1/2 acre garden is a 

testament to Toronto’s participation in 

the international community and Fleck’s 

Awards and Honors 

• Queen’s Silver Jubilee Medal (1977) 

• Order of Canada (1997) 

THE TORONTO MUSIC GARDEN, for which Fleck collaborated with renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma, celebrated its 10 th anniversary in 2009. 

• Queen’s 50th Anniversary Medal (2002) 

• Honorary LLD degree from the 

University of Toronto (2002) 

• Edmund C. Bovey Award for 

Leadership Support of the Arts (2003) 

• Tennis Canada Hall of Fame (2004) 

• Angel Award for Philanthropy in the 

Arts from the International Society of 

Performing Arts (2009) 

• Governor General’s Ramon John 

Hnatyshyn Award for Voluntarism in 

the Performing Arts (2009) 

own perseverance – his personal support 

and fundraising resurrected the project 

from extinction – and perspective, 

earning him the unofficial title of “the 

ultimate enlightened citizen” from Ma. 

Having been made an Officer of 

the Order of Canada in 1997, Fleck 

doesn’t miss a chance to foster symbiosis 

between cultural and social charity. Take, 

for example, an awards gala that was 

thrown in his honor in September 2008. 

Not only did the proceeds of the evening 

go to LOFT Community Services, an 

entity that offers permanent housing 

and support services to 4,000 vulnerable 

and homeless people across the Greater 

Toronto Area, but Fleck personally 

matched that donation with three 

separate gifts of CA$100,000+, each 


going to the National Ballet of Canada 

(to help create a new ballet), University 

of Toronto’s Rotman School of 

Management (to support its Prosperity 

Institute), and the Soulpepper 

Theatre Company (to support Theatre 

Production, Youth Outreach, and Artist 

Training). 

He credits his wife, Margaret, an 

Anglican minister, with his commitment 

to supporting the underserved. “She 

was a compass toward community 

services,” he said. 

A Left-Brain Approach 

For many, being a supporter of the 

arts means more than being a donor. It 

requires being a “tireless advocate” and 

“driving force.” 

“Involvement isn’t just sending 

a check, but somehow being involved 

in strategy and how the group runs,” 

Fleck said. 

Using his extensive experience in 

business, government, and education, 

Fleck decided to bring a strategic 

approach to the arts. While many 

consider the creative arena to be 

sacrosanct – inviolable and mysterious 

because it is “art,” driven by forces of 

instinct and taste – matter-of-fact Fleck 

brings left-brain intellectual thinking to 

The arts are not a 

sinkhole but a generator 

for the economy. 

the design & architecture of wine 

Mission Hill Family Estate Winery, Okanagan Valley, BC, BC, Canada 

promote right-brain creative notions. 

Having taught at York University, 

Harvard Business School, the Kennedy 

School of Government, the Rotman 

School of Management, the University 

of Western Ontario, Keio University 

(Tokyo), and INSEAD (France), Fleck 

believes that more art and business 

schools should provide artists with 

training in self-promotion and teach 

them how to distinguish work in a 

crowded market. He impresses that a 

defined concept is bedrock. 

“Having focus is important,” he tells 

artists. “What are you trying to achieve? 

How can you know how you are doing if 

you don’t know where you are going?” 

Fleck specifically credits the basic 

problem solving skills he acquired as 

a professor and businessman, as well 

as his ability to retain an open mind in 

relation to the views of others, to his 

success in the arena. 

“I try not to be dogmatic and have 

pretty good listening skills,” he said. 

“I give my opinion, and I don’t mind if 

they ignore it.” 

In a country where 25 percent 

of the arts is publicly funded, Fleck 

also believes that strong government 

support for a thriving arts community is 

essential infrastructure. 

“The arts are not a sinkhole but 

a generator for the economy,” he 

said. “It’s important for government 

to recognize that the arts are an 

investment important to quality of life 

and accept that support for cultural 

infrastructure is a natural role for 

government, along with providing 

sewers and hospitals.” 

Fleck is practical but firm in his 

position: the arts are good business. In 

fact, as chair for the Canadian-based 

Business for the Arts group, he is 

working with consulting firm McKinsey 

to produce an irrefutable, fact-based 

economic argument supporting public 

funding for the arts. 

Regardless of the results, one fact is 

certain – the impact Fleck has already 

had on his community is remarkable, so 

much so that Canadian Prime Minister 

Stephen Harper recently referred to 

him as “an accomplished man whose 

wide-ranging contributions in a variety 

of fields – from business, the arts, 

and education to public service and 

philanthropy – have left an indelible 

mark on Canadian society.” 

Canada Retreat – British Columbia: 11-14 September 2010 

Have you ever dreamt of owning a winery or vineyard? Discover 

Have the real you world ever of dreamt wine – of the owning business a winery from or grape vineyard? to bottle, Discover from 

the 

dream 

real 

to 

world 

reality. 

of 

Learn 

wine – 

firsthand 

the business 

from 

from 

personal 

grape 

experiences 

to bottle, from 

dream to reality. Learn firsthand from personal experiences 

with host Anthony von Mandl, proprietor of Canada’s premier 

with host Anthony von Mandl, proprietor of Canada’s premier 

winery, Mission Hill Family Estate. In this behind-the-scenes look 

winery, Mission Hill Family Estate. In this behind-the-scenes look 

at the wine business, you will gain insights into the journey and 

at the wine business, you will gain insights into the journey and 

obstacles of building a world class winery. You’ll meet one of 

obstacles of building a world class winery. You’ll meet one of 

the most internationally acclaimed architects and design teams 

the most internationally acclaimed architects and design teams 

that 

that 

created 

created 

Mission 

Mission 

Hill 

Hill 

Family 

Family 

Estate. 

Estate. 

You’ll 

You’ll 

also 

also 

learn 

learn 

in 

in 

depth 

depth 

about vineyards while the harvest is underway; participate in the 

production of fine wines; discover the culinary secrets of wine 

pairings in the test kitchen of what Travel & Leisure magazine 

acclaimed “one of the top five winery restaurants in the world;” 

and understand the true business of wine. All this in the Okanagan 

Valley, one of the world’s most exciting, breathtakingly beautiful, 

emerging new wine regions. www.missionhillwinery.com 

For more information, contact CEO Senior Adviser for International Expansion Deanna Sibbald at dsibblald@ceo.org or +1 301 280 2549. 

ceo executive education 

Harvard Presidents’ Seminar, IMD Presidents’ Seminar, and Kellogg Presidents’ Seminar by Leah Romero 

irst, there was one: the Harvard Presidents’ Seminar was established in 1952 

for a select group of YPOers seeking serious business education in a rigorous 

academic environment. Then there were two: an internationally-based program 

focusing on family business with a fresh global perspective was needed, and the IMD 

Presidents’ Seminar based in Lausanne, Switzerland, was born. Now, the triumvirate is 

complete, as the third leg of CEO’s executive education seminar series is here: the CEO 

Kellogg Presidents’ Seminar, a program designed to help unwind the complex ties that 

bind a family enterprise and address fundamental issues families face. 

With all three programs planned for next year, we decided 

to profile three of CEO’s most prestigious business offerings: 

Harvard Presidents’ Seminar, IMD Presidents’ Seminar, and 

Kellogg Presidents’ Seminar. 


BAKER LIBRARY AT HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL 

Harvard: Demand, 

Change, and Innovation 

As part of the oldest institution 

of higher learning in the US, Harvard 

Business School (HBS) has produced 

leaders and ideas that have shaped the 

practice of management in organizations 

around the globe. As recognized 

thought leaders on international 

business and management issues, HBS 

faculty members maintain dynamic 

relationships with top companies. 

For CEO Vice President for 

Education Steve Pond, the decision to 

chair the annual CEO/WPO Harvard 

Presidents’ Seminar, which was launched 

more than a decade ago for members over 

50, has been fruitful. Year after year, 

he has seen the highly focused program 

draw a group of dedicated CEOers and 

WPOers to HBS to gain insight about 

important issues, such as how to address 

shifts in competitive demand, respond to 

change, and manage innovation. 

For many, the Seminar serves 

as a capstone event in their personal 

Fast Facts 

CEO/WPO Harvard Presidents’ 

Seminar* 

DATES 

31 January – 5 February 2010 

LOCATION 

Boston, Massachusetts, USA 

CHAIR 

Steve Pond 

This program is open to CEO and WPO 

members by invitation only. For more 

information, please contact CEO Events 

Registration Specialist Julie Block at 

jblock@ceo.org or +1 301 280 2566. 

*Please note that the 2010 program has a 

lengthy waitlist. 

business education, one that provides 

what one recent attendee described as 

“great real world value” and “extremely 

useful pointers for the year ahead.” 

Each year, the program offers 

a curriculum that is flexible and 

integrates “up-to-the-minute” subject 

matter, providing a mix of case studies 

on established corporations with 

insights on emerging markets and 

industries. The 2009 Seminar, for 

example, featured Niall Ferguson, the 

author of The New York Times bestseller 

The Ascent of Money and the William 

Ziegler Professor at HBS, who spoke 

[Harvard Presidents’ 

Seminar provides] great 

real world value… and 

extremely useful pointers 

for the year ahead. 

about the “Credit Crunch” – which one 

attendee described as “genius” – as well 

as Roger Porter, the author of several 

books on economic policy and the IBM 

Professor of Business and Government, 

who discussed “The 2008 Presidency” 

– which another attendee described as 

“insightful, profound, and revealing.” 

Open to members by invitation only, 

the program quickly fills up, with a long 

waitlist that rolls into the following year. 

The 2010 Seminar, which is currently in 

the development stage, is no exception. 

IMD: Real World, 

Real Learning 

Established in January 1990, 

IMD quickly took its place among the 

top three business schools in Europe. 

It lives up to its unique “Real World, 

Real Learning” philosophy by utilizing, 

among other innovative techniques, 

Executives in Residence to shape and 

inform its curriculum. IMD’s faculty 

members, comprising 19 nationalities, 

reflect the school’s objective of being a 

“global meeting place.” 

Interestingly, IMD has no academic 

hierarchy (all faculty are professors), and 

there is no tenure system. This approach 

seems to work, as Financial Times ranked 

its executive education #1 outside of the 

US and #2 worldwide in 2009. 

So it’s no wonder that, at CEO’s 

IMD Presidents’ Seminar, participants 

are challenged by a curriculum that 

departs from the ordinary and culls 

from a deeply international perspective. 

CEO member Bernd Michael expertly 

champions the program, playing to 

its international, edgy core. Through 

a heavy emphasis on cross-generation 

dialogue, CEOers and their families 

build bonds of appreciation and connect 

through lively interaction among the 

various age groups represented. 

“There is nothing better than 

this platform to bring together two 

generations to exchange ideas and clarify 

viewpoints,” said Patrick Chong, who 

has participated in the IMD Presidents’ 

Seminar for the past five years. “My 

children begin to see the meaning and 

value of what I have been doing, and it 

inspires them to take the baton, because 

nothing binds a family together like a 

IMD 

Fast Facts 

CEO IMD Presidents’ Seminar 

DATES 

14-17 April 2010 

LOCATION 

Lausanne, Switzerland 

CHAIR 

Bernd Michael 

This program is open to CEO members, 

spouses, and family members. For 

more information, please contact CEO 

Europe Area Consultant Christiane von 

Deichmann at cdeichmann@ceo.org or 

+423 232 25 21. 

business that is doing well.” 

Themed From Doom to Boom: 

Getting Ready for the Next Up-Cycle, the 

2009 Seminar featured sessions ranging 

from “Passing the Torch: Professional 

Succession Planning” to “Growing with 

the Family Firm: Opportunities and 

Challenges in Kenya” and “Making It in 

a Male-Dominated World.” 

It is this focus on the practical, with 

feet firmly planted in the “here and now,” 

that gives IMD Presidents’ Seminar its 

relevance and annual following. And each 

year, participants can expect a completely 

new and different course structure. 

There is nothing 

better than this platform 

to bring together two 

generations to exchange 

ideas and clarify 

viewpoints. 

In 2010, the three-day program will 

focus on Family Business in “The New 

Reality” and offer case studies, handson 

workshops, and group discussions on 

topical family business issues. 

Kellogg: The Legacy of 

Ownership 

Northwestern University’s Kellogg 

School of Management is also among 

the most prestigious business schools in 

the world, with a worldwide network of 

more than 50,000 alumni. True to its 

Midwestern US roots, Kellogg pursues 

new trends and theories with an eye 

towards the practical. As the school 

celebrated its centennial in 2008, The 

Wall Street Journal ranked its Executive 

MBA program #1 in the world while 

US News & World Report ranked it as the 

#3 business school overall in the US. 

Chaired by CEO Past President Jim 

Martin, Kellogg Presidents’ Seminar 

will feature the outstanding faculty of 

Kellogg School of Management Center 

for Family Enterprise, which focuses 

on teaching, research, and case writing 

about a wide range of family business 

issues, including strategy, governance, 

succession, entrepreneurship, 

foundations, offices, and culture. 

“The IMD Presidents’ Seminar has 

become an important annual tradition for 

many of our CEO European families,” 

said Martin. “As laws and customs can 

differ across borders, we wanted to create 

a program with Kellogg to help meet the 

needs of US-based family businesses.” 

The program will be conducted under 

the direction of Professor John Ward, 

a longtime IMD faculty member and 

author of five leading books on family 

business. Like IMD Presidents’ Seminar, 

the program is open to CEO members, 

spouses, and adult children. Through 

a heavy emphasis on cross-generation 

dialogue, CEOers and their families will 

build bonds of appreciation and connect 

through lively interaction among the 

various age groups represented. Original 

case studies, small group discussions, 

and advance preparation will ensure that 

this program – like its predecessors – 

provides maximum impact. 

“We are excited about bringing 

CEOers a new family business program 

at Kellogg that will build on its long 

tradition of educational excellence,” 

said Martin. “At the end of the day, it’s 

not for us, but for the next generation 

that we strive. If we can find some 

answers by assembling the right 

faculty and coming together with our 

children to explore important issues, 

we will wind up strengthening both our 

businesses and our families.” 

If we can find some 

answers by assembling 

the right faculty and 

coming together with 

our children to explore 

important issues, we will 

wind up strengthening 

both our businesses and 

our families. 

With a focus on The Legacy of 

Ownership, next year’s program will 

address issues such as “Visions and 

Overconfidence” juxtaposed against 

practical matters like “Managing 

Family Wealth” and “Onboarding New 

GMs” to provide a balance among the 

soft and hard skills necessary in today’s 

business environment. 

KELLOGG SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT CENTER 

The program will be updated yearly 

so that, as with the Harvard Presidents’ 

Seminar and IMD Presidents’ Seminar, 

family members will want to come 

back time and again to get a fresh 

perspective. 

Fast Facts 

CEO Kellogg Presidents’ 

Seminar 

DATES 

7-10 November 2010 

LOCATION 

Evanston, Illinois, USA 

CHAIR 

Jim Martin 

This program is open to CEO members, 

spouses, and family members. For more 

information, please contact CEO Senior 

Education Manager Leah Romero at 

lromero@ceo.org or +1 301 280 2546.

Spouse Profile 

veils and walls 

Building Bridges with Kathy Hubbard by Margaret Rose Caro 

athy Hubbard will never forget 

Lulia. A young woman she met 

on a mission trip to Jordan, Lulia 

was the first to explain to Hubbard the 

power of the veil. 

According to Lulia, al-hijab – as it is called in the Arab 

world – symbolized the fact that she was a proud, committed 

Muslim. Instead of limiting her freedom, she explained, it 

“liberated” her from modern social pressures, such as fashion 

and hairstyles. 

For Hubbard, the meeting proved to be an enlightening 

experience, providing a perspective that may not have 

crossed the minds of most Westerners. It was this type of 

understanding that Hubbard was seeking when she co-founded 

Bridges of Understanding (www.bridgesofunderstanding.org), 

a nonprofit, nonpolitical organization devoted to supporting 

projects and efforts that foster better understanding between 

the American people and the people of the Arab world. Now, 

three years after its founding, the organization appears to be 

making a difference in both worlds. 

“More than 60 percent of the population in the Arab 

world is younger than 25,” said Hubbard. “If we can connect 

with them, creating mutual understanding [between the 

American and Arab cultures] becomes easier. [W]e are 

reaching out [to them] through education and the arts.” 

We are strictly 

grassroots driven, 

and our strength is 

finding and creating 

ways for people to 

meet and get to 

know each other. 

Laying the Foundation 

A few years ago, while working on a 

project for the US Department of State 

involving Arab and US businesswomen, 

Hubbard met a couple who shared 

her global view of the world – which, 

eventually, became one of her passions. 

Karim Kawar, Jordan’s former 

ambassador to the US, and his wife, 

Luma, shared Hubbard’s view that 

there was great curiosity, interest – and 

misunderstanding – between the US 

and Arab worlds. Together, they wanted 

to find ways to dispel faulty perceptions 

and stereotypes. 

Thus, Bridges of Understanding 

was born, to shed misconceptions in 

both parts of the world by organizing 

mission trips, supporting educational 

efforts, and facilitating the exchange 

of information. When the Kawars 

returned to Jordan, the foundation 

was fully laid, as their presence 

in the Middle East proved to be a 

critical factor in the organization’s 

effectiveness. 

“We had an immediate presence in 

both cultures,” said Hubbard. 

Providing the Passage 

Hubbard believed education was 

key to creating better understanding, 

and she has always been a big 

proponent of a liberal arts education, 

“which has let me leverage my talent [in 

so many ways],” she said. 

According to Hubbard, most 

Islamic holy men, or imams, support 

education. 

“In fact, radicals are often young, 

unemployed, directionless men,” she said. 

Since its founding, Bridges of 

Understanding has initiated more than 

a dozen projects (see sidebar). 

“We are not a complex, analytical 

think tank,” said Hubbard. “We are 

strictly grassroots driven, and our 

strength is finding and creating ways 

for people to meet and get to know each 

other, often through conferences and 

trips.” 

While the organization tries to 

reach everyone, Hubbard has found 

that women are generally more 

receptive to discussion and involvement 

in new projects. 

“I’ve been to the homes and shared 

meals with Arab women who talk about 

their religion and faith – and their 

businesses,” she said. 

As Bridges of Understanding 

continues to grow, Hubbard is proud 

Bridges of Understanding 

Projects 

• Sport 4 Peace, a program that recently 

brought three Iraqi coaches and 10 girls 

interested in improving their basketball skills 

and global knowledge to the US for a twoweek 

trip to Washington, DC, and Knoxville, 

Tennessee. 

• Youth Talk, a collaboration with Global 

Nomads Group that facilitates video 

conferences between US and Arab high 

schools. In 2008, three US high schools and 

three Jordanian high schools participated. 

This year, the number will grow to 12. 

• Boston Children’s Chorus, a two-week 

cultural exchange tour that brought together 

youth from the US and Jordan who love 

making music. They performed at local 

venues in Amman and in many rural towns in 

the Kingdom. 

• Support for Heal the Rift, a one-day youth 

rally that recently took place at New York 

City’s Washington Square Park and generated 

a solidarity movement among moderate 

forces from both the US and Arab worlds. 

• Support 

for the Youth Initiative for 

Progress in Iraq, a conference designed 

to provide Iraqi and American youth with a 

voice and the tools necessary to progress 

toward a sustainable future between the 

two countries. 

– and grateful – for the organization’s 

accomplishments. 

“I never imagined I would be 

involved with this type of undertaking,” 

she said. “My husband’s support has 

been a big part of my success.” 

Hubbard believes world events 

have helped shape the organization, 

which may not have come to fruition 

without crisis. 

“During difficult times, people 

do some serious soul searching and 

discover what’s important,” Hubbard 

said. For her, it was turning a major 

crisis into a great opportunity. 

Wife of CEO member Al Hubbard, Kathy Hubbard is a co-founder of the Bridges of Understanding Foundation. She 

serves on several educational and arts-related boards, including the Board of Trustees of DePauw University and Choice 

Charitable Trust. She is a former Board member of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and the National Museum of 

Art and Sport. She was appointed by President George W. Bush to the J. William Fulbright Board in 2007. Hubbard has a 

long history of political involvement at all levels of government. She has worked on various political campaigns, including 

those for Vice President Dan Quayle, President George H.W. Bush, and President George W. Bush. She has also worked 

for the International Trade Division of the Indiana Department of Commerce and the Hudson Institute. She has a BA from 

DePauw University and attended the University of Neuchâtel in Switzerland. The Hubbards reside in Indianapolis, Indiana, 

and have three children: Will (24), Katie (21), and Sara (21). 


Member Column 

resilience and fortitude 

ast June, resident Chairs Danny and Talia Bejarano took a small group of CEOers to 

an extraordinary land. Over a period of eight days, they hoped to provide their fellow 

members an insider’s perspective on the religious, political, and economic landscape 

of Israel, the world’s only Jewish state, and a deeper understanding of the historical 

significance of Petra, “a rose-red city half as old as time.” What they achieved, however, was 

something far more. The experience they provided to CEO members and spouses captured 

what one participant described as the very “essence of CEO.” 

Fresh from their travels, attendees Ken and Trish Byers share some of their experiences. 

Ken Byers is president and sole shareowner of Byers Engineering Company, a firm that employs 

1,000 and provides technical services and software to utilities. He is also a director of The Alpine 

Group, a public manufacturing company, and chairman of eQuorum Corporation, a private software 

company. He earned a BEE and MSEE from Georgia Tech and an MBA from Georgia State University. 

He is a trustee of the Georgia Tech Foundation and past chairman of the Georgia Tech Electrical 

Engineering Advisory Board. His wife, Trish, spent 20 years as the national sales director of an interior 

design and home furnishings business. In 1998, she completed a degree in international relations at 

Atlanta’s Agnes Scott College. Ken enjoys competing in distance running, tennis, and amateur radio. 

Trish is involved in the Atlanta Lyric Theatre and enjoys art collecting, exercise, boating, and traveling 

with Ken. Residents of Atlanta, Georgia, Ken and Trish have been married 15 years and have four 

children and 12 grandchildren. They chaired the 2001 CEO Southern US University and served eight years on the CEO board. Last June, 

they traveled to the Middle East with CEO for the Israel/Petra College. 

Reflections of the Holy Land by Ken and Trish Byers 

Our June 2009 CEO trip to Israel, 

the land considered sacred by all three 

monotheistic religions, was amazing. 

Everything we knew about Israel 

was refined and defined, probed and 

explained – the biblical, the historical, 

the political – before and since 1948. 

Our guides had been carefully selected 

by our marvelous chairs, Danny and 

Talia Bejarano, and there was nothing 

they did not know. We tested them. 

One of the members 

of our group thought he 

had become very popular 

in Israel until he learned 

that ‘ken’ is simply the 

Hebrew word for ‘yes.’ 

One of our guides had arrived in 

Israel from New Jersey at the age of 

nine during the Six Day War; he had 

to wait for a war to end for his ship to 

land. What resilience and fortitude the 

Israelis exhibit! We even learned that one 

of our fellow members on the trip, Izzi 

Rosenzweig, fought in the Six Day War. 

We were based at the King David 

Hotel in Jerusalem, where heads 

of state have convened for decades. 

From there, we overlooked the walled 

city, which we spent days covering in 

depth. We visited the Church of the 

Holy Sepulchre, the Dome of the Rock, 

Via Dolorosa, the Western Wall and 

FOLLOWING COCKTAILS, 

Ken and Trish Byers walk 

to dinner at the Tower of 

David, in the magnificently 

restored ancient Citadel 

of the city of Jerusalem. 

The evening ended with a 

Night Spectacular Surprise 

Show, during which “virtual 

reality” moving projections 

were displayed on all of the 

fortresses’ walls, followed by 

a dessert reception under 

the nearby olive trees. The 

closing night event resulted in 

a standing ovation for Chairs 

Danny and Talia Bejarano. 

its tunnels, and every quarter of the 

city. One of the members of our group 

thought he had become very popular 

in Israel until he learned that “ken” is 

simply the Hebrew word for “yes.” 

We saw the Dead Sea Scrolls, 

visited the Yad Vashem Holocaust 

Museum, experienced a Shabbat 

service, climbed around Masada, and 

toured our favorite historical museum 

ever – the as yet unopened Rabin 

Centre – as guests of Dalia Rabin. 

During this eight-day College, we 

managed to visit all four seas defining 

Israel – Galilee to the north, Dead 

to the east, Red to the south, and 

Mediterranean to the west. 

We crossed the border into Jordan 

to visit the ancient city of Petra and 

get a taste of quite a different culture, 

logging many miles in our walking 

shoes. From the Israel/Jordan border 

crossings to the limited access at 

the Temple Mount, we experienced 

firsthand the complex issues facing 

Israeli/Arab relationships. 

Danny and Talia offered up 

resources on every topic, creating an 

education program that was broad, 

deep, and balanced. As we sat at 

dinner at the Citadel of David on 

our final night and realized that our 

table represented members from five 

continents, we knew that our traveling 

companions were yet another reason 

that this was perhaps our favorite 

CEO adventure. 

raves and reviews 

“Israel and Petra were amazing… 

Hard for us to imagine any event better 

than this one in all of our years in 

YPO and CEO.” 

– Jeff Levitt 

“This trip was so very educational, 

surprising, and memorable. Danny 

and Talia’s love for Israel came shining 

through. Bravo!” 

– Cecily Bradshaw 

“It was so eye opening to see the place 

we have all read about in the Bible and 

have those stories come to life.” 

– Cookie Metzler 

“This was one of the best CEO/WPO/ 

YPO experiences we have ever had. 

The work, planning, and effort that 

Danny and Talia put in was nothing 

short of exemplary and spectacular.” 

– John Rakolta 

“The time we spent with [Danny and 

Talia] and our CEO friends… was one 

of the finest (if not the finest) CEO trip, 

journey, adventure we have ever had. 

We loved every minute of it.” 

– Art Hilsinger 

“[M]ost of all, we enjoyed the warm 

fellowship of our fellow travelers 

and the special opportunity to gain 

a keener understanding of the 

challenges facing Israeli people.” 

– Jim Risk 

“Trish and I for years have been wanting 

to visit Israel. Visiting Jerusalem was 

as special as I ever imagined it would 

be and much more complicated than 

expected. I have come away with 

answers to many questions but many 

more questions than answers! Above 

all, I have come away with a shiny 

sense that I want to come back.” 

– Fraser Morrison 

call for 

columns 

Have a CEO experience you 

would like to share with fellow 

members? Send your story to 

CEO Headquarters for review 

by the CEO Editorial Board. For 

submissions, please contact 

CEO Director of Marketing & 

Communications Summer 

Amin at samin@ceo.org or 

+1 301 280 2552. 


PAPA DOUG MANCHESTER AND JIM JAMESON meet 

Pope Benedict XVI at CEO’s Vatican College in April 2009. Special Thanks to 

experience. uncommon. connections. 

Making the Most of Membership by Katherine Davies 

rom a significant spiritual connection 

to a life-saving artery scan to 

a shared ride through a crater, 

CEOers shared an array of remarkable and 

memorable experiences over the past year. 

In offering a great diversity of programs during his 

presidency, 2008-2009 CEO International President Ron 

Weiner managed to bring the CEO tagline – experience. 

uncommon. connections. – to life. 

During his presidency, he reached out to new members, 

welcoming every one by letter; invited CEOers to several 

Economic Club of New York programs, a first-time experience 

for many; and hosted the first Adult Children Cocktail 

Reception, a concept he pioneered. He and his wife, Vicki, 

also formed new friendships from coast to coast – and across 

the globe – from the first Adult Children Cocktail Reception 

in New York City in 2008 to the Vintage Car SIG in Beverly 

Hills in 2009. 

“With every event, we strengthened our community,” 

said Ron Weiner. “Vicki and I would like to thank all of the 

members who attended CEO programs this year, making it a 

truly special year for everyone” (see pages 22-23 for a list 

of attendees). 

Here’s an inside look into more of the member experiences 

and connections that made this year so uncommon. 

experience. 

For Jim Jameson, CEO’s small, intimate experiences 

provide “an insight and perspective that is hard to get outside 

of the organization.” That was certainly the case for Jameson 

and his godfather, Papa Doug Manchester, who met the 

Pope during CEO’s Vatican College in April 2009. 

“It was certainly something that we couldn’t have done 

on our own,” said Jameson. “I looked into his eyes and 

he into my eyes, and there was just this connection and a 

significant spirituality.” 

Manchester, who chaired the program, had a similar 

experience. 

“[B]eing a Catholic, it was very inspirational for me,” 

he said. “[The Pope] is a wonderful world leader and was 

the closest confidant of John Paul II… it was very much a 

privilege and honor for me to meet him.” 

Attendees of the Israel/Petra College in June 2009 found 

their experience similarly moving and also unexpected. 

“There were several surprises for us, 

like the closeness with which the various 

religions are coexisting in Jerusalem,” said 

2009-2010 CEO International President 

Fraser Morrison. 

For his wife, Trish, the experience was 

eye-opening. 

“We were amazed that a country so 

young has achieved so much in [its] short 

history,” she said. “That fact fails to be 

published – you seem to only hear the 

negative things. We were taken aback at the 

excellent education system and the beautiful 

architecture – how far [it has] come in a 

short time!” 

uncommon. 

As the cornerstone of CEO programs, 

education sessions provided members and 

spouses with uncommon perspectives – 

from the battlefields of Gettysburg to the 

Johnson Space Center in Houston. 

For Andy Goldfarb, who attended the 

Inside Look: Gettysburg in April 2009, being 

on the battlefield provided an opportunity to 

understand firsthand why Gettysburg “was 

such a crucial turning point in the war.” 

“We had two truly fabulous resources,” 

he recalls. “I was fascinated by the 

background information, the physicality 

of being able to visit the sites, and the 

rationale as to why [the battle] took place.” 

Sometimes, as Gary Thompson 

illustrated, some of CEO’s greatest resources 

are not outside experts, but fellow members. 

As the chief executive officer of Medical 

Technologies International, Inc., Thompson 

served as a resource at the Inside Look: 

NASA in February 2009. Using NASA 

technology, his company created the 

ArterioVision CIMT procedure, which helps 

detect and treat heart disease and stroke. 

During the program, Thompson offered the 

procedure, on a complimentary basis, to all 

attendees – and may even have helped save 

a few lives in the process. 

“Suffice it to say that [some] of our 

fellow members were at significant risk for 

heart disease or stroke and were unaware of 

it,” said Thompson. “Through [the] NASAbased 

technology we’ve applied to help 

detect heart disease and stroke, we were 

able to tell people, ‘your calendar age is 52, 

but your artery age is 80, and that means 

that you need to see a doctor right away.’” 

connections. 

At the core of all of these experiences 

and educational sessions, however, are 

the CEO connections that are made. 

At the Tanzania/Zanzibar Family Seminar 

in February 2009, each attendee couple 

spent three days exploring the famed 

Ngorongoro Crater in a Land Cruiser 

with two other couples. 

Doug and Karen Riley, Mel and Hope 

Barkan, and Ron and Vicki Wiener all 

“wound up bonding as a group and enjoying 

each other and sharing the enthusiasm of 

seeing lots of what was going on,” recalls 

Mel Barkan. 

For Doug Riley, who had never met the 

members in his group before, the experience 

provided a great opportunity to get to know 

fellow CEOers. 

“[We were] complete strangers 

except for the CEO [link],” he said, but 

“[w]e not only got along great but have 

become good friends.” 

The program not only allowed CEOers 

“to see the best of the best,” as Riley 

phrases it, but to also create special 

memories, as Barkan recalls. 

“I remember very clearly Ron and me 

sitting out on a beautiful deck as the sun 

was setting over the crater and having a 

drink together,” he said. 

The bonds formed at such events even 

extend to CEO family members. In December 

2008, the Weiners hosted the first CEO Adult 

Children Cocktail Reception, an initiative 

they launched to bring together members’ 

children who live in the same geographic area. 

Liz Willette, daughter of David and 

Kaye Willette, attended the reception and 

was surprised at how much she had in 

common with the children of other members. 

“Everyone I met was an entrepreneur 

like me,” she said. “It was fun… and I met 

some nice people who lived near me.” 

Willette looks forward to making more 

connections at future CEO programs. With 

some 30 events on next year’s calendar (see 

enclosed Syllabus), of which five are open 

to family members, she’s sure to find an 

opportunity or two. 

2008-2009 Chairs 

Jim and Nancy Bildner 

Morocco Adventure Seminar 

Loire Valley Chateau Biking Adventure 

Academy 

Omar Al Askari and Colin Butt 

Middle East Retreat – Dubai 

John and Lyn Darden 

Executive Health Seminar I 

Jak and Ilona Kornfilt 

Executive Health Seminar II 

Tore and Mona Steen 

Inside Look: The Sundance Film 

Festival 

Steve Pond 

Harvard Presidents’ Seminar 2009 

Fred and Jane Setzer 

Inside Look: NASA 

Faysal and May El-Khalil 

Tanzania/Zanzibar Family Seminar 

Jim and Gail Ellis 

Abu Dhabi/Dubai College 

Tod and Kate Sedgwick 

Inside Look: Gettysburg 

Normandy Academy 


Vatican College 

Bernd Michael 

IMD Presidents’ Seminar 

Don and Jean Wolf 

Paris University 

Andy and Peggy Kahn 

Financial Seminar 

Danny and Talia Bejarano 

Israel/Petra College 

20 ceocompass – october 2009 ceocompass – october 2009 21 

Deke Welles 

Fly Fishing SIG 

Barbara Fisher and Vicki Weiner 

Women’s Seminar 

Edu and Elke Dubbers-Albrecht 

European Area Conference – 

Copenhagen 

Steve and Wendy Kalb 

Universal Membership Celebration 

Paul and Susan Summers 

Canada Retreat – Toronto: Inside Out 

Hardy Caldwell, Bo Callaway, 

and Jim Castle 

Nostalgia Gathering 

Bruce Meyer 

Vintage Car SIG – Beverly Hills 

Alfred Fisher 

Hunting SIG – Georgia 

Andy and Denise Goldfarb 

Financial Boot Camp

2008-2009 CEO Event Attendees (As of 6 October 2009) 

Morocco Adventure Seminar: 


Mel & Hope Barkan 

Jim & Nancy Bildner 

Tim & Barb Conver 

Mike Dillard & Libby Meyer 

Noel & Sally Fenton 

Jim & Mary Forsyth 

Ulysses & Nicole Kyriacopoulos 

Jim Sharpe & 

Debby Stein Sharpe 

Middle East Retreat – Dubai: 


Henny & Gertrud Aeschlimann 

Omar Al Askari 

Isa Al Mannai 

Ahmad Al-Sari 

Ahmed Ashadawi & 

Jawidah Al-Kharoof 

Colin & Lyndsey Butt 

Fred Chaney & Sidney Bayne 

Chris & Eva Christensson 

Jamie & Kimberly Coulter 

Charley Cross & 

Monique Gardiner 

Faysal & May El-Khalil 

Pete & Malen Eyerly 

Peter & Pam Frayling 

Dion & Hilary Friedland 

Bill Greene & Linda Latimer 

Rifat & Matilda Hassan 

Walter Koning & 

Susanna Koning-Hanne 

Mike & Laurie Mahoney 


David McCue 

Paul & Angelika Rheinlaender 

Robin & Helen Thorpe 

Trisha Wilson 

Harry & Demetra Xydas 

Adult Children Reception* – 

New York City: 7 December 2008 

Jon Adler 

Sarah Jane & Richard Bailes 

Sarah Barnes 

Jessica Baxter 

Raphael Bejarano 

Andrew Berg 

Bob Berstein 

Robin & Susan Bricker 

Lindsay Buehler & 

William McGinn 

Anne Buford 

Peter Cocoziello 

Liz Conley 

Jim Daughdrill & 

Lauralynn Drury 

Bill Dubinsky & Elizabeth Moss 

Douglas Fields & 

Suzanne Arinsburg 

Ari & Sara Finkelstein 

Justin & Tiffany Foa, Max Foa 

Alexander & Gregory 

Galimberti 

Becca Goldfarb 

Laura Graham 

Morgan Greco 

Hamza Habib 

Anne Harvey 

Caroline & Stuart Holden 

Michael Iovino 

Lee Ann Jaffee 

Will Kim 

Nick Koch & Julie Goldstone 

Jon Koehn 

Carrie Kreifels 

Roxana Labatt 

Oliver Laubscher 

Nyssa Liebermann 

Cindy Luby & Jeff Yellin, 

Jodi Luby 

Dooz & Laura Milligan 

MaryGrace Mock 

Alexandra Mooney 

A.J. & Erica Nahmad 

Liz & Tery O’Malley 

Jeremy Powell 

Evan & Jennifer Richter 

Jennifer & Steven Rittmaster 

Deborah Sachs & 

Michael Rothman 

Rachel Shapiro 

Cortney Smith 

Shelley Stenhouse & 

Matthew Gaddis 

Emily & Scott Sternberg 

Blake & Mallory Stuchin 

Cara Villency & Josh Sacks 

Joe Walsh 

Ron & Vicki Weiner, Jennie 

and Maureen Weiner 

Danna Weiss 

Liz Willette 

Executive Health Seminar I: 

4-11 January 2009 

John & Lyn Darden 

Philippe & Nan-b 

de Gaspe Beaubien 

Charles & Ros Morris 

Jim & Mimi Murphy 

Gary & Cab Rogers 

Tom & Kitty Stoner 

Mack & Jennifer Whittle 

Executive Health Seminar II: 

11-18 January 2009 

Kevin Armata 

Greer & Veronica Arthur 

Jim & Diana Barnes 

Bo Callaway & Virginia Martin 

John & Marlene Durbin 

Fred & Susan Friedman 

Ira & Nanette Gordon 

Warner & Carol Henry, 

David & Kay Ingalls 

Cecilia Herbert 

Rich & Linda Kelley 

Jak & Ilona Kornfilt 

Bruce & Peggy Mainwaring 

Dave & Cookie Metzler 

John & Carole Moran 

Bob & Rita Randall 


Herb & Barbara Shear 

John Sommers 

Gordy & Carol Sue Zacks 

Inside Look: The Sundance 

Film Festival: 20-23 January 2009 

Randy & Judy Agley 

David & Ann Engel 

Rocco & Joan Fabiano 

Burt & Suzy Farbman 

Sandy & Lisa Gottesman 

Chuck & Kathi Heath 

Gary & Karleen Kusin 

Chester & Joan Luby 

Mohannad & Rana Malas 

Suzanne Naples 

Maxine Phillips 

Mike & Lin Simmonds 

Steve & Karen Skilken 

Tore & Mona Steen 

Sandy & Mary Thomson 

Marni & Dick Waterfield 

Harvard Presidents’ Seminar: 

1-6 February 2009 

Ross Adler 

David Allen 

Christoph Amberger 

Dieter Ammer 

Ahmed Ashadawi 

Dennis Beck 

Mark Begelman 

Danny Bejarano 

Oscar Bernardes 

Larry Brookshire 

Tullio Cedraschi 

Charlie Chandler 

John Chaney 

Peter Cocoziello 

Jack Corwin 

Don Daseke 

Dinesh Dhamija 

Sid Dinsdale 

George Drysdale 

Faruk Eczacibasi 

Bill Finn 

Lauro Fiuza 

Peter Frank 

Sandy Gottesman 

Darrell Harvey 

Jim Jameson 

David Johnson 

Steve Karol 

Iqbal Kassam 

Ulysses Kyriacopoulos 

Jim LaBarge 

Alan Levan 

Ken Lockard 

Sheldon Malchicoff 

Jim Martin 

Kent McClelland 

Bill Meyer 

Bernd Michael 

Bill Midon 


Andreas Muth 

Wayne Oldenburg 

John Osher 

William Parfet 

Thierry Paternot 

Yves Paternot 

Lisle Payne 

Bill Reagan 

Paul Rheinlaender 

John Risley 

Stefan Roell 

Connie Ryan 

Ed Samek 

Azad Shivdasani 

John Simpson 

Pierre Somers 

Miles Stuchin 

Tony Tan Caktiong 

Chuck Theisen 

Jim Tullis 

Ron Weiner 

Brian White 

Inside Look: NASA: 

2-4 February 2009 

Horst & Renate Bergmann 

Clyde Brownstone 

Frank Buonanotte 

Ed Cherney 

John Currie 

Jim & Janet Dicke 

Harry & Joan Karsten 

Michael Lang 

Norvin & Sue Pellerin 

Graeme Reading 

Dick Robinson 

Fred & Jane Setzer 

Emmet & Toni Stephenson 

Gary & JoAnne Thompson 

Rob & Susan White 

Tanzania/Zanzibar Family 

Seminar*: 8-15 February 2009 

Ross & Fiona Adler 


Mike Dillard & Libier Meyer 

Henry & Ellen Dubinsky 

Faysal & May El-Khalil, 

Houda Kheiriddine & 

Ferryal Halabi 

Frank & Susan Genovese 

Paul & Sarah Nicholson 

Doug & Karen Riley 

Josyanne Stijns-Giudici & 

Carlo Giudici, Delano Stijns 

Ron & Vicki Weiner 

Abu Dhabi/Dubai College: 

15-21 March 2009 

Robert & Cecily Bradshaw 

Don & Barbara Daseke 

Dinesh & Tani Dhamija 

Mike Dillard & Libby Meyer 

Brian & Sherry Effron 

Karl & Stevie Eller 

Jim & Gail Ellis, Rob Ellis and 

Jessica and Tiffany Sullivan 

Noel & Sally Fenton 

Morty & Norma Lee Funger 

Chris Galvin and Mary Galvin 

Mike Galvin and Dawn Meiners 

Mel & Sue Gray 

Walter & Lola Green 

Cliff & Sooozee Gundle 

Bill Harlan 

John & Kathy Harnish 

Lyda Hill and Nancy Lewis 

Roger & Joyce Howe 

Al & Kathy Hubbard 

George & Shari Isaac 

John & Willa Kane 

Ed & Carol Kaplan 


Don & Shari Kellermeyer 

Gulu & Semiramis Lalvani 

Tom & Ruth Liebermann 

Harvey & Carol Ann Mackay 

Kerry & Victoria McCluggage 

Mark & Laurie McKinley 

Bob & Skip McKinney 

Bruce & Raylene Meyer 


Rod & Dawn Nordblom 

Lisle & Roslyn Payne 

Marc & Karen Peperzak 

Murray Pepper & 

Vicki Reynolds Pepper 

Ed & Nancy Pleasants 

Kris & Jane Popovich 

Bob & Rita Randall 

Van & Barbara Richey 

Cliff & Diane Rowe 

Marty & Barbie Sass 

Walt & Katherine Schlotfeldt 

Paul & June Schorr 

David Shaw & Glenn Close 

Zuheir & Susan Sofia 

Ralph & Shelly Stayer 

Rab & Nita Summers 

John & Connie Taylor 

Arni Thorsteinson & Susan Glass 

Bill & Nadine Tilley 

Robin & Carolyn Wade 


Karl & Ann Weiler 


Bill & Barbara Whitman 

Trisha Wilson 

Dieter & Helga Wolf 

Inside Look: Gettysburg: 

5-7 April 2009 

Tom Arthur 

Bob & Allison Bertrand 

Peter Bowe 

Les Buechele 

Tom & Ann Fries 

Andy & Denise Goldfarb 

Tighe & Kathy King 

Bob & Anne Kinsley 

Craig LaBarge 

George & Ann Macomber 

Lee & Diane Morris 

George & Clare Nelson 

Tod Sedgwick 

Tom & Debbie Shapiro 

Tripp & Debbie Walen 


Kelley & Jean Williams 

Masters Golf Tournament SIG I: 

8-10 April 2009 

Joan Bialek & Louis Levitt 

John Currie 

Fred Manning 

Ira & Becky Mendelson 

Masters Golf Tournament SIG II: 

10-12 April 2009 

Dinesh Dhamija 

Roger Dirksen 

Mark Hopkins and Tom Hopkins 

George Irwin 

Jack Jones 

John Nobles 

Andy & Andrea Potash 

Steve Snyder 

Vatican College: 19-24 April 2009 


Marc & Desiree Bombenon 

Robert & Paula Boykin 

John & Mary Carrington 


Tim & Jackie Danis 

Barbara Fisher and 

Andrew Fisher 

Jim & Daphne Jameson 

Carolyn Keystone & Jim 

Meekison 

Rick & Pamela Kroos 

Tim & Joan Litle 


Larry Mock and MaryGrace 

Mock 


Johan & Maripaz Palme Sierra 

Roslyn Payne 

Rony Perez Martinis & 

Tucky Perez 

Dianne Rice 



Larry & Harriet Weiss 

Dieter & Helga Wolf 

Bob & Fran Zielsdorf 

IMD Presidents’ Seminar*: 

22-25 April 2009 

Dieter Ammer and Paul Ammer 

Andreas Beckmann 

Willmar Braeuninger-Weimer and 

Laura Braeuninger-Weimer 

Patrick Chong and Alwyn Chong 

Metin Colpan and Sabrina 

Colpan 

Remi Delafon and Frank Delafon 

Dinesh Dhamija and Ritika 

Dhamija 

Alfred Fisher and Al Fisher 

Ernst Freiberger, Bea and Fee 

Freiberger 

Cliff Gundle and Kevin Gundle 

Franz Haniel, Johanna and 

Louisa Haniel 

Otto & Ulla Happel, Eva & Oliver 

Ebstein and Melanie and 

Felix Happel 

Thomas Hoffmeister and 

Nicole Hoffmeister-Kraut 

Bernd Michael and Martin 

Michael 

Albrecht Oettingen-Spielberg 

and Franz-Albrecht 

Oettingen-Spielberg 

Paul & Angelika Rheinläender, 

Max and Andy Rheinläender 

Andreas Strüengmann, 

Fabian and Thomas and 

Janina Strüengmann 

Klaus Thimm and Kristof 

Thimm 

Sandy & Mary Thomson, 

Anna Jarzynowska 

Horst Weitzmann, Beatrice de 

Alzaga and Tina Ondricek 

Philippe Woitrin and Arnaud 

Woitrin 

Normandy Academy: 

1-4 May 2009 

Sid & Dawn Dinsdale 

Craig Estey & Tricia Rivers 

Bill & Marci Ingram 

Bob Kohorst & Shelley Allen 

Jim & Peggy Leider 

Bill & Kay Morton 


Ted & Chris Schwartz 

Tod & Kate Sedgwick 

Paul Sprague 

Ralph Stayer and Jonathan 

Wagner 

Dave & Peggy Taylor 

Jean Wolf 

Loire Valley Chateau Biking 

Adventure Academy: 

2-4 May 2009 

Hy & Phyllis Ackerman 


John & Mary Louise Burress 

Carey & Brian Hamilton 

Don & Ruth James 

Jerry Katell 

Nicolas Mariscal & 

Mari Carmen Servitje 

David & Darrell Mindell 

Jim Sharpe & 


Paris University: 4-9 May 2009 


Jerry & Emy Lou Baldridge 



Bob & Ruth Beriault 


Boysie & Joy Bollinger 


John & Mary Louise Burress 

Joe & Brenda Calihan 

Jim & Dottie Castle 

Fred Chaney & Sidney Bayne 

Toni Colon-Nevares and 

Carolina Cortizo 


Dinesh & Tani Dhamija 

Sid & Dawn Dinsdale 

Craig Estey & Patricia Rivers 

Ken & Grace Evenstad 

Burt & Suzy Farbman 

Norman & Arline Feinberg 

Ron & Hedy Frisch 

Frank & Susan Genovese 

Jerry & Barbara Greenbaum 


Dan & Jennifer Hamann 

Carey & Brian Hamilton 

Sho & Masae Hayashi 

Warner & Carol Henry 

Tom Hitchman & 

Lee Anne Downey 

Stuart & Holly Holden 

Bill & Marci Ingram 

Tom & Judith Iovino 

Don & Ruth James 

Ed & Carol Kaplan 

Jerry Katell 

Art & Alison Kern 

Tighe & Kathy King 

Jay & Jean Kislak 

Tom & Linda Koehn 

Bob Kohorst & Shelley Allen 

Jim & Peggy Leider 

Chester & Joan Luby 

Nicolas Mariscal & 

Mari Carmen Servitje 

Rob & Jennie McCabe 

David & Darrell Mindell 

Fraser & Trish Morrison 


Boyce & Peggy Nute 

John & Terry Rakolta 

Bill & Joan Reiling 

Jim & Mary Jo Risk 


John & Janis Ruan 

Tom & Jeannie Rutherfoord 

Connie Ryan and Carrie Kreifels 

Myrna & Bob Schlegel 

Ted & Chris Schwartz 

Tod & Kate Sedgwick 

Jim Sharpe & 


Paul & Margarita Sprague 


Dennis & Betty Sun 

Dave & Peggy Taylor 

Kent Thiry & Denise O’Leary 

Terry & Naomi Thomas 

Arni Thorsteinson & Susan Glass 

Tom & Nancy Traylor 



Deke & Hopie Welles 

Don & Jean Wolf 

Fritz & Mary Wolfe 


Toronto: 31 May 2009 

John & Jocelyn Barford, 

Kevin Barford & Victoria 

Leung 

Andrea Bunker 

Leslie Chisholm 

Aynsley and Dana Deluce 

Diana and Marina Graham 

Christian Hepfer 

Jordan Hyde 

John & Lori Lewitt 

Shannon Mooney 

Johnny Rogers 

Nick Sutcliffe 

Dan & Jane Taylor 

Martin Thiel 

Financial Seminar: 7-9 June 2009 

Ross & Fiona Adler 

Dan Ariens 


Jim & Diana Barnes 

Paul Barringer and Kevin Luzak 

Lee Berg 


Peter Bowe 

Peter Carlino 

Tom Christal 

Bill & Marilyn Cintani 

Tim & Jackie Danis 

Hap Esbenshade 

Jerry Finger 

Jamie & Mary French 

Mike Geddes 

Roy Halstead 

Tom & Candy Henning 

Kurt Herwald 

Art Hilsinger & Barbara Janson 

Hilsinger 

Bob and Robert Hughes 

John Hugon & Julie Summers 

Andrew & Peggy Kahn, 

Howard Kahn 

Michael & Donna Kanovsky 

Jerry Katell 

Dick Kaufman 

Yoon Kim 

Tom & Linda Koehn 

Kirk Landon & Pam Garrison 

Marc & Kathy LeBaron 

Walter & Karen Levy 

Carl Lindell & Lyda Tymiac 

Ronnie Lubner 

Robert Maroney 

Bob McLennan 

Gerry Miller 


Bob Pascucci & Lisa Puntillo 

Lisle & Roslyn Payne 

Bill Pederson 

George & Nancy Peterkin 

Gordon & Jill Rawlinson 

Bill Rothacker 

Steven & Julie Smith 

Eliot Snider 

Steve & Jamie Snyder, Barron 

Snyder 

Jim Sobeck 

Scott & Jean Spangler 

Paul Sprague 

Paul Steinfeld 

Tom Stoner 

Arni Thorsteinson & 

Susan Glass 

Bill Tilley 

Robin & Carolyn Wade 

Ron Weiner 

Don Wolf 

Israel/Petra College*: 

21-29 June 2009 

Larry & Linda Abbott 

Yum & Ross Arnold 

Danny & Talia Bejarano 

Bill & Mary Ann Bindley 


Ken & Trish Byers 

Jay & Sandy Cleveland 

Craig Estey & Tricia Rivers 

Paul & Jean Finkelstein 

Horst-Otto & Kirsten Gerberding 

Lloyd & Mary Ann Gerlach 

Michael & Uschi Hanning 

Al & Gloria Hassman 

Art Hilsinger & 

Barbara Janson Hilsinger 

Steve Hoyt & Paula Krosschell 

Jeff & Susie Levitt 

Fred & Gail Manning 

Dave & Cookie Metzler 

David & Andrée Milman 

Fraser & Trish Morrison 

John & Jeaneen O’Donnell 

Eduardo & Sonia Pacheco 

John & Terry Rakolta 

Jim & Mary Jo Risk 

Izzi & Avy Rosenzweig 

Keith & Kathy Sachs 

Marty & Barbie Sass and Lara 

Sass-Sivin & Philip Sivin 



Bob & Pat White 

Mike & Bobbie Wilsey 


Los Angeles: 30 July 2009 

Andrea Bunker 

Elissa Goodman 

Diane Irvin 

Jerry Katell and Jennifer Katell 

Nick Kendrick 

Lori Lewitt 

Emily and Evan Meyer 

Shannon Mooney 

Stew Ritchie 

Anita Rosenberg 

Zach Shapiro 


Fly Fishing SIG: 

22-27 August 2009 

Paul & Katherine DeBruce 

Tom & Ann Fries 

Mark & Elizabeth Hamlin 

Jim Hewitt & 

Suzanne Bergeron 

Bob & Betty Irvin 

Gordon & Carole Segal 

John & Ann Tickle 

Deke Welles 

Women’s Seminar*: 

8-12 September 2009 

Hope Barkan 

Laura Christman and 

Kay Stallworthy 

Janet Dicke 

Rose Dreyer and Nancy Dreyer 

Phyllis Epstein 

Barbara Fisher 

Jill Gerber 

Marian Gibbs 

Susan Glass 

Catherine Hyde 

Ruth James 

Marguerite Marino 

Cookie Metzler and 

Suanne Kreamer 

Ellen Polaner 

Rita Randall and Robin Randall 

Susan Shapiro 

Elizabeth Walker, Virginia 

Hamlet and Anne Poole 

Vicki Weiner, Jennie and 

Maureen Weiner 

Mary Wolfe and Christine 

Nichols 

European Area Conference: 

10-13 September 2009 

Henny & Gertrud Aeschlimann 


Arthur & Renate Bolliger 

Otto Clusener & Christiane 

von der Asseburg 

Dimitris & Mikaella 

Daskalopoulos 

Edu & Elke Dubbers-Albrecht 

Jerry & Nanette Finger 

Herbert & Suzanne Forker 

Lloyd & Mary Ann Gerlach 

Walter & Lola Green 


Roy & Gabriele Halstead 

Michael & Uschi Hanning 

Walter & Michaela Hecke 

Jerry Katell 

Franz & Andrea Koerling 

Andreas & Henni Madaus 

Jim & Tam Martin 


Ernst & Christiane Pfleiderer 

Paul & Angelika Rheinlaender 

Paul & June Schorr 

Jack Schroeder 

Judd & Susan Shoval 

Josyanne Stijns-Giudici & 

Carlo Giudici 

Norman & Sheila Stoller 

George & Zoë Tsatsos 

Ron Weiner 

Horst & Marlis Weitzmann 

Canada Retreat – Toronto: 

2-5 October 2009 




Colin & Lyndsey Butt 

Pete & Malen Eyerly 

Bill & Prudence Finn 

Peter Frayling 

Ira & Nanette Gordon 

Steve & Wendy Kalb 


Hans-Christian & Gaby Sanders 

Herb & Barbara Shear 

Birge & Beth Sigety 

Ron & Lezah Stenger 

Jim & Katie Stewart 

Paul & Susan Summers 

Arni Thorsteinson & 

Susan Glass 

Thomas & Gabriele Wolff 

Nostalgia Gathering: 

4-7 October 2009 

Mike & Mimi Ariens 

Paul & Merrill Barringer 

Irv Berstein 

Frank & Sue Binswanger 

Bob & Joanne Bodine 

Tony & Andrea Bryant 

Hardy & Betsy Caldwell 

Bo Callaway 

Jim & Dottie Castle 

Jim & Carol Collins 

Russ Cox 

Karl & Stevie Eller 

Carol Hanau 

John Hough 

Rod & Barbara Lamm 

Bruce & Peggy Mainwaring 

Bob & Skip McKinney 

Dick & Ginger Mead 

Rod & Dawn Nordblom 

Bill & Kit Pannill 

Cecil Pond 

Bill Ryan 

Jack & Gloria Schroeder 

Albert & Shirley Small 

Joel & Joan Smilow 

Eliot Snider 

Wally & Elaine Stenhouse 

Jere & Peggy Thompson 

Bill & Marilyn Vernon 

Alex & Joanne Vogl 


Bob White 

Jim & Barbara Wilson 

Gordon Zacks 

Vintage Car SIG: 

11-13 October 2009 

Jeff Black 

Robert & Paula Boykin 

Peter & Marnie Carlino 

John & Mary Carrington 

Judy & Dick Corson 

Ernie Gabiati 

Steve Hoyt and Paula Kroschell 

Steve & Lila Huse 

Jack Jones, John and Alex 

and Morgan Jones 


Bruce Meyer 

Marty & Molly Moore 

Eddie & Jo Allison Smith 

Bill Sweasy 


Bob & Pat White 


San Francisco: 17 October 2009 

Scott Arnoldy 

Jessie Carey & Bryce Word 

Pete Durham 

Mark Hamachek 

Alexandra Herbert 

Bob Irvin 

Drew Lipner 

Anne Lloyd 

Matthew Louchheim 

George Nelson 

Jenn Nitzberg & Gary Martin 

Lisle & Roslyn Payne, Drew 

and Matt Payne 

Dana Pepp 

Stew Ritchie 

Ian Smith 

Hunting SIG: 22-25 October 2009 

Chuck Allen 

Rob Burton 

Stephen Dresnick 

Alfred Fisher 

Jim Freedman and Jon 

Freedman 

R Kirk Landon 

Herbie Wertheim 

Financial Boot Camp*: 

23-25 October 2009 

Jessie Carey 

Nick and Morgan Conver 

Brianna and Elissa Eller 

Alden Ellsworth Stoner 

Ally and Bunkie Estey 

Jason Fenchuk 

Jessica Fields 

Ashley Fischer and 

Andrew Fisher 

Andrea Friedman 

Stephanie Friedman Cleland 

Stuart Hudson 

Pamela and CJ Hutzler 

Rei and Riki Kawano 

Anne Marie Kelley 

Kevin Kohorst 

Jennifer & Justin Lucas 

Geoff and Kate Moon 

Alexis and Nicholas Palefsky 

Katherine Rawlinson 

Rachel Shapiro 

Garry Shear 

Sarah Shekhter 

Kevin and Shawn Simmonds 

Justin Slabbert 

Lindsey Ueberroth 

Margot Wade 

* Designates family programs or 

22 ceocompass – october 2009 Jim Connelly 

John & Janis Ruan 

ceocompass programs – open october to family members 

2009 23

Membership Story 

outstanding 

leadership 

Putting Private Sector Experience to Work in the Public Sector by Bill Shields 

You can resist an invading 

army,” Victor Hugo once said, 

but “[y]ou cannot resist an idea 

whose time has come.” 

It’s no wonder the famous writer’s words resonate so well 

with CEOer Omar Maani. The founder and former chairman 

of Maani Ventures, a leading engineering and manufacturing 

group serving markets ranging from Jordan to Egypt to 

Saudi Arabia, Maani was appointed Mayor of Amman by 

Royal Decree a few years ago. Since then, he has been at the 

forefront of leading change and bringing new ideas to life in 

his hometown. 

In making the transition from private to public sector, 

Maani has found that the valuable lessons he learned in 

business are proving instructive for a leadership role in 

government. He sees creative vision and effective followthrough 

as the hallmarks of an effective leader, trademarks 

that he has carried with him from his years in industry. 

“Leadership is like steering a ship; obviously, steering like 

the captain of the Titanic will most certainly be devastating,” 

he said. “If one develops the necessary wisdom, builds a 

solid team, and applies a correct and precise vision, then it is 

smooth sailing all the way.” 

While YPO leadership traditionally qualified candidates 

for CEO membership, recent enhancements to CEO’s 

nomination process now allow prospective members to 

demonstrate government, corporate, or community leadership 

to support their candidacies as well. Maani sees this expanded 

definition of leadership as having a positive impact, not only 

on the recruitment process but the 

organization as a whole. 

“I believe it to be a major boost 

for those working either temporarily 

or permanently outside the private 

sector,” he said. “After all, for YPO 

and CEO, the major components of 

one’s achievements are service and 

giving back, which government service 

certainly augments.” 

As more and more CEOers take the 

helm of public institutions, we profile 

two who are putting the leadership 

experience they gained in business to 

good use in government. 

Urban Regeneration 

Appointed Mayor 

of Jordan’s capital city 

in April 2006, Maani 

believes change will 

characterize Amman’s – 

and Jordan’s – future. 

“Change is imminent,” he said. 

“We have to change our perspective and 

mindset as Jordanian citizens, and we 

must transform negativity into more 

productive and constructive attitudes. 

I think this is very important as we see 

from amman to petra 

how others come out of their shells and 

exemplify creativity and innovation.” 

Since his appointment, Maani 

has led a most ambitious mandate 

that has turned out to be one of 

his greatest accomplishments to 

date: the Amman Plan. Designed to 

accommodate Amman’s rapid growth 

and development, this master plan has 

served to both protect the city’s unique 

urban heritage and capitalize on its 

potential by maximizing existing space 

and blending urban contours with the 

city’s mountainous features. 

Thanks to the plan, “Amman is 

a city of harmony with a special flow, 

a place that is becoming increasingly 

livable, habitable, greener, and cleaner, 

and where change is constant,” 

according to Maani. 

Others agree. The urban blueprint 

received the 2007 World Leadership 

Award under the planning category and 

the 2007 World Leadership Forum’s 

Asia-Pacific City of the Year Award. 

It is this mix of past, present, and 

future that Maani wants CEOers to see 

firsthand when he and his wife, Meisa, 

co-host the Middle East Retreat with 

Mohannad and Rana Malas next April. 

“I would like CEO members to 

experience the old city and the dramatic 

changes and urban regeneration 

programs we have in place, in addition 

to the array of urban spaces that we 

have qualified, which will bring back life 

and vibrancy to the center of the city,” 

he explained. 

We have to change 

our perspective and 

mindset as Jordanian 

citizens, and we must 

transform negativity into 

more productive and 

constructive attitudes. 

For Maani, the event is about more 

than just showcasing the rich cultural 

history of Jordan. It’s an opportunity 

to share with his fellow CEOers his 

personal experience of transforming 

a vision of economic growth and 

urban renewal into reality. For more 

information about the Retreat, see below. 

Middle East Retreat – Jordan: 29 April – 3 May 2010 

Explore the cultural, historical, and political significance of Jordan with Mayor of Amman Omar Maani, his wife, Meisa, and Mohannad 

and Rana Malas. During this four-day retreat, you’ll hear firsthand from religious and political leaders in Jordan and Palestine about the 

Arab-Israeli conflict and peace process and gain a better understanding of the significant traditions that shape the Muslim country. Visit 

Petra, one of the Seven Wonders of the World; dine with Franciscan monks on Mt. Nebo; and enjoy an intimate dinner at the ancient 

Citadel with the Amman Philharmonic Orchestra. Get a closer look at why this region of the world has gained the attention of world 

leaders such as US President Obama and Pope Benedict XVI. For more information, contact CEO Africa/Middle East Area Consultant 

Carole Hobeika Kibrit at ckibrit@ceo.org or +961 3 042915. 


exotic habitat 

and rich culture 

Latin America Retreat – Panama: 

26 February – 1 March 2010 

Join Panama residents Herman and 

Miriam Bern for an enchanting threeday 

program exploring Panama’s 

undisturbed exotic habitat, rich culture, 

and world-class infrastructure. While 

based in the exclusive InterContinental 

Playa Bonita Resort & Spa, you’ll 

hear from some of the Canal’s chief 

executives as well as the area’s top 

businessmen, such as Chairman 

of COPA Airlines Stanley Motta, 

Economist and Former President of 

Panama Nicolás Barletta, and Director 

of the New Museum of BioDiversity 

Anthony Coates. You will also have 

an opportunity to visit the exotic 

rainforest and famous Canal locks, 

dine at Panama’s finest restaurants, 

discover some of Panama’s greatest 

treasures in the Old City, and shop at 

Panama’s newest mall – an experience 

like New York’s Fifth Avenue. For more 

information, contact CEO Latin America/ 

Caribbean Area Consultant Mayela 

Rubio at mrubio@ceo.org or 

+52 55 2640 8822. 

State Debureaucratization 

Change certainly 

knows no geographic 

boundaries. Take 

Panama, site of CEO’s 

Latin America Retreat in 

February 2010. Capturing more than 

60 percent of the vote earlier this year, 

Panama President Ricardo Martinelli 

achieved the largest margin of victory in 

two decades. 

His campaign slogan – change – 

resonated with voters and was the main 

theme of his inaugural address in July. 

“We start this government with an 

unprecedented mandate: a mandate for 

change,” Martinelli declared. “But, this 

mandate does not go alone. It comes 

moored to a great responsibility: the 

responsibility to work together, shoulder 

to shoulder, leaving behind the political 

egotisms that have divided us.” 

Considered a centrist leader with a 

social justice agenda, Martinelli placed 

at the forefront of his administration a 

promise of greater foreign investment, 

a foreign policy based on expanded 

free trade, and a massive land titling 

program. And, he has set as one of his 

goals to “show the Latin American 

business class that one must commit 

itself to, and not complain about, how 

the country is being run.” 

Having served as chairman and 

Public Service Recognition 

We are going to take 

hold of our experiences in 

the private sector and put 

them to work where they 

have never been seen: in 

the government. 

chief executive officer of Super 99, 

Panama’s largest chain of supermarkets 

and the nation’s largest private company, 

Martinelli sees his passion for change 

grounded in his successful leadership of a 

company of more than 4,000 people with 

annual sales of US$450 million. It is that 

private sector experience that he wants to 

apply to the challenges he is tackling now. 

“We are going to take hold of our 

experiences in the private sector and put 

them to work where they have never been 

seen: in the government,” Martinelli 

said. “We are going to debureaucratize 

the state. ‘Debureaucratize’ is a word 

that’s a little difficult to say, but those 

who work with me in this government 

had better learn it.” 

Next February, CEOers will learn 

more about Panama’s new direction 

and discover its exciting history and 

beauty from an insider’s perspective 

with Hosts Herman and Miriam 

Bern during Latin America Retreat – 

Panama. For more information about the 

Retreat, see sidebar. 

In June, US President Barack Obama nominated CEO member Bill Eacho as US 

Ambassador to Austria, a post he assumed in August. With a long history as a successful 

business entrepreneur and active civic leader, Eacho has managed a diverse portfolio 

of public equity, private equity, and real estate investments as chief executive officer of 

Carlton Capital Group, LLC. Previously, Eacho was executive vice president of Alliant 

Foodservice Inc., then a US$6 billion national foodservice distributor, which he joined 

upon selling his business, Atlantic Food Services. He and his wife, Donna, have three 

teenage sons: Douglas, Gregory, and David. 

For more than three years, CEOer Robert Tuttle served as US Ambassador to the Court 

of St. James. Named “the best US ambassador to the United Kingdom in my lifetime” 

by noted British broadcaster and author William Shawcross, Tuttle accepted tributes 

for his service at an embassy-wide event held prior to his departure in February 2009. 

With more than 50 trips throughout the United Kingdom, numerous speeches and Q&A 

sessions, and 200 interviews, Tuttle fulfilled the mandate given to him by US President 

George W. Bush to strengthen US-British relations through public diplomacy. With his 

wife, Maria Hummer-Tuttle, he hosted more than 25,000 guests at the ambassador’s 

Regent’s Park residence. Tuttle is co-managing partner of Tuttle-Click Automotive Group, 

one of the nation’s largest retail automotive companies. 

The Power of CEO 


“We accepted this invitation as global citizens, not as non- 

North Americans,” Morrison said. “The power of CEO is that we 

feel as much at home in the US as we do in Europe and as we do 

elsewhere in the world.” 

Having joined CEO in 1997, Morrison credits the very group 

he is about to lead for this sense of “worldliness.” Now, as he 

prepares for his new role, our favorite Scot – er, global citizen – sat 

down with us to share his passion and vision for CEO. In honor of 

his homeland, we’ve kept his answers in the Queen’s English. 

What do you think makes CEO so unique? 

As CEOers, we have all been captivated by YPO culture 

and values. When we first joined the organisation, we all made 

a significant commitment to becoming “better leaders through 

education and idea exchange.” As an independent graduate 

organisation, CEO provides an opportunity for us to further our 

YPO experience in a deeper, more meaningful way – our events 

are more intimate, our education is more measured, and our 

network is extremely influential. 

FRASER MORRISON and 

his wife, TRISH, currently divide 

their time between their home 

in Scotland and their New York 

apartment. In addition to investing 

in businesses managed by Teasses 

Capital Ltd, they are currently 

overseeing the integration of 

RMJM Ltd and Hillier as well as the 

establishment of an international 

strategy. They have three children 

and nine grandchildren. 

raser Morrison is honored to become the first non-North American president in 

CEO’s 52-year history. But, as a Scotsman currently living in New York City, he, 

and his wife, Trish, refuse to let something like geography define their roles. 

Why? Because membership is by invitation only and 

limited to 2,000 global leaders around the world. An invitation 

to join CEO is extended only to those who have demonstrated 

exceptional leadership – whether it is within business, 

government, community, or YPO – and made a difference in 

the world in which we live. Ultimately, the unique characteristic 

of CEO is the calibre of our membership. The collective access, 

wisdom, and experience of our members allow us to provide lifeenhancing 

opportunities that are truly unique. 

What are your ambitions for CEO in 2010? 

Our first priority is to ensure that as many CEOers as 

possible discover a unique opportunity to actively participate 

in the organisation. We have planned a varied and educational 

range of events around the world. In our home territory, there 

will be the opportunity to attend some of the greatest educational 

institutions in the United Kingdom and Ireland. We will also 

visit St. Petersburg and Moscow at a fascinating time in Russia’s 

evolution. Our partnership with Harvard will, as always, provide 

continued on page 30 



the year 

in review 

CEO Photo Essay 

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Yum Arnold, Vicki Weiner, Chairs Danny and Talia Bejarano, a native tour 

guide, Terry Rakolta, and Ron Weiner complete an extraordinary visit of the Dome of the Rock at 

Haram El Sharif (Temple Mount) during Israel/Petra College (June 2009). 

ABOVE TOP: Tam Martin, Jack 

Schroeder, Jim and Nancy Bildner, 

Bill and Kay Morton, and Jim Martin 

enjoy a fun ride during the European 

Area Conference – Copenhagen 

(Sept 2009). 

ABOVE: Simonetta Brandolini 

d’Adda and Resource Bill Cook at 

Vatican College (Apr 2009). 

BETTY, with her fashionable duct 

tape gravel guards, and Bob Irwin 

in full gear for the Fly Fishing SIG 

(Aug 2009). 

ADULT CHILDREN RECEPTION 

attendees at gathering in Toronto 

(May 2009). 

VATICAN COLLEGE attendees celebrate during the 

closing dinner at the Galleria Colonna (Apr 2009). 

RON WEINER, Don Wolf, Global 

Financial Services President 

Olivier Sarkozy, and Chair Andy 

Kahn at Financial Seminar (June 2009). 

ALISON KERN enjoys an unforgettable biking 

experience at Paris University (May 2009). 

ROBIN AND RITA 

RANDALL at 

Women’s Seminar 

(Sept 2009). 

BERND MICHAEL and Ulrike 

Happel embrace at IMD Presidents’ 

Seminar (Apr 2009). 

BELOW: Hope and Mel Barkan ride the merry-go-round 

at Paris University (May 2009). 

BELOW BOTTOM: Jim Leider, Jerry Katell, and Dawn 

Dinsdale hone their game skills at Paris University 

(May 2009). 

JOAN 

REILING 

at Paris 

University 

(May 2009). 

BRIAN HAMILTON, Jerry Katell, Debby Stein Sharpe, Jim 

Bildner, Nicolas Mariscal, and Nancy Bildner at Loire Valley 

Chateau Biking Adventure Academy (May 2009). 

DENNIS SUN 

in full swing 

at Paris 

University 

(May 2009). 

NORMANDY 

ACADEMY 

attendees stand 

on a former 

World War II 

battlefield, 

where they 

learned 

firsthand about 

the events of 

D-Day 

(May 2009).


a stimulating Seminar early next year. And 

there will be an opportunity to experience the 

best that Boston has to offer in the fall. 

We also want to significantly increase local 

member connection opportunities around the 

world. Although CEO does not have a programme 

of chapter meetings, we are increasing the 

number of opportunities to engage in a variety 

of informal forums, regional events, and local 

lunches. Most of these events are smaller in scale 

and style, such as the Masters Golf gathering 

in Augusta, a bicycle adventure in Ireland, a 

regional retreat in Panama, and the annual area 

conference in Europe, which will take place in the 

south of France next year. To support our overall 

objective, we have asked Jim Bildner and Colin 

Butt to help generate more of these initiatives. 

Finally, Trish and I strongly believe that 

the voice of spouses should be louder and more 

influential in the organization. The only reason 

we have been able to accomplish so much is 

because we have been able to do it together. 

A Note from Barbara Reno 

continued from page 27 

Accordingly, we have invited Uschi Hanning to 

participate in the Executive Committee of CEO’s 

Board of Directors, with the specific purpose of 

making spouses’ input more effective. 

What does CEO mean to you? 

During the 12 years that I have been a 

member of CEO, Trish and I have become 

progressively involved in the organisation 

because of the opportunity to connect with 

people of substance in a meaningful and very 

powerful way. Our interaction with fellow 

members now extends beyond the many events 

we attend, and we devote so much of our nonfamily, 

non-business time to CEO because we 

have met so many members around the world 

who have provided us with invaluable insight 

into personal and business decisions. 

Because of CEO, we now have friends on 

every continent. We visit them, and they visit 

us – as “members of a family,” not simply as 

acquaintances. 

continued from page 5 

Our energetic Events team, led by Staff Director Natalie Noakes, works with VP for Events Shad 

Khan and includes Anne Agniel, Jean Campo, Mary Kline, Lauren Mongeon, and Maria Sheffler. 

To extend our in-house events team, we rely also on independent event managers who know CEO 

well: Carolyn Aeby, Kim Grassia, Judy Guy, Geraldine Molloy, and Cathy Zambetti. 

Staff Director Peter Monroe is working with Board Member Jim Bildner on an exciting new 

Member Connections initiative, which involves planning 15+ member gatherings this year as well as 

organizing new informal forums for CEO members and spouses. Working closely with team members 

Noel Dominguez and Susan Davies, Peter also ensures the effective running of CEO headquarters, 

while also onboarding our new Controller Shaun Bladow. 

Our creative and talented Marketing and Communications team works with CEO’s VP for 

Marketing & Communications Yum Arnold and includes Staff Director Summer Amin, Jerrica 

Thurman, Mike Corrigan, and Carla Alburqueque. Summer’s team is responsible for effectively 

promoting all CEO events, managing the website, and helping members stay abreast of CEO news 

through a variety of electronic and print publications. 

Registering CEO members for more than 1,200-1,500 places at CEO events during the year are 

one-year veteran Amanda Almassy and Julie Block, who joined us this past summer. And last but 

certainly not least, working with me is Executive Assistant Bianca Collins, who keeps me on track. 

This is a much longer answer than I provided to the CEO member at the European Area Conference 

in Copenhagen last month. But I hope this helps you see how we are organized to support your 

organization. I can assure you that you have a hardworking team dedicated to making your CEO 

experience meaningful, memorable, and of the highest quality. 

As always, I welcome your comments. 


experience 

life on the 

frontier 

Jackson Hole Family College: 25-30 July 2010 

From moose to eagles to bison, Jackson Hole has long served as a refuge for a 

diverse array of wildlife. Now, insider Chairs Nelson and Jane Schwab invite you and 

your family (ages 6+) to experience wildlife and nature while based in the unspoiled, 

natural wilderness of Wyoming’s majestic Teton Mountains. 

During this active family adventure, you’ll experience the rustic beauty of Jackson Hole 

– a picturesque valley surrounded by pristine mountains, rivers, and streams – through 

a range of multigenerational activities designed to strengthen family bonds, forge new 

relationships, and create memorable experiences. While based at the Four Seasons 

Resort, Jackson Hole, you’ll enjoy warm days and cool nights, wide open spaces, and 

star gazing while soaking up the history, culture, and personalities of the West! 

For more information, please contact CEO Associate Events Manager Lauren Mongeon 

at lmongeon@ceo.org or +1 301 280 2559. 

Local Gatherings 

ASIA 

Japan 

Host: Ernie Higa 

EUROPE 

Istanbul 

Host: Sadi Gücüm 

London 

Host: Jeremy Coller 

The Caledonian Club 

12:30-2:30pm (Wednesdays) 

• 25 November 2009 

• 28 January 2010 

• 25 February 2010 

• 25 March 2010 

• 29 April 2010 

• 27 May 2010 

• 24 June 2010 

• 30 September 2010 

• 28 October 2010 


Zurich/Rhine 

Host: Arthur Bolliger 

MEXICO 

Mexico City 

Hosts: Johan and Maripaz Palme Sierra 

CANADA 

Toronto 

Host: Hy Ackerman 

Winnipeg 

Host: Richard Andison 

UNITED STATES 

Los Angeles 

Host: Murray Pepper 

Host: Bruce Meyer 

The Peninsula Beverly Hills 

• 9 December 2009 

• 26 January 2010 

• 2 March 2010 

• 27 April 2010 

New York 

Host: Bob Villency 

The Terrace Club at Rockefeller Plaza 

12noon-2:00pm (Tuesdays) 


• 1 December 2009 

• 5 January 2010 

• 2 February 2010 

• 2 March 2010 

• 6 April 2010 

• 4 May 2010 

• 1 June 2010 

Orange County 

Host: John Kensey 

Salt Lake/Park City 

Host: Bill Pederson 

Host: Rob White 

San Diego 

Host: Peter Jupp 


Naples 

Host: Robert Bodine 

Vero Beach 

Host: Timothy Danis 

For more information, contact CEO 

Director of Administration & Member 

Connections Peter Monroe at 

pmonroe@ceo.org or +1 301 280 2563. 

ceocompass – october 2009 

31

“There is no other place we have been in the world 

where there is so much incredible history, culture, 

art, museums, architecture, ballet, opera, 

symphony, and wonderful welcoming 

people. Every time we go back, there is more to 

see, experience, and learn. We can’t resist.” 

discover the real russia 

– Greer and Veronica Arthur 

St. Petersburg College 

29 August – 3 September 2010 

Chairs: Greer and Veronica Arthur 

Moscow Academy 

25-28 August 2010 

Chair: Richard Andison 

For more information, please contact CEO Director of Events Natalie Noakes at nnoakes@ceo.org or 

+1 301 280 2569 or CEO Senior Events Manager Anne Agniel at aagniel@ceo.org or +1 301 280 2547.

CEO Photo Essay - NiMA Integrated Marketing Boutique

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