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By Anne-Marie Kent
Imagine:
you’re going for your MBA and you have the opportunity to meet and
interview top people in business and finance—CEOs Ronald Skates of
Data General and Michael Ruettgers of EMC; and industry leaders David
Weinstein, chief of administration for Fidelity Investments, Inc., and
Cathy Minehan, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.
For UMass Boston MBA students, these opportunities are real, part of the
Senior Executive Forum, which was initiated by College of Management Dean
Philip Quaglieri back in 1998.
“The College of Manage-ment’s Senior Executive Forum provides a rich opportunity for our students to meet the top leadership from some of the most significant organizations in greater Boston —including those in financial services, banking, technology, and retail; and the public and private sectors, for-profit and not for profit,” said Quaglieri.
On February 13, another CEO, named by Quaglieri as “Distinguished Visiting Professor of Marketing,” visited the campus, this time from the world of New York fashion: top designer and 1972 UMass Boston graduate Joseph Abboud, CEO of J. A. Apparel Corporation. As part of a creative arrangement allowing him to share his expertise in various areas, Abboud spent the day—one of three planned visits to campus—teaching in various settings. In the morning, he lectured in Marketing 403. In the afternoon, he delivered the main address, “Managing the Creative Organization,” at the College of Management Convocation. Later in the day, he offered students career advising.
Abboud said, “Coming back to the University of Massachusetts Boston in a teaching role is a fulfillment of my dreams and it proves you can come home again.” His career has taken him far from the classrooms of Wheatley Hall and onto the fashion runways of Paris and New York.
After studying comparative literature at UMass Boston, he went on to the Sorbonne in Paris, where he grew to love what he calls “the sophisticated polish” of European style. Over the course of twelve years, he worked for the prestigious retailer Louis of Boston, where he served as buyer, merchandiser, and eventually coordinator of promotion and advertising. Three years as director of menswear design for Polo/Ralph Lauren further refined Abboud’s own vision of men’s style.
Abboud launched his signature menswear collection in 1987. Two years later, he joined forces with GFT USA Corporation to form J.A. Apparel Corporation. Since the debut of his collection, Abboud has won numerous honors. He was the only designer to have received the coveted Menswear Designer of the Year Award two years in a row (1989 and 1990) from the Council of Fashion Designers of America. In 1995, he was honored for “excellence in American design” by the U.S. Department of Commerce, and in May 1997 he was presented with the Michael Award for Menswear Designer of the Year.
Abboud will share more of his expertise in future visits to the campus on Thursday, March 7, and Wednesday, April 10. He will speak on topics including advertising, creativity, and marketing management, and conduct sessions with honors students on career preparation and entrepreneurship. During the April 10 visit, he will meet with MBA students enrolled in the Senior Executive Forum
“This is a great opportunity for us to have an internationally
recognized business and fashion leader share his experiences with us,”
said Quaglieri. “We look forward to having him challenge our ideas
and offer his expertise on leadership and creativity.”
Other speakers planned for the coming semester include Boston Mayor Thomas
Menino ’88; Christopher Probyn, chief international economist for
State Street Global Advisors; UMass Boston alumnus Barry Bycoff ’70,
chairman, president and CEO of Netegrity Incorporated; and Robert Mudge,
president of Verizon, Massachusetts.