STAMFORD, CT – March 17, 2011. HARMAN, the global premium audio and infotainment group, said today that its chief executive, Dinesh C. Paliwal, recently conducted a personal outreach to his alma mater, Miami University of Ohio. Mr. Paliwal, who holds dual masters degrees in Applied Science and Engineering, and Business Management from Miami, made the visit as part of the university’s visiting executive lecture series.
About 500 students gathered in the university’s Taylor Auditorium to hear Mr. Paliwal speak on topics including corporate strategy, innovation and branding. A lively question and answer session followed. In a separate session, Paliwal hosted a roundtable discussion with graduate students from the university’s Farmer School of Business on Leadership and Cross Cultural Collaboration. A key theme was the importance of personally experiencing global markets and cultures as preparation for future leadership.
“You will find the real answers out in the field,” Paliwal told the students. “I look for global business experience in every hiring decision I make, from high-potential sales people to Board Members. Among my dozen direct reports today, seven different nationalities are represented. Each of these individuals has lived and worked in multiple countries, creating a real “brain trust of global expertise across every functional area.”
The full-day visit was organized and hosted by Roger L. Jenkins, Dean of the university’s school of business, who has held a number of key academic and corporate management positions. Miami University, established in 1809, is the tenth oldest public university in the United States. The institution hosts about 16,000 at its Oxford, Ohio campus.