Former Walmart CEO/UConn alumnus William S. Simon To Speak at CEO Evolution Program on June 15
William S. Simon ’83, ’88 MBA, former president and CEO of Walmart U.S. and a UConn School of Business alumnus, will be one the panelists at the third annual CEO Evolution program on June 15.
He will be joined by Margaret Keane, president and CEO of Synchrony Financial in Stamford, and M. Scott Gillis, senior managing director and co-founder of the Manhattan managing consulting firm Galt & Co.
They will speak of the secrets of success, how CEOs make and implement big decisions, their experiences increasing profitability, their suggestions on obtaining and retaining top talent and more.
The program is sponsored by the UConn School of Business, Citrin Cooperman and the Fairfield County Business Journal.
The event will be from 6 to 8 p.m. June 15 at the University of Connecticut’s Stamford campus, 1 University Place in Stamford. Admission is free, but reservations are required. For more information, visit the event registration page or call (914) 949-2990.
The panelists include:
- William S. Simon – Simon was President and CEO of Walmart U.S. and executive vice president of Walmart stores from 2010 to 2014. Simon has been credited for leading a turnaround at the company that re-emphasized low prices and product assortment. He also created more career opportunities for employees and launched a plan to increase U.S. manufacturing. Before joining Walmart, Simon worked at Brinker International and at the Florida Department of Management Services. He also spent 25 years in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Navy Reserve. He received both his undergraduate degree in economics in 1983 and MBA in 1988 from UConn, and is a member of the School of Business’ Hall of Fame. His wife, Tammy Kay Simon, earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing from UConn in 1988.
- Margaret Keane – As president and CEO of Synchrony Financial, Keane brings her trademark passion for emerging technology and employee development to the job. She led the retail card platform at GE Capital, as president and CEO, beginning in 2004, eventually becoming President and CEO of the GE Capital Retail Finance business in 2011, which went public as Synchrony Financial in 2014. She is known as a champion for her employees, initiating development programs and serving on the cabinet of the GE Women’s Network. In 2015, she was named to Fortune’s most powerful women list and has been named one of American Banker’s Top 25 Most Powerful Women in Finance for nine consecutive years. She earned an MBA in marketing and a bachelor’s degree in political science from St. John’s University.
- M. Scott Gillis – For more than 20 years, Gillis has been advising chief executives and board-level management on the strategic, operating and organizational changes needed to deliver superior shareholder returns. He is an authority on improving corporate performance in both the customer and capital markets and has extensive experience in consumer products, food and beverage, financial services, retailing, aerospace, defense and more. He earned his bachelor’s degree with honors in geophysical engineering from Colorado School of Mines in 1979, and his MBA with honors from Harvard in 1988.
“We have three distinguished leaders joining us for an exciting evening,” said John A. Elliott, dean of the UConn School of Business. “Convening important conversations that support not only our students but the larger professional community is an important part of our mission at the School of Business.”
The annual event was founded by Mark L. Fagan, the Connecticut office managing partner of the regional accounting, tax and business consulting firm Citrin Cooperman.
“My goal when I created The CEO Evolution was to delve deeply into the dynamic role and unique challenges facing today’s CEOs,” Fagan said. “Our first two annual events brought together a fascinating panel of business leaders who captivated our audience. This year we are fortunate to have on our panel three visionary executives.”
