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Past Speakers
2022-2023 Past Speakers
Chris O'Leary '81
Senior Advisor - Twin Ridge Capital
Monday, May 1, 2023
Chris O'Leary is a 1981 graduate of Pace University Pleasantville (BBA Marketing). After a 35-year career in marketing and general management at General Mills and PepsiCo, and previous roles as Interim CEO of Tupperware Brands and Senior Advisor at KKR & Co. Chris is now in private equity as a Senior Advisor at Twin Ridge Capital.
Chris was Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for General Mills International from 2006-2016. He was responsible for all businesses outside the U.S., totaling more than $6 billion in sales across over 100 countries and more than 20,000 employees. From 2001-2006 Chris was President of the Meals Division, responsible for brands such as Green Giant, Progresso, and Old El Paso. Chris was President of the Betty Crocker Division from 1999-2001 and started at General Mills in 1997 as Vice President of Corporate Strategy and Mergers and Acquisitions.
Prior to General Mills, Chris spent 17 years at PepsiCo. His last role was CEO of Frito-Lay Canada in 1996/97. He was also Area Vice President Frito Lay Midwest (1994-1996), Vice President Marketing for Frito Lay U.K. (1991-1994), Vice President of Marketing Frito Lay U.S. (1990), and had numerous other Marketing roles at Frito Lay and Pepsi-Cola from 1981-1989). Chris started his PepsiCo career as a Marketing Intern in 1980. He applied for and landed an internship at Pepsi-Cola offered only to Pace University students, working 30+ hours a week for his last three semesters at Pace.
Chris has an MBA from New York University (1987). He is on the Board of both Telephone and Data Systems Inc. and CARE USA. Chris was Co-Chair of the World Economic Forum Consumer Industry Steering Group and regularly attended the Annual Meeting in Davos.
Carol Watson '82
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Chief Inclusion Officer - BCW
Friday, March 24, 2023
Carol Watson, BCW's global Chief Inclusion Officer, is committed to embedding Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accountability (IDEA) holistically throughout the agency. Carol brings a deep understanding of both the business approach to embedding inclusion and the metrics driven workplace systems and practices of building and nurturing a truly inclusive, global leadership organization. She believes in the relentless progress of inclusive organizational transformation in her work internally across global regions and as an external marketer, thought leader and I&D practitioner. Client work includes C-suite advising, crisis, social issues, strategy, embedding inclusion in marketing communications, DE&E audits/benchmarking, bias-interrupter design workshops. The breadth of industries has included global F500 corporations, brands, higher education, retail, pharmaceutical, professional services and more.
Kim Van Orman '95
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SVP and Chief People Officer - USI
Wednesday, April 19, 2023
Kim Van Orman is USI's SVP and Chief People Officer and a member of the Board of Directors. She and a small team of senior leaders have taken USI from a $400 million revenue insurance brokerage firm growing largely through acquisition to a $2.6 billion revenue sales and consulting business growing organically.
USI is a private equity-owned company of 10,000 employees, with 200+ offices around the country. Kim leads USI's global talent strategy and execution, including creating internal centers of excellence focused on talent acquisition, strategic communications, mergers and acquisitions, DEI, as well as employee recognition and engagement.
Previously, Kim worked for The Reader's Digest Association and Philip Morris International, where she held senior Human Resources roles involved in global compensation, employee culture, talent development and HR/turnaround strategy initiatives.
Kim graduated with an MBA from Pace University and a BA from Loyola University in Maryland and lives with her family in Katonah, NY.
Julian Alston '18
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Chief of Staff - Milo
Tuesday, March 7, 2023
Julian Alston is a Spring 2018 Lubin School of Business graduate where he majored in Management with a focus in Entrepreneurship. During his tenure at Pace, he was heavily involved in on campus activities such as Summer Orientation, the Black Student Union, and Student Government Council. His senior year, he served as Student Government President. Post graduation, Julian has immersed himself completely into the tech space. He's worked for tech companies and startups such as: Tesla, CB Insights, Better.com, Coinbase and currently he is Chief of Staff to the CEO at a Miami based early stage/venture backed startup named Milo - they're a fintech company who have successfully launched the world's first crypto mortgage. In addition, Julian serves as the founder and co-chair of the Pace University Black Alumni Group whose mission is to provide mentorship, support and relationship equity to black students and staff.
Gloria Greco '94
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Retired Compliance and Operational Risk Executive
Tuesday, February 28, 2023
Until her recent retirement, Gloria Greco was a Compliance and Operational Risk Executive at Bank of America Corporation, responsible for overseeing compliance and operational risk for the wealth management businesses, including Bank of America Private Bank, Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, Merrill Edge, Investment Solutions and Retirement & Personal Wealth Solutions.
Gloria began her career with Merrill Lynch and was with the company for more than 40 years, holding positions within legal, accounting, finance, purchasing, and technology organizations. Her expertise and experience includes securities, consumer banking and fiduciary regulations, intellectual property rights and contract law, compliance with anti-bribery, campaign finance, economic sanctions and anti-money laundering laws, ethical decision making, and managing conflicts of interest. Gloria also held various enterprise and line of business compliance and legal executive leadership roles, where she developed strategy, oversaw group functional activities, engaged with key regulatory authorities, and regularly interacted with executive management, board members and board committees.
Gloria served in various internal diversity, equity and inclusion executive leadership roles, and also represented the company on various industry committees and panels, including the Financial Industry Regulatory (FINRA) Large Firm Advisory Committee, which provides insight to FINRA regarding existing and proposed rules, emerging industry trends, and related matters. She was a member of the Compliance and Legal Division of the Securities and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA), and continues as a member of the New York State Bar Association and serves on the Alumni Board of Brooklyn Law School.
Gloria graduated from Pace University's Lubin School of Business, where she earned a BBA in Management, and from Brooklyn Law School, where she earned here JD. She has also held various securities industry licenses, and formal regulatory designations, including serving as Chief Compliance Officer for Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated and other related entities.
Sandra Gurijala '09
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Principal - EY
Thursday, February 2, 2023
Sandra Gurijala is a Principal in EY's National Tax Transaction Economics Group, which is based in New Nork City. With over 20 years of experience, she is responsible for economic analyses for tax purposes including debt vs. equity characterization and complex financial instrument pricing. She is actively involved in assisting clients with IRS challenges around debt vs. equity treatment, credit rating issues and complex financial instrument valuation issues. She has prepared comprehensive documentation submitted in relation to IRS Appeals Conferences as well as for state audit purposes and has presented and participated in numerous meetings with taxing authorities. Sandra's clients include multi-national corporations in a variety of industries including the following: life sciences, specialty pharmaceuticals, consumer products, retail, oil and gas, specialty chemicals, utilities, manufacturing, medical devices, packaging, insurance, metals and mining, financial services, and technology, media, and telecommunications.
Josephine D'Ippolito '93
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Partner and Chief Operating Officer - Gryphon
Monday, September 19, 2022
Josephine D'Ippolito serves as Partner and Chief Operating Officer of Gryphon, a global business intelligence company. She oversees all administrative functions across the firm, including accounting & finance, legal, human resources, and technology. Josephine works closely with the senior management team to establish strategic initiatives and provides actionable plans to meet organizational goals. A proven leader, she aims to foster a positive, diverse, growth-oriented environment for all Gryphon employees.
Prior to joining Gryphon, Josephine held supervisory and management positions at public accounting firms KPMG and BKH&D (now Citrin Cooperman), respectively.
In her free time, Josephine enjoys cooking, design and travel and has recently started angel investing, supporting female-founded businesses in industries that Josephine is passionate about.
Josephine holds a BBA and MBA in Public Accounting from Pace University and is a Certified Public Accountant.
Josephine D'Ippolito's LinkedIn
James Hickey '19
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Financial Advisor - Merrill Lynch Wealth Management
Monday, October 3, 2022
James Hickey is a Partner on the Shropshire & Associates team based out of the flagship Fifth Avenue New York City Merrill Lynch office. His deep understanding of both financial markets along with trust and estate structure allows him to help his clients navigate market, life, business & taxable events. James runs the team's portfolio strategy and development segments. James has made a home in the lively city of Stamford, CT where he has lived for the past three years. James also serves on the Pace GOLD committee which allows him to give recently graduated alumni a voice. When not in the office or volunteering James enjoys playing football, being out on his local lake, and trying hidden food gems.
Carl Caputo '86
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Senior Vice President, Finance and Strategy - Estée Lauder Companies Inc.
Thursday, November 17, 2022
Carl is a strategic, global, senior finance leader, skilled at developing and motivating high performance teams across industries. He is expert at building and optimizing management systems and operating models to drive performance and a seasoned Finance Transformation executive on a global scale. Carl has over 30 years of both corporate and field finance success, along with direct operational expertise working with and influencing executive management, sales, finance, and business leaders. Carl is currently a Senior Vice President of Finance and Strategy at The Estee Lauder Companies and leader of its global FP&A transformation. He has held roles at the leader of ELC's Corporate FP&A team and a regional CFO for the company's U.K. and Ireland region. Carl graduated from Pace University with a BBA/CPA degree in 1986.
Spyro Karetsos '02
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Chief Compliance Officer - Google Inc.
Monday, December 12, 2022
Spyro Karetsos is the Chief Compliance Officer at Google. In this role, he oversees Google's global compliance and risk programs across all product areas, partnering with the business to achieve its objectives in a manner that is consistent with Google's core values and the law. In an ever-changing regulatory environment, he drives the continued development, implementation and monitoring of ethics programs, technical compliance initiatives, and compliance policies and procedures.