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IB&U

Thursday, October 26, 2023
9 am – 1:15 pm MT

Live / Virtual Conference /
Join for All or Part of the Conference

Attendance is Free – Pre-registration Required

Interested in a career in international business? The annual International Business & U Conference is here to ignite your passion and open doors to a world of opportunities for students.

 

International Business & U is the premier international business student conference that takes place every fall, in the Rocky Mountain Region, bringing together 500+ students from 15+ universities across the region, nation, and the world to to showcase different types of careers that can be achieved through international business and inspire students to travel for work and their studies.  Students gain career insights, opportunities, and global perspectives from speakers and panelists including regional international business experts.

 

Seize your chance to gain inspiration, learning, and endless opportunities as you set yourself on the path to a successful career in international business and register today!

#IBU2023

#IBU2023

Agenda for IB&U 2023, Reimagining Global Supply Chains: Balancing Global and Local Needs

9:00 – 9:30am — Opening Remarks
World Trade Center Denver

9:30 – 10:30am — Connecting the World: Digital Transformation, Robotics, and AI
Charles Dhanaraj, Georgia State University
Waner Ren, Shiseido

10:30 – 10:45 — Break

10:45 – 11:45am — Global Supply Chain Risk: Vulnerability and Resilience
Susan Pfuetze, Otter Products

11:45 – 12:00pm — Break

12:00pm – 1:00pm — Global and Local Implications of Sustainability and the Circular Economy
Jeannie Renné-Malone, VF Corporation

1:00pm – 1:15pm — Closing Remarks
Doug Allen, DU Professor

Meet Our Speakers

Waner Ren
Sr. Manager Strategy and Education at Shiseido
Waner Ren has more than 10 years’ experience with global startup businesses in industries including cyber security, skincare and AI technology. Waner found her passion in helping global businesses find partners during her internship at the Chamber of Commerce in Qingdao, China. Since then, she has worked at a series of startups from Japan and the U.S. helping foster communication and collaborations globally. Waner currently works for the Digital Transformation Office of Shiseido, a Japanese Beauty leader for over 150 years, managing education and strategy initiatives.

Charles Dhanaraj
Georgia State University
Charles Dhanaraj is currently J. Mack Robinson Professor of International Business and Academic Director of DBA Program at Georgia State University, Robinson College of Business at Atlanta, USA.

Dhanaraj is an elected Fellow of the Academy of International Business. His research focuses on strategic partnerships, innovation, leadership, and digital globalization. He has published in top academic journals, including Strategic Management Journal, Journal of International Business Studies, Academy of Management Review, and Harvard Business Review. He has written several award-winning cases that are used in classrooms across the globe. In his current research, Dhanaraj is studying how digital innovation ecosystems evolve in differ, how multinational companies overcome discrimination in foreign countries, and more importantly how leaders drive purposeful strategy in their organizations.

As a strategy and international business expert, he has taught in executive education programs at the University of Denver, Temple University, IMD Switzerland, Indian School of Business (ISB), Fundação Dom Cabral (FDC, Brazil), Copenhagen Business School (CBS, Denmark), and Ivey Business School (Canada). He has worked with several global organizations such as Eli Lilly, Sanofi, Cummins, Danske Bank, Agricultural Bank of China, Saudi Arabia British Bank (SABB), Unicredit, Pernod Ricard, Maersk Drilling, Arla,
Valmet, Deloitte, Sika, Hilti and several Indian companies, such as Tata, Birla, Mahindra and Murugappa group companies.

susan pfuetze

Susan Pfuetze
Otter Products Sr. Manager Compliance
Susan Pfuetze has worked in global trade for over twenty years, the last eleven at Otter Products (OtterBox). At Otter, she currently manages the Global Compliance Department which includes customs compliance, product compliance, and environmental compliance internationally. Prior to her current role, Susan managed the logistics department, overseeing the movement of products around the world including the import and export into various countries such as the US, Canada, and the EU as well as managing the freight forwarders and transportation of Otter’s shipments. Prior to Otter, Susan was an International Customs Analyst at Payless ShoeSource monitoring the import of products for stores in Latin America as well as serving on a task force to set up new entities in that region. Outside of work, Susan enjoys spending time with her family, skiing, and bike racing for a local women’s master cycling team.

Jeannie Renné-Malone, LEED AP BD+C, ENV SP, GGP
Vice President, Global Sustainability
VF Corporation
Jeannie leads global sustainability at VF Corporation, overseeing all aspects of VF’s sustainability strategy across its brands, operations, supply chain, materials, and products. Ms. Renné-Malone has extensive experience in the development and implementation of sustainability goals and strategies, stakeholder engagement, and tracking and reporting of sustainability/ESG results. At VF, she has led various strategic initiatives, including the development of VF’s Science-Based Targets roadmap and its Green Bond Framework, which resulted in the first green bond issuance in the apparel and footwear industry. Under her leadership, VF has integrated circular design, sustainable materials and innovation across its portfolio of brands from farm to cradle, reducing energy, waste, carbon emissions and water usage, encouraging regenerative farming practices and embedding renewable energy and sustainability priorities across its operations and supply chain.
Renné-Malone has an MA in International Finance and Development from the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver, a BA in Spanish from the University of Washington, and holds several sustainability credentials and certifications. She sits on several committees for environmental and apparel industry organizations. She is a Board Member of the Mile High Chapter of the American Red Cross, and a Board Member of the University of Denver’

Thank You to the IB&U 2023 Committee Members:

Douglas Allen, University of Denver,  Associate Professor of Management
Karen Freidhof, University of Colorado Denver, CIBER, Assistant Director
Gina Cook, Metro State University Denver, Director of IB Program
Torrie Becwar, WTC Denver Director of Trade Institute
Kaela Kalabany, University of Colorado Denver