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Drake, Principal, DuPont experts to discuss “Doing Business Across Cultures”

A group of academic and corporate professionals will meet at Drake University this week to discuss the challenges and opportunities that arise as American firms expand business operations to other countries and cultures.

The Principal Financial Group Center for Global Citizenship (PFGCGC) will host “Doing Business Across Cultures” on Thursday, March 5, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in Aliber Hall 101. The panel will include participants from Drake University, Principal Global Investors, Principal International, and DuPont Pioneer.

Jeffrey Kappen is an assistant professor of international business at Drake University. He has spent 10 years working with companies from start-ups to the Fortune 100, including more than three years working and studying in Europe and South America.

Barbara McKenzie is Senior Executive Director — COO & Boutique Operations for Principal Global Investors, LLC. She is responsible for three boutiques: Principal Global Equities, Edge Asset Management and Morley Financial Services, Inc. In addition, Barb is responsible for the development and efficient operation of business processes to facilitate the growth of the firm globally.

Matthew Mitchell is an assistant professor of international business and strategy at Drake. His research investigates the relationship between firm strategy politics and religion in different global markets. Mitchell has traveled, lived, and worked in more than 75 countries and has been invited as a consultant and guest lecturer at companies, NGOs, and universities around the world.

Renee Schaaf, a Drake University alumna, is the Vice President of Strategic Planning and Business Development for Principal International. She is responsible for the advancement of Principal International’s member companies’ strategic planning and business development, including product, marketing, distribution and customer experience.

Drake alumna Claudia Schabel is a Diversity Consultant with DuPont Pioneer, where she designs and implements diversity strategies that impact attraction and retention of talent. Claudia is a recipient of the 2008 Forty Under 40 Business Record Award and the 2010 Robert D. Ray Iowa Latino Ambassador Award.

This event is sponsored by Principal Financial Group Center for Global Citizenship as part of its Spring 2015 Speaker Series. The Center educates students to function effectively in different cultural contexts, and to see their own culture from the perspective of others. The Center also works to ensure that global perspectives and issues are an integral part of the intellectual and cultural experience of all members of the Drake community.

Also upcoming in the Spring 2015 Speaker Series:

March 25: Willy Mafuta
Meredith 101, 7-8:30 p.m.

Mafuta will speak on Religion, Race and Identity: The Role of the Churches in Post-Apartheid South Africa. He will discuss how churches in particular have shaped the identity formation of South Africa.

Visit this link for more events; for more information about the PFGCGC, contact David Skidmore, david.skidmore@drake.edu, 515-306-7164.