Kellogg Names Execs To Two More Key Posts
 |
Covering all that matters in the business school world, with in-depth analysis of B-school rankings and full-time MBA programs. |
The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University announced on Nov. 1 it has completed its new senior leadership team with two more appointments from the corporate sector with no previous educational experience. The school said former McKinsey & Co. partner Will Garrett will be associate dean for executive education, while General Electric Co. executive Tim Simonds will be chief marketing and engagement officer.
The appointments by Dean Sally Blount follow the recruitment of former McKinsey partner Betsy Ziegler as Associate Dean of MBA programs and Dean of Students (see A Harvard MBA Gives Kellogg The McKinsey Treatment) and PepsiCo executive Kate Smith as Director of Admissions (see Kellogg’s New MBA Gatekeeper). A former hospital executive, Amit Prachand, is also managing director for impact administration and planning. Prachand facilitated change management initiatives at Northwestern Memorial Hospital for five years, and spent 15 years guiding organization-wide quality and process improvement efforts at RR Donnelley, Banta Corporation, Information Resources, Inc. and Saturn Corporation (General Motors).
The result is that a large proportion of Blount’s senior leadership team hails not from academia or from college administration but from the corporate world.
Garrett, a Kellogg and Northwestern alumnus, leads the school’s global executive education unit, which partners with thousands of executives from around the world each year to provide short courses in organizational leadership and operations. Garrett came to Kellogg after 17 years in the Chicago office of McKinsey where he advised the leaders of major global corporations in strategy, growth and change management. During a several-year hiatus from McKinsey, he also held senior management positions at GE Capital Railcar Services and Netfuel Ventures.
Simonds, appointed as chief marketing and engagement officer, is also a Kellogg and Northwestern alumnus. At Kellogg—a school well known for its marketing leadership—Simonds will be responsible for directing the school’s marketing, branding and outreach strategies. He will soon be leaving his current role as general manager in global service marketing and marketing operations for General Electric’s Healthcare IT Division. Prior to joining GE, he worked at United Airlines as managing director in marketing and merchandising, and began his career with a 13-year tenure at Procter & Gamble, where he was brand manager for the Olay and Cascade brands.
“As a premier global business school, we’ve sought to create a team that combines the best of business and academic thinking – and we’ve succeeded,” said Dean Blount in a statement. “Our team includes a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the former chairs of our finance and strategy departments, as well as leaders from such organizations as General Electric, McKinsey & Company and PepsiCo. Together this team will work with our faculty and administrators to bring our strategic plan, Envision Kellogg, to fruition over the next five years.”
“Kellogg is perfectly positioned to redefine management education in the 21st century,” said Miles White, chief executive officer of Abbott and chair of Kellogg’s Dean’s Advisory Board, in a statement accompanying the news release on the appointments. “With a winning team in place and bold strategy, Kellogg is uniquely equipped to educate the next generation of business leaders to effectively build organizations and wisely leverage markets.”
Garrett expressed enthusiasm for his new role outside McKinsey. “The opportunity to lead executive education at Kellogg was incredibly appealing on the heels of my 17-year McKinsey tenure,” said Garrett. “It’s a chance to most immediately impact the world of business by equipping executives to think nimbly, strategically and creatively in today’s fast-paced, ever-evolving business environment.”
“As a student at Kellogg, I came to understand and learn how creating winning brands and marketing strategies can transform organizations,” added Simonds in the statement. “It’s a privilege to return to Kellogg, applying what I honed here and at leading global companies, to reinvigorate the Kellogg brand, and drive a global approach to building our brand with key stakeholders. And it’s a tremendous opportunity to lead this function at the world’s top marketing school.”
DON’T MISS: KELLOGG DEAN SALLY BLOUNT’S BRAVE NEW STRATEGY or THE WORLD’S BEST MBA CAREER MANAGEMENT CENTERS
