The Campaign for Sustained Leadership

As May 16 approached, Wharton alumni around the world put their busy lives on hold, packed their bags, and headed to the City of Lights. They were participating in the 2002 Wharton-INSEAD Economic Forum, co-sponsored by the Wharton Club of Paris and INSEAD.

In Moscow, Shiv Khemka, WG'90, G'90, executive director at Sun Capital and SUN Interbrew, left for Paris. In Israel, Gideon Tolkowsky, WG'83, a founding partner at Veritas Venture Partners and a speaker at the Forum, and Isaac Devash WG'88, president of the Wharton Club of Israel, both new members of Wharton's Executive Board for Europe, Africa and the Middle East headed to the airport. And in Chicago, Alexandra Zaporozec, WG'92, fresh from chairing her class' 10th year reunion in Philadelphia, said goodbye to colleagues.

What drew these alumni, and more than 300 others, to the Forum? Was it the timely theme, "Responding to Uncertainty: New Responsibilities and Challenges for Leadership?" Or the draw of the first joint Forum ever between Wharton and INSEAD? Was it the impressive list of more than 30 speakers, or the spectacular dinner at the Chateau de Versailles?

It was all that…and more. By taking part in the Forum, alumni expanded the global network that is critical to Wharton's future. In recent years, this network has grown to include more than 75,000 alumni in 137 countries. Its power is boundless.

"Alumni involvement is vital to keeping Wharton open to the world," says François Balsan, W'81, Managing Partner at Balsan & Associés, who spearheaded the event. "It is the only way for us to become more and more of a community of influence in Europe and on other continents." "And this year's Forum was particularly effective," he added, "because it adds a new dimension to the network: bonds between alumni from Wharton and INSEAD."

It took months of preparation by members of the Wharton Club of Paris to finally kick off the Forum.

The Forum's content reinforced Wharton's longheld reputation as an innovator. At lunch on Friday, at the Palais de Congrès in Paris, Gerard Kleisterlee, Chairman & CEO of Philips and a graduate of Wharton's Advanced Management Program, gave the keynote address. Panel discussions on family business; private wealth management; media, entertainment, and technology; and risk management helped shape the evolving definition of global leadership. "The Forum is our main way of staying in touch with alumni," says Wharton Professor Mauro Guillen, who led a panel at the event. "We endeavor to establish lifelong ties with our students…It is so important for Wharton as a community."

"To me 'globalization' is not about mega business structures… It's about weaving a fabric of ideas that engulfs Earth," said Tolkowsky, who spoke on challenges and uncertainties of the 21st Century. "In this sense, the Wharton-INSEAD Forum was like sitting at my loom and weaving just a few more threads into the global fabric, with a Wharton needle that I acquired almost 20 years ago."