Hundreds packed the Gambet Center’s Barbara Walker Breslin Auditorium February 17 for the Division of Business’ second annual Executive Forum, headlined by B.Braun Medical, Inc. Chairman and CEO Caroll Neubauer.
During the Forum, Neubauer and Assistant Professor in the Division of Business and former CEO himself Dr. Steven Aukers, conversed about the challenges of heading a company, from ethics in the business world to sustainability and leading by example. The B.Braun executive also stressed to students the value of a strong work ethic, citing examples of miscellaneous jobs he had done like hanging drapes while in college to support himself.
“There are so many jobs I’ve done, but I’ve never been without one,” Neubauer said.
After the discussion segment, Neubauer fielded several questions from audience members—which included students, faculty, local physicians, and B.Braun employees—about the state of the medical business, the direction of the company, medical device excise taxation, and counsel for current undergraduates.
“As a senior, I definitely value his input on leadership and his advice on how to succeed and advance in your career,” said finance and marketing dual major John Bayeux, who interned at B.Braun in 2014. “He told the audience that a great leader is someone who will not ask anyone to do something that they wouldn't do.”
The Forum, open to students from the Division of Business, as well as select physician assistant and nursing majors because B. Braun is a healthcare company, aims to provide a nuanced learning approach.
“I think these types of experiences with a guy like Caroll are amazing,” Aukers said. “This is the type of stuff we talk about in class, things that are really critical to learning a completely different way."
The university’s invitation to Neubauer for the event stemmed from B.Braun Medical, Inc.’s partnership with DeSales, as the company made significant donations to furnish equipment for the nursing and physician assistant classrooms and labs in the newly built Gambet Center. B.Braun now uses the Center to train employees.
Neubauer, however, expressed his enjoyment of interacting with young people and saw the Executive Forum as an opportunity to mentor students.
“I hope that students took away that executives are just like everybody else. They’re afraid, they’re nervous, they’re strong, they’re hard workers,” Neubauer said. “We’re just normal people who like to share their experiences as much, and hopefully can give a good lesson along the way.”