Five Regions, Five Days: Entrepreneurial Leadership Everywhere

Listen

In five previous editions, Babson Connect: Worldwide has brought the Babson College community together in destinations around the world—from Cartagena to Dubai to Bangkok to Madrid and back home to Boston and Wellesley, Massachusetts, for the Centennial celebration.

This year, the premier entrepreneurial summit is bringing the world together for the College community, via a compelling virtual program visiting five regions in five days.


REGISTER now for Babson Connect: Worldwide


“Babson Connect: Worldwide is a signature event uniting and inspiring the College community around the people and ideas that motivate entrepreneurial leaders,” President Stephen Spinelli Jr. MBA’92, PhD said. “Connecting the community as One Babson is critical to our mission to empower learners anywhere to create lasting economic and social value everywhere.”

The largest virtual gathering of entrepreneurial leaders, Babson Connect: Worldwide features an impressive lineup of esteemed speakers and panelists. The five-day agenda spotlights a different region each day—North America; Latin America; Europe; the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia; and Asia—all presented in local time.

Alumni Take Center Stage

With a theme of “Entrepreneurial Leadership Impacting Ecosystems Everywhere,” the program spans a wealth of industries and topics, including finance and philanthropy, family entrepreneurship, health care, media, and sports.

Panelists include the world’s most successful and influential business leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs, including a host of Babson alumni:

        • Gustavo Cisneros ’68, H’19 (ADE 1981), Chairman, Cisneros
        • Fred Kiang ’70, MBA’75, H’19, Trustee, GAB, Chairman, Sunrise Duty-Free (China) Co., Ltd.
        • Ramón Mendiola ’86, P’20 ’23, Trustee, CEO, Florida Ice & Farm Company S.A.
        • Jeffery Perry ’87, P’23, Trustee, Founder & CEO, Lead Mandates LLC
        • Cyril Camus ’91, Trustee, GAB Chair, President, Groupe CAMUS
        • Dino Lalvani ’95, GAB, Chairman, Binatone Electronics International Limited
        • Khalid Al Tayer ’99, Managing Director, Al Tayer Insignia and CEO, Ounass, Al Tayer Group
        • Carla Curiel ’05, Co-founder and CEO, Lanugo Media
        • Patricia Riberas ’13, Transformation & Organization Director, Gestamp
        • Balaji Viswanathan, MBA’14, CEO, Invento Robotics

SPEAKERS: See all Babson Connect: Worldwide speakers


The summit also will include the presentation of the inaugural Babson-Camus Global Family Entrepreneurship Award to Ernesto Bertarelli ’89 (ADE 2008), chairman of Waypoint Capital, a successful business executive, yachtsman, and philanthropist. On the final day of the event, the winners of the 2021 B.E.T.A. Challenge will be announced.

Around the World in Five Days

Sports broadcaster and analyst Brady Quinn, a former NFL quarterback who is pursuing his MBA at Babson, will serve as the master of ceremonies. Quinn also is the co-chair of the 3rd & Goal Foundation. Quinn will help navigate the whirlwind event, as it virtually circles the globe. Here’s a highlight from each day and each region to circle on your calendar.

North America

Monday, April 19
36 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (UTC-4)

In “The American Dream: An Entrepreneur’s Journey,” Steve Pagliuca, the co-chairman of Bain Capital and co-owner of the Boston Celtics, reflects on his rise to professional success. Scott Voss MBA’99, GAB, partner at HarbourVest Partners, will host the conversation and explore the importance of giving back and investing in diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Latin America

Tuesday, April 20
36 p.m. Colombia Standard Time (UTC-5)

In “Investing for Impact,” Marcelo Claure, COO of SoftBank Group Corp., discusses his company’s headline-making investment strategy that has had a transformative impact on the investment and venture capital worlds. Bruce Herring ’87, P’19, Babson Trustee, and retired president of Strategic Advisers Inc., a Fidelity Investments Company, will lead a spirited conversation on investment, finance, and the next frontier of funding big ideas.

Also, Gustavo Cisneros ’68, H’19 (ADE 1981) and his daughter Adriana Cisneros, CEO of Cisneros, will return to the Babson Connect: Worldwide stage for a rapid-fire Q&A and behind-the-scenes look at the Cisneros family and its transformative businesses. They first appeared together at the Centennial celebration to discuss family business.


AGENDA: Complete agenda for Babson Connect: Worldwide


Europe

Wednesday, April 21
36 p.m. Central European Summer Time (UTC+2)

In “Self-reflection: The Core of Family Entrepreneurship,” Ernesto Bertarelli ’89 (ADE 2008) joins Lauri Union, the Nulsen Family Executive Director of Babson’s Institute for Family Entrepreneurship, for a poignant conversation on the business executive and philanthropist’s rise and journey. Bertarelli will discuss his upbringing and how he has learned to ensure a passion-filled life for his family, while creating economic and social value around the world.

Middle East, Africa, and South Asia

Thursday, April 22
36 p.m. Gulf Standard Time (UTC+4)

In “Family Entrepreneurship: Taking The Road Less Traveled,” Khalid Al Tayer ’99, managing director of Al Tayer Insignia and CEO of Ounass, Al Tayer Group, will discuss his entrepreneurial journey and how he successfully reinvented his family’s retail empire through e-commerce.

Asia

Friday, April 23
36 p.m. China Standard Time (UTC+8)

In “Quarantine Innovation: Finding Opportunity in Isolation,” Dino Lalvani ’95, GAB, chairman of Binatone Electronics International Limited, will share how focused time off the road during the pandemic spurred innovation for his business. With Vanessa Arelle ’97, chief strategy officer and head of partnerships of BuffaloGrid, Lalvani will discuss key business decisions, new product lines, and the pivots necessary to thrive amid uncertainty.

Posted in Community

More from  »

Latest Stories

Male college student meets with campus counselor
Here’s How Colleges Can Better Support Students’ Well-Being to Improve Their Success College students are reporting lower rates of depressive symptoms and anxiety for the third year in a row, but the mental health crisis is far from over, writes Babson College’s Ryan Travia for The Conversation.
By
December 10, 2025

Posted in Insights

Chicken sandwich
The Rise of Chicken, the Decline of Pizza Hut, and Other Franchising Trends Ab Igram MBA’96, of Babson’s Tariq Farid Franchise Institute, surveys the state of franchising. From the familiar names to the up-and-coming ventures, he talks chicken, sandwiches, and, uh, pet waste scooping.
By
John Crawford
Senior Journalist
John Crawford
A writer for Babson Thought & Action and the Babson Magazine, John Crawford has been telling the College’s entrepreneurial story for more than 15 years. Assignments for Babson have taken him from Rwanda to El Salvador, from the sweet-smelling factory of a Pennsylvania candy maker, to the stately Atlanta headquarters of an NFL owner, to the bustling office of a New York City fashion designer. Beyond his work for Babson, he has written articles and essays for The Philadelphia Inquirer, Notre Dame Magazine, The Good Men Project, and other publications. He can be found on Twitter, @crawfordwriter, where he tweets about climate change.
December 9, 2025

Posted in Insights

The Retailing Management course with Jaylen Brown and Joel Kamm MBA’12 outside their pop-up event.
Hands-On, All-In: Babson’s Retailing Management Students Create Unforgettable Pop-Up Experience The Retailing Management class, composed of mostly fourth-year students, brought experiential learning to life, executing a campus pop-up event with Jaylen Brown’s 741 Performance brand, culminating in all they’ve learned at Babson.
By
Melissa Savignano
Writer
Melissa Savignano
Melissa Savignano, a content marketing manager at Babson College, has worked in higher education for almost a decade, where she tells authentic, compelling campus and community stories. Before Babson, she managed communications for Boston University’s largest college, the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. She previously worked in client relations, helping brands of various sizes launch content marketing strategies and storytelling initiatives. When not at work, you will find her in the city of Boston, probably at the movie theater.
December 8, 2025

Posted in Community, Entrepreneurial Leadership