Keynote Speakers

General Colin L. Powell, USA (Ret.) became the 65th Secretary of State on January 20, 2001. As he stated at his confirmation hearing, the guiding principle of U.S. foreign policy during his tenure was that "America stands ready to help any country that wishes to join the democratic world."

Powell brought extensive experience with him to his office. Before becoming Secretary of State, Powell served as a key aide to the Secretary of Defense and as National Security Advisor to President Reagan. He also served 35 years in the United States Army, rising to the rank of Four-Star General and serving as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (1989 – 1993). During this time, he oversaw 28 crises to include the Panama intervention of 1989 and Operation Desert Storm in the victorious 1991 Persian Gulf War.

That experience served him well, both before and particularly after the events of September 11, 2001, the day of the greatest tragedy on American soil since Pearl Harbor. As Secretary, he stood shoulder to shoulder with the President and the other members of the President's cabinet in fighting the war on terrorism. As he often said, "winning that war is our first priority, and it will remain so for as long as necessary."

A fervent purveyor of democratic values, Powell stressed that fighting the war on terrorism is not just a military but also a diplomatic task – the two go hand in hand. He led the State Department in major efforts to solve regional and civil conflicts – in the Middle East, between Israel and its Arab neighbors; in Sudan, Congo and Liberia; in the Balkans, Cyprus, Haiti, Northern Ireland and elsewhere. He was especially concerned with the peace and security of Afghanistan and Iraq, countries where winning the peace is as important as Coalition battlefield victories. In all areas, he used the power of diplomacy and the universal ideal of democracy to build trust, forge alliances and then begin to transform these onceunstable regions into areas where societies and cultures prosper.

Powell was devoted to grasping opportunities as well as to confronting the global and regional security challenges of the 21st century. He was at the forefront of the administration's efforts to advance economic and social development worldwide – in the fight against HIV/AIDS, in the promise of the Millennium Challenge Account, the most significant change in helping needy nations since the Marshall Plan, and in pursuing a freer trading and investment climate worldwide. These efforts, too, are not separate from the nation's security agenda. Indeed, in testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, then Secretary Powell affirmed that our main purpose is to extend democracy, prosperity, and freedom to every corner of the world. It is a process that is establishing a balance of power that favors freedom across the globe.

A.G. Lafley is the former Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer of Procter & Gamble. Under Lafley's leadership from 2000-2010, P&G focused on consumerdriven innovation and consistent, reliable, sustainable growth. The portfolio of billiondollar brands—like Tide, Pampers, Olay, and Gillette—grew from 10 to 24... and brands with sales between $500 million and $1 billion increased five-fold. With Lafley at the helm, sales doubled, profits quadrupled, and the Company's market value increased by over $100 billion dollars, making P&G among the most valuable companies in the world.

A.G. graduated from Hamilton College in 1969 and joined the U.S. Navy in 1970 where he oversaw retail and service operations in Japan for several thousand Navy and Marine corps and their families. After the Navy, A.G. earned an MBA from Harvard Business School and joined P&G in 1977.

Starting in Marketing on the Joy dishwashing brand, A.G. moved up through the Company's laundry and cleaning businesses, delivering record results and leading organizations responsible for some of P&G's biggest innovations. He went on to run operations in Asia and North America and to start-up P&G's first global beauty business before his CEO appointment in 2000.

A.G. is co-author—with Ram Charan—of The Game Changer, an operating manager's guide to turning innovation into strategic advantage. Business Week selected The Game Changer as one of the top ten business books in 2007. A.G. also authored the critically acclaimed article "What Only the CEO Can Do," published as the lead article in Harvard Business Review, May, 2009.

Bill Taylor is an agenda-setting writer, speaker, and entrepreneur who has shaped the global conversation about the best ways to compete, innovate, and succeed. His new project,
Practically Radical: Strategies to Transform Your Company, Shake Up Your Industry, and Recharge Yourself, is based on in-depth access to 25 organizations that are making deep-seated changes under the most trying circumstances imaginable. These organizations (from hard-charging technology companies to long-established nonprofits, from hospitals to automakers to banks) are mastering a set of strategies and practices that define the work of leadership in turbulent times—ideas from which every leader can learn.
The book will be published by William Morrow, an imprint of HarperColllins, in 2010. In the meantime, Taylor chronicles his research, insights and lessons in a popular blog (also called "Practically Radical") for Harvard Business Online, the digital arm of the Harvard Business Review.

Practically Radical is a sequel of sorts to Taylor's most recent book, Mavericks at Work: Why the Most Original Minds in Business Win, which was published in October 2006. "I didn't just 'read' this book, I devoured it!" declared Tom Peters when Mavericks appeared. James J. Cramer, co-founder of TheStreet.com and host of CNBC's Mad Money with Jim Cramer, had this to say: "If Mavericks at Work had come out before I started TheStreet.com, I could have saved my investors (and myself) $100 million – because I would have been able to take the lessons in the book and apply them every day to my business." Added talent guru Marcus Buckingham: "You must find the time to read this book."

Just weeks after its release, Mavericks became a New York Times Best Seller, a Wall Street Journal Business Best Seller and a BusinessWeek Best Seller. It was the subject of articles, reviews and columns in many top publications, including U.S. News & World Report, The Boston Globe and The Economist, which called the book "a pivotal work in the tradition of In Search of Excellence and Good to Great." The Economist also named Mavericks one of its "Books of the Year, 2006." Other accolades include: "Top Ten Business Book of The Year" (amazon.com), "Top Ten Book on Innovation and Design" ( BusinessWeek), and "2006 Picks of the Year in Business Books" (The Financial Times).

Kent Thiry has been Chairman and CEO of DaVita Inc. since October 1999. DaVita is the largest independent provider of dialysis services in the United States for patients suffering from chronic kidney failure, also known as end stage renal disease, or ESRD. Our 34,000 Teammates provide services to approximately 1,400 outpatient dialysis centers in 43 states and the District of Columbia. We serve more than 110,000 patients in the U.S. every week, almost one out of every three in America. Current annual revenues are over $6 billion, and our market cap is a bit above $6 billion.

DaVita's management philosophy has been discussed in various forums - a Stanford Business School Case Study, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Modern Healthcare, CEO Magazine and several books. Kent has been asked to speak about The DaVita Story/leadership to organizations such as Bain, Accenture, CMS, Bright Now Dental, the Nashville Health Council, KPMG, Abbott, and YPO. He has been asked to speak at Stanford, Harvard, Northwestern's Kellogg, University of Michigan Ross Business School and the University of Colorado Business School Advisory Board. The case has been taught at Stanford, Harvard, and elsewhere.

Mr. Thiry was a partner at Bain & Company from 1987-1991.

Mr. Thiry earned his BA in Political Science, with Distinction and Phi Beta Kappa, from Stanford University in 1978. He earned his MBA, with Honors, from Harvard Business School in 1983, where he was also elected to the Century Club.

He serves on the Board of TPL (Trust for Public Land). Prior Board Seats include Varian Medical Systems and the Chairmanship of Oxford Health Plans.

He is a member of the Harvard Business School Board of Advisors, as well as a member of the University of Colorado Business School Board of Advisors.