Delta State graduate and CEO of UPS, David Abney, welcomes campus to the 10th annual International Business Symposium April 1 at 8 a.m. in the Baioni Conference Center.Delta State University’s Division of Management, Marketing and Business Administration proudly presents the 10th annual International Business Symposium beginning at 8 a.m. April 1 at the Baioni Conference Center in Broom Hall.
This year’s program features top-ranking international business professionals, whose knowledge and experience is renowned and spans the globe. Senior business officials will provide a unique look at trends in the business world.
The symposium is sponsored by David and Sherry Abney, Mississippi Delta natives who currently reside in Atlanta. Abney, who began his career as a part-time package loader while in college, now serves as Chief Executive Officer for United Parcel Service (UPS), the world’s largest package delivery company. Abney is the eleventh CEO in the 107-year-history of UPS.
Abney, a Delta State alumnus, previously served seven years as Chief Operating Officer for UPS, where he was responsible for UPS logistics, sustainability and engineering. In these roles, Abney directed all facets of the UPS transportation network serving more than 220 countries and territories.
A 1976 graduate, Abney studied business administration at Delta State and was named the 2007 Outstanding Alumnus of the Year. To this day, he serves on the Delta State University Alumni Foundation Board of Directors.
Through UPS, he has traveled the world on business, but his Mississippi Delta roots are forever ingrained.
“Sherry and I wanted to do something meaningful for the Delta. By bringing global leaders onto campus and sharing their experiences with students, I believe we’ll be able to expand Delta State students’ horizons in how they see and prepare for their futures,” Abney said in a previous Delta State interview.
Joining Abney as a featured lecturer is Diana Einterz, executive vice president, Direction des Grands Clients, Orange Business Services. She is responsible for leading the team of professionals serving the 250 largest orange customers.
Einterz’s orange career spans more than 15 years and includes a series of global leadership roles directing large organizations dedicated to serving customers all over the world. Prior to becoming head of the Americas, she was head of Regional Operations and led a team of more than 2,100 technicians and support staff that delivered world-class installation and maintenance services to multinational corporations in more than 220 countries and territories.
Also presenting is Laird Hamberlin, a graduate of Delta State’s business administration program. Hamberlin is an equity investor and vice president of sales for American Home Shield — a division of ServiceMaster — since April of 2012.
Hamberlin joined AHS from UTC Climate, Controls and Security, where he served as president of the Access Controls division. Hamberlin was responsible for developing and executing plans to drive continued growth and expansion for the business worldwide, which includes Onity, a leading global provider of electronic locks and energy management systems and Lenel, a leading provider of enterprise software, integrated systems and access control systems.
Finally, Dr. Jeffrey Rosensweig will complete the distinguished list of speakers. Rosensweig is the director of the Global Perspectives Program at Goizueta Business School of Emory University. Previously, he served for six years as an associate dean. An international business and finance professor, he focuses his research, teaching and consulting on global investing and business in the global economy. He also specializes in financial, macroeconomic and business forecasting.
Active in executive education, Rosensweig was recently selected by the Wall Street Journal as one of the 12 favorite professors in all executive MBA programs worldwide.
The 2015 International Business Symposium is free and open to public. For more information, contact Benton Cooper Johnson at 662-846-4192 or email bcjohnsn@deltastate.edu.
