Kellogg launches Executive Board for Asia

Kellogg has formed an Executive Board for Asia to engage senior alumni business leaders in advancing the school’s mission and providing perspective and counsel on strategic priorities and opportunities across the region.

“The board will advise me and school leadership on admissions, career services, marketing and alumni programs, helping us to increase Kellogg’s visibility and reputation in this critical region,” Dean Francesca Cornelli said in a message to the Kellogg community.

The board includes leaders from across the world, most of whom are Northwestern alumni: 

  • Asako Hoshino ’88, Executive Vice President, Nissan Motor Company
  • Martin Lau ’98, President, Tencent Holdings Ltd. 
  • Roshni Nadar Malhotra ’08, Chairperson, HCL Technologies 
  • Joseph Sun ’96, Founder and Managing Partner, Solaris Capital Advisors 
  • Imelda Tanoto, Board of Trustees Member, Tanoto Foundation 
  • Shigeru Uehara ’06, Chief Executive Officer, Taisho Pharmaceuticals 
  • Joey Wat ’00, Chief Executive Officer, Yum China Holdings 
  • Jianming Yu ’00, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, New Horizon Capital Advisors Ltd. Richard Zhang ’93, Partner and Head of Greater China, Apax Partners

David Schonthal ’09 to lead Kellogg entrepreneurship programs

Professor David Schonthal in the classroom with Kellogg students
Professor David Schonthal in the classroom with Kellogg students.

David Schonthal ’09, clinical professor of strategy, has been tapped to lead entrepreneurship programs at Kellogg, the school announced in September. Schonthal has served as a leader of the Zell Fellows Program at Kellogg since 2013. 

Schonthal has worked on innovation and entrepreneurship programming at Northwestern since 2011. He’s also had extensive experience in the business world, serving throughout his career as a consultant, a chief operating officer, a strategic adviser and a venture capitalist. Schonthal also became a bestselling author in 2021, co-authoring the book “The Human Element: Overcoming the Resistance That Awaits New Ideas.”

He replaces Linda Darragh, who announced her retirement in summer 2021 as executive director of the Kellogg Innovation and Entrepreneurship Initiative (KIEI) and director of the Levy Institute for Entrepreneurial Practice. Darragh had served in these roles for a decade. She will continue to teach in the school’s Global Initiatives in Management program and will support the transition of leadership in the entrepreneurship program.

During her tenure, Darragh spearheaded a revamp of the school’s entrepreneurship programming, growing it to become one of the elite entrepreneurship programs in the country.


$2M gift will lead to new real estate programming

Kellogg will expand the reach of its real estate program to include Northwestern undergraduate students beginning in fall 2022, supported by a gift from Ian Sanders (NU ’91).

The gift will enable Kellogg and the Weinberg College of Arts & Sciences to collaborate on new courses and offerings that will provide strong analytical skills and broad perspectives on macro and urban economics.

The gift from Sanders will also establish the Fifteen Group Real Estate Fellows Program. As part of this program, 15 undergraduate students will engage in professional development with emphasis on the real estate industry.

“Kellogg has a long history of leadership in real estate education and in training MBA students to secure jobs at top real estate firms. We are eager to expand those benefits to Northwestern students,” said Efraim Benmelech, the Henry Bullock Professor of Finance & Real Estate, director of the Guthrie Center for Real Estate Research at Kellogg and leader of the new programming.

Sanders, the founder and principal of Fifteen Group, a real estate-focused private investment firm, said he’s eager to see Northwestern incorporate real estate into its undergraduate curriculum. “I hope this gift will provide students with the tools and resources they need to excel in high-level professional and managerial careers in the industry,” he said. 

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