Join host Gene Cunningham and guest Elzandi Oosthuizen, Senior VP and Head of Corn Product Team at Bayer as they discuss Elzandi’s path to Bayer and keeping the world’s farmers connected in an everchanging field.   

This conversation is an excerpt from the 2024 Bayer International Business Conference that took place on December 4, 2024, at Saint Louis University.

Elzandi Oosthuizen is part of the global strategy leadership team at Bayer’s Crop Science division where she leads the enterprise corn product team. She has held various global and regional leadership roles across the company’s Seed & Traits, Crop Protection and Vegetable operations and lived and worked in several countries. Prior to her current role, she was part of the R&D leadership team leaning the crop technology team focusing on corn, soy and cotton crops. 

Before working in the corporate setting, she taught post graduate mathematics, and high school science and math for six years. She regularly advocates for S.T.E.M. education and is passionate about inspiring and developing people. Elzandi is passionate about promoting diversity and inclusion, as well as helping empower women.  She demonstrates this passion through her involvement in several initiatives over the past decade. She was a recipient of the 2024 Women in Agribusiness Demeter Award of Excellence, she was also an advisory board member for the 2019 Women in Food and Agriculture event and was named an Eisenhower Fellow for the Zhi-Xing 2017 program.

Elzandi holds a Bachelor of Science in Natural Science and Mathematics and a Bachelor of Science Honors in Genetics from the University of Pretoria. She also holds a Master of Science in Agricultural and Horticultural Plant Breeding from University of the Free State and an MBA from North-West University in South Africa.

View Guest, Elzandi Oosthuizen's LinkedIn

In celebration of the 2024 Bayer International Business Converence, we revisit the Fireside Keynote Chat from our 2023 edition of the conference. A conversation with Arnold Donald, Retired Vice Chairman and CEO of Carnival Corporation, on facing adversity and staying resilient in times of global disruptions.


Stay tuned for the 2024 Fireside Chat, out January 14, 2025.



Original Shownotes follow:


Foreword by Todd Hovermale

Introduction of Arnold by John Lyday

Join host Gene Cunningham and guest Arnold Donald, Retired Vice Chairman and CEO of Carnival Corporation as they discuss the challenges Arnold faced as CEO and his path to the position. This conversation is an excerpt from the 2023 Bayer International Business Conference that took place on December 6, 2023, at Saint Louis University.

Arnold Donald is former Vice-Chair of Carnival Corporation & PLC, the world’s largest cruise company.  Their nine world leading cruise brands -- Carnival Cruise Line, Holland America, Princess, Seabourn, AIDA, Costa, Cunard, P&O UK, and P&O Australia -- are based throughout North America, Europe, Australia and Asia.  Carnival Corporation & PLC is included in both the S&P500 and the FTSE 100 indices and trades on both the New York and London Stock Exchanges.

Join host Gene Cunningham and guest Jeremy Williams Ph.D., Head of Climate LLC, Digital Farming, and Commercial Ecosystems at Bayer, as they discuss how Climate LLC is working toward its mission of optimizing yields, maximizing efficiency, and reducing risks for farmers through innovative technologies and data-driven decision-making.

Dr. Jeremy Williams serves as Head of Climate LLC, Digital Farming and Commercial Ecosystems for the Crop Science division of Bayer, where he leads a diverse team that develops digital tools to help unlock the next wave of Ag innovations. Based in Creve Coeur (St. Louis, Mo.), Jeremy is also a member of the Crop Science Executive Leadership and Commercial Leadership teams.  

Previously, Jeremy served as a member of the Research & Development Leadership Team as SVP, Head of Plant Biotechnology for the Crop Science division of Bayer. In that role, he led a global team to enable a robust plant biotechnology pipeline developing highly effective solutions to strengthen a plant’s resistance to insects, diseases and other environmental stresses. 

Jeremy has 20 years of diverse biotechnology and agrochemical R&D experience. He came to Bayer Crop Science in 2018, having served in several R&D leadership roles at Monsanto including as head of chemistry R&D. He began his career as one of the founding scientists at Divergence Inc, a St. Louis-based startup, where he held a variety of scientific research and leadership roles, including Vice President of Discovery Research, prior to the company’s acquisition by Monsanto in 2011. He is a co-inventor of several patents held by Divergence and its collaborators, and he was named a Senior Monsanto Fellow in 2016. Jeremy is passionate about Inclusion and Diversity, and previously served as the President of the African Americans in Monsanto business resource network and as a sponsor for the WiSE Guys ally network. He is currently a member of the GROW Cabinet. 

Visit Guest Dr. Jeremy William’s LinkedIn

Join host Chris Carril and guest Wendy Ritz Ph.D., AIB-SE Conference Chair, and Dr. Brittney Bauer, Ph.D., AIB-SE Marketing Chair, as they discuss planning the annual AIB-SE conference, the history of X-Culture, and defining a successful international business conference.

Chris Carril is the Vice President-Tax Planning and Treasury Management for Maritz Holdings in Fenton, MO.  His responsibilities include the company’s treasury, tax and risk management functions and he is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the State of Missouri. He has previously held financial positions at A.G. Edwards, Sigma-Aldrich Chemical Company, and Furniture Brands International. Recently, Chris has joined the Advisory Board of the Boeing Institute of International Business at Saint Louis University. Chris enjoys spending time with his four children and rescue dog, Lyla, enjoying St Louis Muny theatre, and attending St. Louis University Billiken basketball games.

Dr. Wendy Ritz is Associate Professor teaching Marketing at Florida State University. She is a fellow with the Direct Marketing Education Foundation and an active board member with the Academy of International Business Southeast Chapter. Her research focuses on the buyer journey in various markets, such as prosumption, business-to-business, international sales and marketing, and across various electronic platforms. She has published in several marketing journals such as Industrial Marketing Management, Journal in Research of Interactive Marketing, and the Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, The Journal of Consumer Behavior, Marketing Education Review, and the Harvard Business Review.

Dr. Brittney Bauer is an Assistant Professor of Marketing in the Quinlan School of Business at Loyola University Chicago and the Director of the Quinlan School of Business Behavioral Lab. She earned her dual Ph.D. in marketing and international business from Saint Louis University in 2019. Furthermore, she received a Certificate for University Teaching Skills from the Center of Teaching Excellence and a Research Methods Minor during her doctoral studies. Dr. Bauer received the 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 College of Business Outstanding Research Awards. Her work has been published in well-respected journals such as the International Journal of Research in Marketing, European Journal of Marketing, Journal of Advertising, Psychology & Marketing, Journal of Business Research, Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Journal of Product & Brand Management, and Academy of Management Perspectives. Dr. Bauer has an extensive research pipeline currently under review at top marketing and international business journals, and her work has also been noted in the media. She is an editorial review board member and ad-hoc reviewer for various academic journals. Moreover, Dr. Bauer is an active member of the American Marketing Association, Academy of Marketing Science, and Academy of International Business, and has performed various leadership roles for their respective annual meetings. She has also earned several Best Reviewer and Best Paper Awards at these national and international conferences. https://www.luc.edu/quinlan/faculty/brittneybauer.shtml 

Visit Guest Wendy Ritz’s LinkedIn

featuring Greg Gorman 

Join host Jeff Klopfenstein and guest Greg Gorman, Chief Growth Officer with Nidec Motor Corporation, as they discuss Nidec’s focus on organic growth, adapting to the everchanging world of motor application products, and balancing organic and inorganic growth.

Greg Gorman is the Chief Growth Officer (CGO) of Nidec’s Motion & Energy Platform. In his role, Greg has overall responsibility for both organic and inorganic growth, including devising long-term strategy and driving M&A on a global scale. In 2007, Greg joined Nidec in their Corporate Strategy Office where he served as their General Manager of M&A until 2013 when he moved to St. Louis to grow Nidec’s then-newly acquired appliance, commercial and motor business as Vice President of Business Planning and Development. During his time in this role and later promotion to CGO, this appliance motor business would evolve into Motion & Energy, which today generates $3B in revenue from a wide breadth of products and innovations in many growing markets including electric automotive vehicle electrification, robotics, and energy storage. 

Visit Guest Greg Gorman’s LinkedIn

Episode 25: Zoltek Corporation Growing Together

featuring Andrew Whipple 

Join host Jeff Klopfenstein and guest Andrew Whipple, Chief Financial Officer with Zoltek as they discuss the Zoltek’s growth alongside the increasing demand for commercial carbon fiber.

Andrew Whipple is the Chief Financial Officer of Zoltek, the world’s most trusted and customer-centric manufacturer of cost-efficient carbon fiber, where he oversees their finances, information technology and global purchasing.  Andrew has over 30 years of experience in finance and operational management in the manufacturing and telecommunications industries along with time spent in public accounting. Andrew has his CPA and CGMA.

Visit Guest Andrew Whipple’s LinkedIn

This episode is a reissue from February 2023. 

Join host, Todd Hovermale as he leads a discussion with Dr. Patricia Wolff and Chris Greene from Meds & Foods for Kids, a nonprofit organization based in Haiti. This episode dives into the background and operations of this inspirational and important organization. To learn more or to donate to MFK, please visit https://www.mfkhaiti.org/.
 
 Patricia Wolff, MD
 Founder and Senior Advisor
 
Dr. Wolff is the founder and executive director of Meds & Food for Kids, an organization with four main activities: Haitian production of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Foods (RUTFs) for treatment of malnourishment in children and pregnant women; treatment of malnourished children and supplementation of pregnant women; an agricultural program that helps Haitian farmers grow low aflatoxin peanuts with higher yields which are then purchased and used for RUTFs; development of a nutritious school snack and evaluation of the efficacy and acceptability of the snack among impoverished school children. Dr. Wolff also works to study the prevention of malnutrition in at-risk babies in the urban slums of Haiti.

Chris Greene 
CEO

Chris Green is serving as CEO of Meds & Food for Kids. He started his career in management of an entrepreneurial beverage distribution business, overseeing a staff of 20 with over 100 accounts. He joined Meds & Food for Kids based in Haiti in 2015 and ran the manufacturing and distribution operations for 5 years. Chris then established a consulting business based in Georgia. Meds & Food for Kids recruited him back as CEO in June of 2022.

This episode is a reissue from October 2021.

As businesses worldwide increasingly focus on reducing their own environmental impact, it is important to examine how industries are evolving to embrace more sustainable practices. In episode 4 of SLU International Business Now, guest host Dr. Jennifer Mackey sits down with Carol O'Neill, Group President of Packaging for Barry-Wehmiller, to discuss current efforts in global consumer packaging.

As Group President of Packaging, Carol O'Neill leads efforts to enhance the alignment and capabilities of the five divisions within the BW Packaging Systems Platform. Guest host Dr. Jennifer Mackey currently serves as Director of Sustainability Solutions at Bunzl Distribution USA and brings her strong background in the plastics industry as a marketing and sustainability professional to the episode.

Carol O'Neill LinkedIn

Jennifer Mackey LinkedIn

Introduction by Todd Hovermale

Join host Jeff Klopfenstein and guest Chad Merryman, Chief Commercial Officer with Watlow as they discuss the recent growth of the thermal product manufacturer. 

Approaching 19 years with Watlow, Chief Commercial Officer, Chad Merryman has a proven track record in driving revenue growth through exceptional strategy development and clarity, channel execution with mastery of process and technique, and commercial leadership across sales, product management, and marketing. 

Visit Guest Chad Merryman’s LinkedIn

Foreword by Todd Hovermale

Introduction of Arnold by John Lyday

Join host Gene Cunningham and guest Arnold Donald, Retired Vice Chairman and CEO of Carnival Corporation as they discuss the challenges Arnold faced as CEO and his path to the position. This conversation is an excerpt from the 2023 Bayer International Business Conference that took place on December 6, 2023, at Saint Louis University.

Arnold Donald is former Vice-Chair of Carnival Corporation & PLC, the world’s largest cruise company.  Their nine world leading cruise brands -- Carnival Cruise Line, Holland America, Princess, Seabourn, AIDA, Costa, Cunard, P&O UK, and P&O Australia -- are based throughout North America, Europe, Australia and Asia.  Carnival Corporation & PLC is included in both the S&P500 and the FTSE 100 indices and trades on both the New York and London Stock Exchanges.