RCB welcomes Campbell’s CEO for evening of inspiration

“Evening with an Executive,” an on-going series in the Rohrer College of Business to inspire students in their career goals, featured an especially big name April 16 – Mark Clouse, president and CEO of Camden-based Campbell’s.

Organized by the Rohrer Center for Professional Development (RCPD), the event followed last semester’s C-suite series with Lara Price, chief operating officer of HBSE/76ers, and 76ers Chief Revenue Officer Katie O’Reilly.

Clouse, who began his career as an Army helicopter pilot, said from his student days at West Point to service in the Armed Forces to positions with leading corporations like Kraft and Mondelēz International, he’s sought to build a resume of extensive, varied experience, and encouraged students to do the same.

Campbell’s 14^th CEO spoke about the “biggest influences for success,” which for him means leadership skills and a diverse set of experiences that students can draw upon later.

“When a situation arises, what do you have in your toolbox?” Clouse said.

Clouse emphasized throughout his masterclass style talk that leadership is a muscle to be continually built upon and that it is the single biggest factor for success.

“The message that Mark delivered to our students was one of hope and determination and that no matter what your background was, that as long as you were learning, working hard and continually growing, you too could be a leader,” said Amie Ryno, director of the RCPD.

Previous events in the series featured appearances by CEOS from Wawa, Holman and Virtua.

The April 16 event included a Q&A led by student leaders Landon Nicholson and Riley Fisher.

“Through the storytelling of the CEO’s journey, we hope students learn about pushing through the highs and lows of their own career journey and gaining confidence to take advantage of opportunities to become successful,” said Fisher, a senior marketing major and intern with the RCPD.

Nicholson, an Honors Finance and MIS student, is joining Campbell’s as a financial analyst following Commencement.

Attendee Joe Webb, a junior marketing major, said the program is “always inspiring.”

“It’s great that we have events and opportunities like this in our college. I’m continually impressed,” he said.