Successful Alums Share Business Knowledge


11/15/2014

When Philip Doherty '78 was a student at St. Ambrose College, accounting was never his favorite subject.

Yet, there he was, standing in front of an Introduction to Accounting class in Ambrose Hall nearly four decades later, talking with business students about what it takes not just to climb to the top in their chosen career, but how to do so with integrity, ingenuity and a lot of hard work.

Recently retired as chief financial officer of the Chicago Tribune Media Group and a new member of St. Ambrose University's Board of Trustees, Doherty visited with College of Business students this past spring to kick off a new series of discussions between successful St. Ambrose alumni and students who are preparing to pursue similar careers.

Doherty told students that an appetite for discovery and growth opened doors at Tribune Publishing Company, which he joined in 1985 as manager of financial reporting. He became CFO of Chicago Tribune Media Group in 2001, a period of time that saw a massive evolution of the print and electronic media industry.

"One of the biggest lessons I learned early in my career was the harsh reality that what you have been successful at in the past will bring less success going forward," he said. "You've got to let go because companies will evolve, and business will change. The challenge for students today is the pace at which change occurs all over this world."

Steve Roell '71 knows that all too well. He served as chairman and chief executive officer of Johnson Controls, Inc., from 2007 until his recent retirement, capping off a 30-plus year career that offered him professional growth and the chance to help advance the one-time United States-based company into a global, Fortune 100 business. This fall, he spoke to students about the global market of today-predominantly about his experience forging new partnerships, and new business, in China more than 20 years ago.

"When I started at Johnson, our sales were about $1 billion a year," said Roell. "But we had a culture that was highly competitive and a team of really thoughtful people who saw the possibilities in China and the Middle East, and went after them."

Last year, Johnson Controls reported nearly $43 billion in revenue.

In roles as vice president, chief financial officer, and eventually CEO, Roell had the chance to see young employees blossom into thought leaders and global citizens. "These were the women and men with the natural curiosity, who stayed abreast of world events, who had a solid foundation and broad understanding in all areas of business, and who not only saw the big picture-but knew what to do with it."

Roell noted that those are tenets of a liberal arts education-but also skills that require time and focus to hone.

"It is truly wonderful to have alumni like Steve and Philip-two successful businessmen who are willing to take time to come to our campus and visit our students," said James Stangle '82, vice president for advancement, who developed the speaker series with William Lesch PhD, the new dean of the College of Business. "Our students have an opportunity to see that when they work hard and apply themselves, they can reach the top of their field."

Stangle added that the university piloted this alumni guest speaker series with the College of Business and plans to expand it to include the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Health and Human Services.

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