The Board of Directors of SIFE elected Douglas R. Conant, president and chief executive officer of Campbell Soup Company, as chairman of the SIFE World Headquarters Board of Directors on October 11 at the 2007 SIFE World Cup in New York City. Conant will succeed Leonard Roberts, retired chairman and chief executive officer of RadioShack Corporation, who served as SIFE chairman for the past year.
SIFE is an international non-profit organization active on 1,400 college and university campuses in 48 countries that develops socially responsible business leadership skills in students around the world. SIFE students form teams on their university campuses and create and implement outreach projects teaching entrepreneurship, market economics, business ethics, and finance in their communities.
“SIFE’s goal is to provide life-changing business leadership experiences for students, college faculty, and business leaders. The organization offers a way for companies and business leaders a relevant and rewarding opportunity to share their knowledge with students and communities in need,” said Conant. “SIFE attracts some of the best business-minded students from around the world who develop their leadership and success skills through helping others. By using the principles of free enterprise, these diverse students are having a positive impact on their communities, which results in a better world for us all. I’m committed both personally and professionally to helping SIFE continue to expand its global presence and attract high quality students.”
Conant was elected SIFE chairman at the Board of Directors meeting on October 11 at the 2007 SIFE World Cup event, where approximately 2,350 university students, faculty advisors and business executives from 55 countries gathered for the annual international competition. At the event, 44 national champion SIFE teams are competing in front of some of the world’s leading CEOs and business executives who will choose a world champion based on the impact of their community projects.
“The entire SIFE organization is extremely pleased and honored to have Doug Conant assume this leadership position on our board of directors,” said Alvin Rohrs, president and chief executive officer of SIFE. “Under his direction, SIFE’s
presence in the business community will grow and strengthen as additional partnerships are secured between executives, faculty advisors and students in our organization.”
Conant has been involved with SIFE for seven years, serving on the organization’s Board of Directors as well as on its executive committee. During his one-year chairmanship, he will bring the USA SIFE National Exposition to Chicago in May 2008. A native of Chicago, he earned his bachelor of arts degree from Northwestern University and his master’s degree in business administration from the J.L. Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern.
In 1991, Conant was appointed president and chief executive officer of Campbell Soup Company, a $7.8 billion global manufacturer and marketer of high quality simple meals, including soups, baked snacks, vegetable-based beverages, and premium chocolate products. Conant joined Campbell with more than 25 years of extensive food industry experience from three of the world’s leading food companies: General Mills, Inc., Philip Morris Companies, Inc. (Kraft), and Nabisco. Conant began his career in 1976 in marketing at General Mills. Today, under Conant’s leadership, Campbell is delivering total shareowner returns in the top tier of the global food industry and displaying ever-improving employee engagement levels. As a result, the company is well on its way to achieving its mission of building the world's most extraordinary food company by nourishing people's lives everywhere, every day.