ReimaginingtheFutureofGlobalBusiness: Transformation,Leadership,andImpact
Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025
Rafik B. Hariri Building, Lohrfink Auditorium
Welcome
The global business landscape is becoming increasingly fragmented and unpredictable. Challenges from previous years — ranging from shifting trade policies and geopolitical tensions to the rapid pace of technological change — not only persist, but are growing in more complex and unprecedented ways.
In this context, the imperative for business leaders of today and tomorrow is clear, though difficult: to reimagine the future of global business through a lens of adaptability, innovation, and impact.
This moment calls for a new approach to leadership, one that is informed by global transformation, grounded in leadership, and driven by a commitment to long-term value creation.
Join us for the third annual Future of Global Business Conference to explore these issues alongside global executives, policymakers, academics, and students.
AGENDAOVERVIEW
Welcome and Opening Remarks
Fireside Chat —
Business, Policy, and the Global Agenda 3 – 3:40 p.m.
Speakers:
Joseph Baratta (B’93), global head of private equity strategies, Blackstone Gina M. Raimondo, former U.S. secretary of commerce
Co-Moderator: Nicholas Errico (B’26), student and Global Business Fellow, Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business
Co-Moderator: Ashley Lenihan (SFS’00, G’09), professor of the practice of international affairs; deputy director, Master of Science in Foreign Affairs, Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service
Distinguished
Speakers:
Urban Ahlin, ambassador of Sweden to the U.S
Troy Fitrell, former U.S. ambassador to the Republic of Guinea
Vinay Kwatra, ambassador of India to the U.S
Moderator: George James Tsunis, former U.S. ambassador to Greece
AGENDAOVERVIEW
Panel Discussion
Leading in an Unprecedented Era of Global Business Change
Speakers:
Reggie Aggarwal (L’99), chief executive officer and founder, Cvent
4:30 - 5:30 p.m.
Thomas Becker, head of external affairs and sustainability, BMW Group
Shyam P. Kambeyanda, president and CEO, ESAB Corporation
Moderator: Anil Khurana, executive director, Baratta Center for Global Business Education
Global Impact Award — Ceremony and Reception
5:30 - 6:30 p m
Celebrate alumni leading transformative efforts in global business as we present the annual Georgetown Baratta Center Global Impact Award followed by a reception.
Joseph Baratta is the global head of private equity strategies and a member of Blackstone’s Board of Directors. He is also a member of their management committee and serves on many of the firm’s investment committees.
SPEAKERS
Baratta joined Blackstone in 1998, and in 2001, he moved to London to help establish Blackstone’s corporate private equity business in Europe. Since 2012, he has served as the firm’s global head of private equity in New York City
Fireside Chat —
Global Head of Private Equity Strategies, Blackstone
Business, Policy, and the Global Agenda
Joseph Baratta (B’93)
Baratta has served on the boards of many past Blackstone portfolio companies Currently, he serves as a member or observer on the boards of Ancestry, Candle Media, First Eagle Investment Management, Medline, and Merlin Entertainments Group He is also a member of the board of trustees at Georgetown University and the Board of Advisors at the McDonough School of Business, is a trustee of the Tate Foundation, and serves on the board of Year Up, an organization focused on youth employment.
3 – 3:40 p.m
Before joining Blackstone, Baratta was with Tinicum Incorporated and McCown De Leeuw & Company. Baratta also worked at Morgan Stanley in its mergers and acquisitions department. He graduated magna cum laude from Georgetown University.
SPEAKERS
Former U.S. Secretary of Commerce
Fireside Chat
Gina M Raimondo was the 40th U S Secretary of Commerce As secretary, she focused on making America more competitive by driving job creation, fostering innovation, and strengthening national security Under her leadership, Department of Commerce made historic investments in internet acces manufacturing, workforce training, and climate readiness through initia Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the CHIPS Act, and the Inflation Reduc oversaw $39 billion in incentives for chip manufacturing, $40 billion in grants, and significant investments in climate resilience and minority business support.
Business, Policy, and the Global Agenda
Time
3 – 3:40 p.m
Raimondo also led efforts on AI development, launched the U.S. AI Safety Institute, and established an international network of AI Safety Institutes. She has been recognized as one of TIME’s Most Influential People and is known for her role in advancing national security through technology and international cooperation.
Gina M. Raimondo
Before her tenure as Secretary of Commerce, Raimondo served as the 75th Governor of Rhode Island, becoming the state’s first female governor During her time in office, she revitalized Rhode Island’s economy by attracting new businesses, reducing unemployment, and creating thousands of jobs She prioritized infrastructure, education, and job training, making record investments in these areas Notably, she launched the first statewide program offering tuition-free community college to all high school graduates, a groundbreaking initiative to provide accessible higher education.
Raimondo is a graduate of Harvard University, Oxford University (as a Rhodes Scholar), and Yale Law School.
SPEAKERS
Nicholas Errico is an undergraduate student at Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business, where he studies finance and is a member of the Global Busi F ll program Previously, Errico worked as a climate resilience intern for Pr Mile through the Baratta Center’s short co-curricular internship progra be working in investment banking upon graduation.
Fireside Chat
Moderator | Student and Global Business Fellow
Business, Policy, and the Global Agenda
Ashley Lenihan is a professor of the practice in international affairs and deputy director of the Master of Science in Foreign Service (MSFS) program She is an expert on economic statecraft, foreign investment, and national security Her policy work in the United Kingdom and Europe focuses on improving the impact of research on policymaking, and she regularly provides testimony to the U K Parliament and consults for public and private sector bodies internationally She is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations and an individual member of the U.K.’s Parliamentary and Scientific Committee.
3 – 3:40 p.m
Nicholas Errico (B’26)
Moderator | Professor of the Practice of International Affairs, Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service
Time
Lenihan previously was the head of policy and engagement at the British Academy of Management, a senior policy advisor at the Academy of Social Sciences and its campaign for social science, and a senior fellow at the Legatum Institute. She also was an associate at the foreign policy think tank LSE IDEAS and a non-resident fellow at the Centre for International Studies at the London School of Economics. She has taught at SOAS, University of London, and currently teaches MSFS students at Georgetown. She began her career as an investment banking analyst at DLJ/CSFB, and obtained her BSFS and Ph D in government from Georgetown University
Ashley Lenihan (SFS’00, G’09)
His Excellency Urban Ahlin has been the ambassador of Sweden to the United States since September 2023 Ahlin most recently served as Sweden’s b d Canada
SPEAKERS
Prior to that, he was a member of the Swedish Parliament, representin Democratic Party. Following the 2014 parliamentary election, Ahlin w speaker of the Swedish Parliament, Sveriges Riksdag, from 2014 to 20
Ambassador of Sweden to the United States
Distinguished Panel
—
The Evolving Role of Diplomacy and Global Business Leadership
Ahlin first became a member of Parliament in 1994. Since then, he has worked on foreign policy in numerous capacities. He was chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs between 2002 and 2006, and later deputy chair from 2006 to 2014. He has also been a member of the War Delegation, the Swedish Defence Commission, and a member of the Committee on European Affairs.
3:45 – 4:25 p.m
Urban Ahlin
As part of his work for the Social Democratic Party, Ahlin served as the party’s foreign policy spokesperson and also has been a member of the party’s Executive Board
In addition, he is one of the founding members of the first pan-European thinktank, the European Council on Foreign Relations, which was established in 2007 Ahlin graduated from the University of Karlstad with a master of science.
Time
SPEAKERS
Troy Fitrell, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, class of Minister Counselor, was the senior bureau official leading the Department of St of African Affairs. He recently served as U.S. Ambassador to the Repub He previously held positions as director of the Offices of West African Southern African Affairs, as chargé d’affaires and as deputy chief of mis U.S. embassies in Ethiopia and Mauritius, and as deputy director of the International Security Cooperation in the Bureau of Political-Military A
Former U S Ambassador to the Republic of Guinea
Distinguished Panel —
The Evolving Role of Diplomacy and Global Business Leadership
Troy
Fitrell
Fitrell served as a Pearson Fellow on the staff of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and served overseas at the U.S. embassies in Portugal, Guatemala, Zambia, Ghana, and Denmark. He earned a B.A. at the University of Maryland and an M S at the National War College He is the recipient of a Presidential Rank Award, the Cobb Award for Initiative and Success in Trade Development, the Secretary’s Award for Outstanding Achievement in Labor Affairs, and numerous superior and meritorious awards He is a Commander of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Guinea He speaks French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Swedish Time
3:45 – 4:25 p.m
Vinay Kwatra assumed charge as the ambassador of India to the United States on Aug. 12, 2024.
SPEAKERS
Kwatra joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1988. In a career spannin years, he has served in senior roles both in Delhi and across the globe. he served as India’s foreign secretary from 2022 to 2024. Prior to that, ambassador of India to Nepal from 2020 to 2022, and ambassador of In and permanent representative of India to UNESCO from 2017 to 2020.
Ambassador of India to the United States
Distinguished Panel —
The Evolving Role of Diplomacy and Global Business Leadership
Time
Time
This is Ambassador Kwatra’s second stint in Washington, D.C. From 2010 to 2013, he served as the head of the commercial wing of the embassy. His previous foreign assignments include the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation secretariat in Kathmandu as director and joint secretary (2006-2010), in Beijing as the deputy chief of mission (2003-2006), and in several other roles spanning Tashkent, Durban, Karachi, and Geneva
3:45 – 4:25 p.m
Vinay Kwatra
At India’s headquarters, Kwatra has served as joint secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office (2015-2017), and has headed several divisions of the Ministry of External Affairs, including the Americas, public policy and research, and counter terrorism divisions.
George James Tsunis served as the U S ambassador to Greece from March 2022 to January 2025.
SPEAKERS
Moderator | Former U S Ambassador to Greece
Distinguished Panel —
The Evolving Role of Diplomacy and Global Business Leadership
Prior to his nomination, Tsunis was the founder, chairman, and CEO of Hotels, LLC. He served as chairman of Battery Park City Authority, an trustee for the New York City Convention Development Corporation a York City Convention Operating Corporation. He helped manage a 1.5 square-foot expansion of the New York Convention Center, transforming it into one of the world’s most modern and beautiful convention centers. Tsunis served as the chairman of the Nassau University Medical Center, a large public safety net hospital with a focus on providing care to vulnerable communities.
3:45 – 4:25 p.m
Time
George James Tsunis
Tsunis earned a B A from New York University and a J D from St John’s University of Law He was an Archon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate (Order of Saint Andrew), the highest ecclesiastical honor that can be bestowed upon a layman by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, and is the recipient of numerous awards including the Harry Chapin Humanitarian Award for Long Island Cares and the lifetime achievement award for civic engagement for Long Island Business News.
Time
SPEAKERS
Reggie Aggarwal is the CEO and founder of Cvent, a leading event and hospitality software company based in McLean, Virginia, with over 5,000 employees and 25,000 customers globally. Cvent’s technology powers millions of in-person and virtual events for more than 50% of the Fortune 1000. Aggarwal founded Cvent in 1999 and guided the company through multiple phases of growth including two public listings (NYSE and Nasdaq). In 2023, Blackstone took Cvent private for $4.6 billion.
Chief Executive Officer and Founder, Cvent
Panel Discussion —
Leading in an Unprecedented Era of Global Business Change
Aggarwal has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and Businessweek, and was the youngest person ever to be inducted into the Washington Business Hall of Fame He has been named the #1 Software CEO by The SaaS Report, Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young, and Most Admired CEO by the Washington Business Journal
4:30 – 5:30 PM
Reggie Aggarwal (L’99)
Since May 2025, Thomas Becker has been head of external affairs and sustainability at BMW Group, combining the work of two previous departments that he built up over the last several years.
Time
Head of External Affairs and Sustainability, BMW
Becker was previously vice president for sustainability and mobility at the BMW Group in Munich from 2019 to 2025, and vice president of government and external affairs at the BMW Group from 2007 to 2019. During his time in the area of government and external affairs, he supervised the worldwide representation of the BMW Group’s political interests, the company ’ s approach to integrate political topics into the product as well as business communications, and he steered the sustainability communications of the company.
Becker earned his Ph D from the University of Witten/Herdecke, magna cum laude He also holds a diploma in economics from the University of Cologne
Thomas Becker
Shyam P. Kambeyanda is president and chief executive officer of ESAB Corporation and a member of its Board of Directors. As the leader of ESAB, Kambeyanda has overseen the growth of its fabrication technology business, including expanding the company ’ s global operations, improving financial performance, and driving ESAB business excellence throughout the business.
SPEAKERS
President and Chief Executive Officer, ESAB Corporation
Panel Discussion —
Leading in an Unprecedented Era of Global Business Change
Shyam P. Kambeyanda
Before ESAB went public in 2022, Kambeyanda previously served as president and senior vice president of ESAB, then part of Colfax Corporation, starting in May 2016 He also served as CEO and executive vice president of Colfax starting in January 2020 Prior to joining Colfax‚ Kambeyanda served as the president of the Americas region for Eaton Corporation’s Hydraulics Group Kambeyanda joined Eaton in 1995 and held a variety of positions of increasing responsibility in engineering, quality, ecommerce, product strategy, and operations management in the United States, Mexico, Europe, and Asia. Since leading ESAB, Kambeyanda has maintained a keen international perspective on driving growth and business development in emerging markets.
4:30 – 5:30 PM
Kambeyanda earned a bachelor’s degree in physics and general science from Coe College, a bachelor’s in electrical engineering from Iowa State University, and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for Veralto, a global leader in essential water and product quality solutions.
Time
sustainability, and mobility. Until 2022, Khurana was a senior partner with PwC Strategy and was the managing partner of PwC’s $7.5B global industrials and automotive business unit.
SPEAKERS
Panel Discussion —
Moderator | Executive Director, Baratta Center for Global Business Education
He now serves on public and private corporate boards in the United States, Europe, and Middle East; is a member of the National Association of Corporate Directors; and supports several social causes such as education equity, children’s education and emotional health, and homelessness and family care He received his Ph D , MBA, and M S in engineering from the University of Michigan Ann Arbor, where he was a Ford Fellow and a fellow with the William Davidson Institute
4:30 – 5:30 PM
Leading in an Unprecedented Era of Global Business Change
Anil Khurana
Time
SPONSORS
About Us
Vision
The vision of the Baratta Center for Global Business Education at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business is to be the venue for discussing and shaping the future of global business, by connecting students and faculty to business, government policy, society, and academic and applied research. The Baratta Center will discuss a range of topics about the future of global business and serve as a catalyst for organizations to act on key ideas and recommendations.
Mission
The Baratta Center will engage with key stakeholders to help discuss and shape global business issues such as globalization and how business can do good for the world. Activities will include working groups, roundtable discussions, company case studies, speaker series, an annual conference, whitepapers, and student and visiting fellowships, among others.
