Barry Salzberg, Deloitte CEO and Chairman of United Way Worldwide, speaks at CKGSB on Philanthropic Leadership of Tomorrow
April 25, 2013 /3BL Media/ - On Tuesday, April 23, CKGSB was pleased to host Barry SALZBERG, CHEN Weihong, LI Yapeng, and WANG Zhenyao for a discussion on Philanthropic Leadership of Tomorrow, led by CKGSB Professor and Associate Dean TENG Bingsheng.
As Chairman of United Way Worldwide, the world's largest privately funded nonprofit, Mr. Salzberg leads UWW’s global efforts to further enhance education, income and health. As global CEO of Deloitte—where he leads the strategic direction of 48 member firms in 150 countries with more than 195,000 people worldwide—he has made significant contributions to society. While Deloitte has supported UWW for 25 years, it was under Salzberg's leadership at Deloitte that the member firm ran record-breaking UWW campaigns, with the most Tocqueville donors (above $10,000) of any company in the U.S. Mr. Salzberg also established the United Way Education Collaboratives, which have raised nearly $4 million for education.
During his keynote speech and the discussion that followed, Mr. Salzberg explained his personal and professional commitment to UWW’s efforts, the future of the nonprofit sector, and how he views corporate social responsibility at Deloitte. Growing up in a working-class neighborhood shaped him, he said, and gave him his passion for mentoring young students without academic and professional role models. He was a first-generation college graduate himself.
Not only is Mr. Salzberg personally committed to helping young people—he believes it makes good business sense. It delivers a large ROI for companies, through professional development and brand building. Giving employees opportunities to use their high-level skills on behalf of organizations helps them learn and develop new abilities and create greater career satisfaction. It also helps companies achieve what Mr. Salzberg calls “brand eminence”—a reputation as a leading company.
From his position as Chairman of United Way Worldwide, Mr. Salzberg sees the following trends in corporate philanthropy: instability, changing demographics, and government austerity measures. Both governments and nonprofits have less money to spend on alleviating social problems and are turning to the business sector for help. But since businesses also have less to spend, Mr. Salzberg believes businesses can do better than providing money or traditional volunteerism by donating professional skills that help nonprofits become stronger and more sustainable.
In the final section of his speech, Mr. Salzberg talked about another way that the business world can provide social value—through innovation. New ideas, new approaches, new processes, and new technology all can deliver positive social impact beyond a company’s ROI.
Following the Keynote, Mr. Salzberg was joined by CKGSB alumni who are also China’s leading philanthropists—Chen Weihong, Li Yapeng, and Wang Zhenyao—for a panel discussion moderated by professor Teng. The first question raised to the panel was on time management. “If you have the passion you can find the time,” Chen Weihong said, before addressing the need for prioritization.
Mr. Salzberg was then asked about how UWW can mobilize 2.5 million volunteers. “The secret is to create a common vision,” he replied. “A common purpose to drive their passion.”
During the Q & A session, many attendees were curious about how Mr. Salzberg manages his time, for not only is he the CEO of Deloitte and the Chairman of UWW, but he also is the Chairman of College Summit, which helps young people from low-income families attend college. “When you have a child, and then a new child,” Mr. Salzberg said, “you find the time to love them both.”
The panel addressed the issues of scandals at philanthropic organizations where leaders and fund raisers have been accused of improprieties. “What you do in response to a challenge is as important as anything else,” Mr. Salzberg said, and advocated being open and honest with the public by acknowledging problems and addressing issues openly.
Over 110 students, faculty, alumni, and guests attended the event.
Speaker Biographies
Barry SALZBERG: Mr. Barry Salzberg was elected as Chief Executive Officer of Deloitte LLP in June 2007, after serving as the U.S. Managing Partner from 2003 to 2007. He also is a member of Deloitte’s U.S. Board of Directors, the Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Global Executive Committee, and the DTT Global Board of Directors.
Mr. Salzberg joined Deloitte in 1977 and was admitted as partner in 1985. He has since built an impressive record through a variety of leadership roles including Tri-State Group Managing Partner from 1996-1999 and National Tax Deputy Managing Partner from 1999-2000. In 2000, he assumed full leadership of the Deloitte Tax LLP practice, which included regional responsibility for the Americas tax practice. During Mr. Salzberg’s three-year tenure, the national Deloitte Tax practice increased its market share significantly, moving from 4th position to 1st, and received numerous awards and citations.
Prior to his leadership roles, Mr. Salzberg was a lead client service partner and tax partner and became an acknowledged authority in the areas of personal tax and partnership tax matters. He directly served the CXOs of many large clients, helping them with their personal tax and financial planning needs, as well as partnerships and S corporations, mostly law firms or merger and acquisition specialists.
Mr. Salzberg is a member of the New York State Bar Association, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants, and the New York County Lawyers Association. He is also a board member of business organizations including the Center for Audit Quality, Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy, and the Partnership for New York. Additionally, Mr. Salzberg is an advisor to the G100, advisory board member of International Business Leaders Forum, and International Councillor to the Center for Strategic & International Studies.
Known in the marketplace for his commitment to building opportunities for tomorrow’s leaders and fostering diversity within the workplace, Mr. Salzberg serves as a board member of College Summit and Vanderbilt University’s Owen School of Management. He is also the Chair of the Capital Steering Committee for the YMCA of Greater New York.
Mr. Salzberg received his undergraduate degree in Accounting from Brooklyn College, his J.D. from Brooklyn Law School, and his LLM in Taxation from the New York University School of Law.
CHEN Weihong: Mr. Chen Weihong is an alumnus of CKGSB’s Executive MBA Program and a prominent CCTV host. He hosts the widely successful talk show “Dialogue” and the news program “Observe Today.” A strong believer in the philosophy of “Give a man a fish, you have fed him for today; teach a man to fish, and you have fed him for a lifetime,” Mr. Chen set up the Hong Foundation in 2010, which focuses on education and entrepreneurship. The Hong Foundation brings together business leaders to support the economic development and social stability of underdeveloped areas of China. Recognized for his philanthropic efforts, Mr. Chen Weihong was awarded the China Charity Prize in 2013.
LI Yapeng: Mr. Li Yapeng is an alumnus of CKGSB’s Executive MBA Program and the Founder of Smile Angle Foundation. Founded in 2006, the Smile Angle Foundation is dedicated to helping Chinese children born with clefts. Mr. Li also established the first private non-profit Children’s hospital in China—Smile Angle Children’s Hospital. In recent years, he has advocated for family-based small donations in China, making great strides in expanding social enterprises under the slogan “Let's Love.”
WANG Zhenyao: Mr. Wang Zhenyao is an alumnus of CKGSB’s Executive MBA Program and Dean of the China Philanthropy Research Institute at Beijing Normal University. Mr. Wang has dedicated much of his career to the Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs. Previously, he served as the Director of Disaster Relief Department, Director of Social Welfare and Philanthropy Promotion Department and President of China Welfare Center. He is a strong believer and advocate of “civilian philanthropy” and “charity through good governance,” and actively promotes philanthropy through innovative thinking.
TENG Bingsheng: Dr. Teng Bingsheng is Associate Professor of Strategic Management at CKGSB and Associate Dean of CKGSB Europe. He formerly served as a tenured Associate Professor of Strategic Management at George Washington University (GWU), where he was a doctoral advisor and lead professor of the departmental doctoral program. Dr. Teng has published over 20 articles in academic journals including Academy of Management Review and Organization Science. An authority on strategic alliances, he has been interviewed by media such as The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post. Dr. Teng is a member of the Academy of Management and serves on the editorial board of International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal. He has received many rewards for his research, including the Wendell and Louis Crain Research Scholar at the GWU School of Business. His biography appears in Who's Who in America and Who's Who in American Higher Education.
ABOUT CKGSB
Established in Beijing in November 2002 with generous support from the Li Ka Shing Foundation, CKGSB is a not-for-profit organization and China’s first privately funded and faculty-governed business school. The school offers innovative MBA, Finance MBA, Executive MBA and Executive Education programs. CKGSB has developed in under 10 years into a prominent business school with over 40 world-class professors, whose per capita publications in top journals of management was ranked 6th globally during the period of 2005 to 2011. CKGSB’s alumni include more than 3,000 Chinese business leaders at the CEO and Chairman level, whose companies together generated more than USD 1 trillion in revenue in 2011. This figure represents about 13.7% of China’s GDP. If the companies managed by CKGSB’s alumni network were a nation, it would be the 16th largest economy on earth.
About United Way Worldwide
United Way Worldwide is the leadership and support organization for the network of nearly 1,800 community-based United Ways in 41 countries and territories. It advances the common good, creating opportunities for a better life for all, by focusing on education, income and health. The United Way movement mobilizes millions to action—to give, advocate and volunteer—to improve conditions in their communities. For more information about United Way, please visit: www.UnitedWay.org.
About Deloitte
Deloitte refers to one or more of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, a UK private company limited by guarantee, and its network of member firms, each of which is a legally separate and independent entity. Please see www.deloitte.com/about for a detailed description of the legal structure of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited and its member firms.
Deloitte provides audit, tax, consulting, and financial advisory services to public and private clients spanning multiple industries. With a globally connected network of member firms in more than 150 countries, Deloitte brings world-class capabilities and high-quality service to clients, delivering the insights they need to address their most complex business challenges. Deloitte's approximately 182,000 professionals are committed to becoming the standard of excellence.
