When Martin Richenhagen joined AGCO Corp. in 2004, it was already a $3 billion publicly traded firm. But sixteen years later, when he retired from his posts as chairman and CEO, it was a Fortune 500 powerhouse combining some of the biggest brands in the business of agricultural equipment. With $10 billion in sales, it doubled in size during his tenure to more than 20,000 employees around the globe.

This extraordinary growth story, rooted in metro Atlanta, is linked with Mr. Richenhagens vision to expand aggressively via acquisitions while peering constantly around the corner to see future trends in food and farming.

Key Takeaways:

-How multinational corporations should navigate a strategy of growth through acquisitions versus organic sales

-Lessons on hiring, training and deploying executives in various emerging and developed markets and across functions, from management to marketing to manufacturing

-How leaders can use embrace cultural differences as an advantage rather than a hindrance

A key concern in business education is creating solid and sustained bridges between school and career. Career readiness remains a central focus and challenge. Recent studies by Pew Research points to the lack of preparedness of college graduates for the workplace and the need for novel approaches in what we teach, and how we teach it, to address the skills gap. In international business, partnerships and virtual exchange are increasingly valuable ingredients in developing the skills required of todays global managers. Using selected virtual exchange projects with partners in North and South Africa, we discuss how global competencies, cultural awareness, and international virtual-teaming skills can be imparted as integral aspects of an international business curriculum. The three panelists representing academic and business groups will describe their roles in designing and implementing these collaborative cross-border projects, their value to different stakeholders, including students and employers, and propose ways to assess and sustain these career readiness, impactful initiatives.

Key Takeaways

Conceiving, implementing and assessing team-based, virtual exchange projects, involving international partners.

Leveraging academic-business partnerships to ensure career relevant virtual exchange initiatives for students.

Identifying funding sources for signature international business projects.