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THE ALUMNI MAGAZINE OF COLUMBIA BUSINESS SCHOOL RISK REWARDFour alumni CEOs tell us about their approach to risk. p. 8 Healthy Living 2.0 Start-up trends to watch in the health and wellness space. p. 13 Behind the Buzz Jon Steinberg ’03 of BuzzFeed attributes his success to mistakes and luck. p. 16 THE LONG VIEW A student talks to a seasoned alumna about sustainable investing. p. 23 Jennifer Vaughan Maanavi ’00, CEO of Physique57 SPRING 2014 THE ALUMNI MAGAZINE OF COLUMBIA BUSINESS SCHOOL 23THE LONG VIEW: Mary Jane McQuillen ’07 (EMBA) welcomes Uzayr Jeenah ’14 to ClearBridge Investments. SPRING 2014 FROM THE DEAN’S DESK Learning from Our Community of Leaders We are at the very center of business, developing students with the knowledge and ability to make a powerful impact on the world. This issue of Columbia RISK AND REWARD: Business captures our unrivaled HEALTHY LIVING 2.0: “We’re never afraid to culture of academic excellence, Start-ups take employee take risks,” says Michael our unmatched exposure to the pulse of business, 13 wellness to the next level. 8 Diamant ’93 of Skip Hop. our diverse entrepreneurial community, and our lasting impact on the business world. In “Risk and Reward,” alumni CEOs of high- performing companies talk candidly about the risks IN BRIEF CLASS NOTES they took that were critical to their success. The FEATURES knowledge they graciously share is applicable to 3 LAUNCH 29 Alumni SPotliGHT leaders of any organization. And in “The Long View,” 8 Risk and Reward 16 Behind the Buzz current student Uzayr Jeenah ’14 interviews sus- Better Jerky Hair Hero by Amanda Chalifoux and Simone Silverbush by Jen Itzenson tainable investing expert Mary Jane McQuillen ’07 Jon Sebastiani ’12 (EMBA) is bringing jerky Robert Bernstein ’04 (EMBA) (EMBA), shedding light on a rapidly growing area into the healthy snacks category. Four alumni CEOs of high-performing companies Jon Steinberg ’03, president and COO of BuzzFeed, 30 Alumni SPotliGHT of finance. 4 Big APPLE talk candidly about their approach to risk. is an innovator in an ever-changing industry. The alumni, students, faculty members, staff, Designing Woman programs, and centers showcased here represent Community Health Partner Maureen Footer ’84 what Columbia Business School is all about: lifelong Manmeet Kaur ’12 is applying lessons 31 THE Fast TRACK learning and leveraging the opportunities available learned from community health programs 13 Healthy Living 2.0 23 The Long View in Africa and India to East Harlem. Recently announced promotions to our community. I hope you are as inspired as I am. by Amanda Chalifoux and Simone Silverbush and new positions. As part of our new At the Center Q&A series, Uzayr 7 Your CAREER Start-ups in the wellness space are pioneering Jeenah ’14 chats with Mary Jane McQuillen ’07 Glenn Hubbard 35 Alumni IN THE NEWS Dean and Russell L. Carson Professor How Can You Succeed in innovative ways to boost your health and (EMBA) of ClearBridge Investments about the real of Finance and Economics Your New Role? 36 FACES & NAMES happiness. returns of investing in a sustainable future. Executive coach Ethan Hanabury ’85 has Alumni gather with Goldman Sachs tips to help you survive—and thrive—in CEO Lloyd Blankfein. your new position. 38 ALUMNI SPotliGHT IDEAS AT WORK Dual Focus Jonathan Goldman ’13 (EMBA) JOIN THE CONVERSATION Stay connected to the Columbia Business School 19 Do Diverse Teams Work 40 ALUMNI SPotliGHT community by viewing and sharing videos, photos, and updates. Learn more at gsb.columbia.edu/participate. Harder—and Better? Green Cowboy Research by Katherine Phillips suggests Conor McKenna ’09 Columbia Business School Contributors Amanda Chalifoux, Editorial Office Address changes can be submitted Columbia Business, Columbia Alexandra Dreyer, Jen Itzenson, Columbia Business School on the alumni website at gsb. Business School’s alumni magazine, DIGITAL EDITION that individuals who view their colleagues Dean Glenn Hubbard Now you can experience Columbia Business with as different from themselves focus less on 41 GIVING BACK Kimberly Kinchen, Dan Rosen, 33 West 60th Street, 10th Floor columbia.edu/alumni or directed is published twice a year by Columbia Don Hamerman, Parko Polo, James New York, New York 10023 to the Alumni Relations Office at Business School, Columbia integrated videos, photos, and links. Search for “Columbia getting along and more on getting to work. Associate Dean for Marketing and Communications Steinberg, Ellen Thorn, Verity Walsh Phone: 212-854-8567 212-854-8815. University. Business” at Google Play or in the App Store to download David Simon ’85 Iris Henries [email protected] the Columbia Business app for Android and iOS devices. 22 Maxing Out on Primary Care Senior Associate Dean for External Columbia Business welcomes letters Opinions expressed are those of Senior Director of Communications Relations and Development Lisa Yeh © 2014 by The Trustees of Columbia to the editor and class notes updates the authors and editors and do not According to research by Linda Green, Tori Fullard University in the City of New York submitted on the alumni website reflect official positions of Columbia Design Taylor Design the projected physician shortage can be or sent by mail or e-mail to the Business School or Columbia Senior Editor Simone Silverbush averted by tapping nonphysician medical editorial office. University. staff and electronic communications. gsb.columbia.edu/magazine 1 News from around IN BRIEF Launch the School CompanY PROFILE Founder: Jon Sebastiani ’12 (EMBA) IN BRIEF Industry: Healthy Snacks Location: Sonoma, CA Years in Business: 3 Better Jerky 2013 Sales: Over $30 million Jon Sebastiani ’12 (EMBA) Q. What was the greatest value of IE@Columbia for the WordsEye team? Picture This The premise behind IE is that there is a tremendous amount of intellect, Jon Sebastiani ’12 (EMBA) was snacking on jerky research, and innovation happening across the University that can be har- as he prepared for the New York City Marathon Q&A with Neelam Brar ’14 nessed. The program brought me together with engineers who had put in when he realized that the old-school snack had years of R&D; I was able to bring my business acumen to the table to help the potential to be healthy and popular—and that the industry was ripe for disruption. Neelam Brar ’14 has a way with apps. In the last commercialize their work and bring it to scale. two years, the former investment banker and pri- Q. You still have a stake in WordsEye but have just launched another app. From Liability to Opportunity vate equity consultant has brought two mobile apps How did that new collaboration come about? The meat snacks category has a negative stigma— to market. As a member of the inaugural class of people associate jerky with junk food. We had the I joined a team in Steve Blank’s Lean LaunchPad class to develop Forever|Not. the Innovation and Entrepreneurship @ Columbia courage to separate the product from this stigma, swap The app enables users to anonymously bet on the relationships of friends Program, an initiative led by the Eugene Lang artificial ingredients for healthy ones, and reposition and celebrities. Entertainment gossip drives this fun and competitive game Entrepreneurship Center that nurtures ideas and it for today’s consumers—including women. Since that uses social gambling. We launched on February 13, Valentine’s Day technologies from across the University, Brar teamed companies in this category had been doing the same eve, and are live in the App Store. Our mission is to reduce the divorce rate up with Columbia engineers to introduce WordsEye, things for decades, it was easy to jump in and disrupt by keeping bad couples apart through anonymous feedback from their a mobile app and website that translates typed descriptions into shareable the industry very quickly. friends and fans! images. The team won the New York State Business Plan Competition last year and will launch the app publicly this summer. Brar’s most recent app, WordsEye: wordseye.com | Forever|Not: forevernot.com Don’t Say the M-Word Forever|Not, is also social —with a romantic twist. IE@Columbia: gsb.columbia.edu/innovation When we talk about our products, we focus on their health benefits compared to, say, a Cliff Bar. We almost never say the word “meat” because we see ourselves in the healthy snacks industry. How we marinate our meats, our flavors—cherry barbeque, chili lime, and School Mourns Professor Can My Company, University, others—and our packaging all appeal to today’s health- Casey Ichniowski or Organization Change? conscious consumers. When someone as iconic as Oprah recommends our products, we know that we’re Casey Ichniowski, chair of the On November 8, the Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. changing this category—and that’s really gratifying. Management Division and a Center for Leadership and Ethics hosted a research faculty member at Columbia symposium on organizational change, “The Big, Live Case Study for 30 years, has died. Big Question: Can My Company, University, or You don’t just wake up one day and aspire to be in the Ichniowski was a strong Organization Change?” jerky category. If it weren’t for Columbia, I probably and tireless advocate for the The symposium featured opening remarks wouldn’t have had the courage to take my idea seri- faculty and for Columbia by Gita Johar, senior vice dean and the Meyer ously. The business evolved over the course of the Business School. He was deeply Feldberg Professor of Business, and Damon MBA Program. The opportunity to have a new business committed to teaching and had recently developed Phillips (right), the James P. Gorman Professor concept and be in a room full of incredibly smart people a new elective, The Management and Economics of Business Strategy ( bit.ly/cbs-change).

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