Babson College Hosts Pitbull, Elle Macpherson and Jeff Hoffman at Celebrity-Infused Global Entrepreneurial Leadership Week

WELLESLEY, Mass., Nov. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Babson College, the global leader in entrepreneurship education, hosted Global Entrepreneurial Leadership Week, a celebration of entrepreneurship and its ability to inspire values-driven action for positive impact around the world. The weeklong event was powered by Babson College's Arthur M. Blank School for Entrepreneurial Leadership — the first major initiative from the school, made possible by a $50 million gift by Arthur M. Blank '63, H'98 and The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation.

Babson's celebration, held simultaneously with the international Global Entrepreneurship Week, closed with a signature Babson Connect event featuring three powerful and well-known figures who are leveraging their business experiences to empower the next generation of entrepreneurial leaders:

• Jeff Hoffman, founder of Priceline.com and Chairman of the Board, Global Entrepreneurship Network
• Elle Macpherson P'20, supermodel and co-founder, WelleCo
• Armando Christian Pérez aka "Pitbull", GRAMMY Award winner and co-founder and President, Mr. 305

The conversation focused on how Hoffman, Macpherson and Pérez are uplifting underrepresented entrepreneurs through their work. The three business leaders also shared advice for young entrepreneurs and discussed the importance of mentorship, community and values in business.

"Empowering the youth of tomorrow to solve the problems created by the systems of today revolves around giving them the sort of freedom to think openly," said Macpherson. "You have to have the courage to lead and to explore new possibilities and new ideas. And then you have to develop that courage within yourself."

"Entrepreneurship is a mindset and it's a lifestyle of understanding that failure is the mother of all success," said Pérez. "Mistakes need to happen in order for you to grow, in order for you to learn, in order for you to help others. The biggest risk you take is not taking one."

The session followed a series of virtual events, including Babson's signature student and alumni Rocket Pitch and 8^th annual Disruption Dinner, as well as new programming including The Power of Family Start-Ups panel and a World Climate Negotiation Simulation for Entrepreneurial Leaders. The week kicked-off with a discussion on entrepreneurial leadership in uncertain times, led by Donna Levin, CEO of the Blank School, Babson College President Stephen Spinelli Jr. MBA'96, PhD, and Scott Taylor, the inaugural Arthur M. Blank Endowed Chair for Values-Based Leadership at the Blank School.

"Not everyone will be an entrepreneur, but we believe everyone has to be an entrepreneurial leader," said Levin. "There are a lot of challenges in the world right now, and a lot of opportunities for leaders to create positive change.  At the Blank School, we're committed to helping these leaders use their values to examine problems, find solutions, bring people together and create value for the company, the customer and the community."

Babson's Global Entrepreneurial Leadership Week also marked the launch of Babson ELTV, a curated on-demand video channel that features entrepreneurial leaders from all parts of the College's community sharing insights and ideas. All recorded content from this week will be included in the channel.

About Babson College

Babson College is the educator, convener, and thought leader of Entrepreneurship of All Kinds®. The top-ranked college for entrepreneurship education, Babson is a dynamic living and learning laboratory where students, faculty, and staff work together to address the real-world problems of business and society. We prepare the entrepreneurial leaders our world needs most: those with strong functional knowledge and the skills and vision to navigate change, accommodate ambiguity, surmount complexity, and motivate teams in a common purpose to make a difference in the world, and have an impact on organizations of all sizes and types. As we have for nearly a half-century, Babson continues to advance Entrepreneurial Thought & Action® as the most positive force on the planet for generating sustainable economic and social value.

SOURCE Babson College

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