On October 17th a solid contingent of Feldbergs, including most of the current Feldberg CBS students (classes of 2025 and 2026) got together to celebrate the return to school at the Ascent Lounge in Columbus Circle. We had a great time catching up - look forward to seeing everyone at the Holiday Party in December!
The Feldberg Fellows, led by Amelia Earnest '22, enjoyed Water for Elephants on Broadway this Friday. Feldbergs from various class years met at the Imperial Theatre to witness one of broadway's latest spectaculars. The critically acclaimed bestselling novel comes life in “one of the more remarkable ensembles ever seen on Broadway” (New York Daily News)! Hailed as a Critic’s Pick, The New York Times calls it “stunning, emotional and gorgeously imaginative.”
After losing what matters most, a young man jumps a moving train unsure of where the road will take him and finds a new home with the remarkable crew of a traveling circus, and a life—and love—beyond his wildest dreams. Seen through the eyes of his older self, his adventure becomes a poignant reminder that if you choose the ride, life can begin again at any age.
The Feldbergs are grateful to Amelia for organizing the event and can't wait for the next high quality production coming from the Feldberg Fellows!
In a time honored tradition, the Feldberg Fellows of Columbia Business School convened with the esteemed Dean Costis Magalaras on Wednesday March 27, 2024 at the new campus. Approximately 20 Feldbergs were in attendance.
The New Kravis Hall at Columbia Business School
The meeting served as a platform for the Dean to articulate his vision and priorities, igniting inspiration among the distinguished Fellows. In particular, Dean Maglaras drove his vision to place Columbia as one of the Top 3 Business Schools in the country through curriculum innovation, connectedness with the best business leaders in the world, and emphasizing the importance of technology, climate innovation, and healthcare.
Dean Maglaras recently had hosted Reid Hoffman (LinkedIn) and Jensen Huang (Nvidia) at the school and pushed that he wanted to continue to have top leaders come and address the school. He is a humble educator and engineer and shared his surprise at how lateral the job becomes as Dean and how important it is to build linkages across groups and foster capital campaigns, encourage faculty, and support students while continuing to expand the campus' footprint.
He pointed out the importance of improving the school's private equity program and addressed questions about the state of the school and the challenges Columbia and other school's have faced with Israel-Palenstine issues. He shared many thoughts with the students on this last topic highlighting how he rallied 16 of the schools 16 Deans to sign a letter to focus on improving the culture of the institution to avoid hurting students and creating a safe space for students to convene and learn from each other.
He is a passionate educator who believes elite universities like Columbia explain the success of America post World War II and believes the majority of innovation for our planet will be driven out of those very schools as we look to the future.
The session was mostly a dialogue with questions from various Feldbergs including Gairy Hall '16, Mike Kopko '09, Scott Asher '09, and Maggie Monahan '24. It was a great gathering of Feldberg Fellows and Dean Maglaras ended thanking the Feldbergs for building one of the strongest affinity groups of alumni at Columbia Business School.
It has been a long time since our last update! We've had 2 new classes of Feldbergs enter CBS ... and some other things happened in the world that deprioritized our updates. Well whatever the cause of our silence - we are back.
We met our new class at a brunch at Maison Pickle on the UWS of Manhattan. Congratulations Ian, Tori, Allison, Jason, and Eliza! Welcome to the club! We look forward to sharing a more normal Feldberg experience with you (although the virtual poker tournaments and escape rooms have been fun)!
The Fellows were lucky enough to host former NYC schools chancellor and US Assistant Attorney General (and now Chief Policy and Strategy Officer at Oscar Insurance) Joel Klein on Wednesday, November 6th for a freeform discussion about life, leadership, and his career.
Mr. Klein was a very open, honest, and transparent speaker and it was a real treat to hear about how he thought about and through some of the major events he was part of and decisions he made. We look forward to inviting him back to speak to us again in the future!
Another year, another successful event bringing together members of the CBS board and Feldbergs at our home-away-from-home — Professor Feldberg’s house! This year we had the incredible opportunity to hear from (and grill!) the new Dean, Costis Maglaras. Enjoy some pictures from the event!
We're so thrilled to have you enter both the CBS community and ours!
On Thursday, March 21, 2019 the Feldbergs hosted a Masters in Business event with speaker Keith Banks (CBS '81), Vice Chairman of Bank of America. Michael Kopko, (CBS-FF '09) helped organize the event, which was also attended by Feldberg Fellows Jason Aronson, T. Sean McKean, Michael Smeets, Matthew Borja (Feldberg Mentee), Luke Sandler, Louis Verdi, Lauren Surzyn, and Vik Patel.
The afternoon's discussion focused on Mr. Banks' dynamic and successful career in asset management as well as the storied rise and transformation of Bank of America along with numerous other major financial institutions through a complex set of market cycles. Mr. Banks offered a rarefied and humble story of rising through corporate America and capitalism to roles that few can dream of or plan for. He shared behind the scenes stories of global transactions effecting million of lives and customers as well as principles behind iconic financial brands.
He reminded the Feldbergs about the power of focus, managing up as much as managing colleagues and junior talent, and the role of organizational theory, design, and politics in career outcomes. He urged the rising leaders of the Feldbergs to maintain caution and discretion in how they carry themselves and to stay open minded and ambitious with their pursuits.
The Feldbergs thank Mr. Banks for an incredible experience and for being a truly generous, warm, and genuine host. Stay tuned for our next event!
On Tuesday, February 12, 2019 the Feldbergs hosted a Masters in Business event with speaker Karl Dasher (CBS '04), CEO of Schroders North America. Marina Severinovsky, (CBS-FF '09) helped organize the event, which was also attended by Feldberg Fellows Michael Kopko, Michael Smeets, Lauren Surzyn, Dara Blume, Laura Kornhauser, and Chase Hagin, Feldberg friend Matt Borja, and Schroders Deputy CEO Marc Brookman.
The morning's discussion focused on asset management, Schroders' strategy to build increasing presence in the United States, global macroeconomic trends, and Mr. Dasher's advice on career success. He reminded the group to not be fearful of work that was new and challenging, to work hard, cultivate mentors, and never forget that luck still plays a factor.
The Feldbergs thank Mr. Dasher, Marina Severinovsky, and Marc Brookman for a wonderful Masters in Business event. Stay tuned for our next event with Vice Chairman of Bank of America Keith Banks!
On the morning of Wednesday, December 19th, the Feldbergs were lucky enough to host the outgoing Dean of Columbia Business School, Glenn Hubbard, for breakfast.
Dean Hubbard, who is retiring from the administration (but not academics) in June, shared his opinions on a huge range of topics including the Trump Administration, the state of the US and world economies, the crisis of small-town America, and the state of Columbia Business School. Quite interestingly, he also expounded upon how the states of the country and CBS as a school are intricately tied together. It was truly a privilege to spend some time in this small group setting with the Dean whose views have been informed from his unique perch as a tried-and-true academic, a senior administrator at a major university, and an senior government advisor.
It is a bittersweet time for CBS alumns. The Feldbergs themselves almost all graduated under Dean Hubbard and will look on his time as CBS's dean with nostalgia, while looking forward to what the future brings -- including the opening of/move to the beautiful Manhattanville campus for which Dean Hubbard raised over one billion dollars. Importantly, because Dean Hubbard will remain at Columbia as a teacher, his wisdom will continue to inform and help shape his successor's and Columbia's future.
The Feldbergs gathered on Friday, November 30th 2018 at the home of FF’14 Luke Sandler to celebrate our 12th holiday season. We are all constantly aware of how lucky we are to be a part of the Feldberg family and aware of our responsibility to carry on the great traditions of Columbia Business School. Happy Holidays everyone!
16 Feldbergs made it out to our Back To School dinner at Cascabel Taqueria on the Upper West Side. The Feldbergs of the Class of 2020 were out in force (Satoshi Endo and his wife!, Shayna Johnson, Nathan Pilkenton, and Elizabeth Spaulding), and several alumni/ae joined as well!
The Feldbergs of 2020 were scheduled for an early morning breakfast at Morgan Stanley with Professor Feldbergs at 7:45am the next day. Our thanks to Cascabel Taqueria for their generous hosting and complimentary shots!
On August 16th, 2018 the Feldberg Fellows met its newest class in a fun evening at The Milling Room on the UWS of Manhattan.
We're so excited to have you Shayna, Satoshi, Elizabeth, and Nathan! Welcome to the gang!
On Wednesday, July 18th a bevy of Feldbergs descending on the Frick museum. We were invited as guests at a special evening convening Frick members and the James Beard Foundation, co-hosted by Feldberg significant other, Lucy Lang (CLS 2006). Featuring small bites from local restaurants and a variety of Italian wines, the event provided an an introduction to the Frick’s current exhibition - Canova’s George Washington - as well as lots of information about both the Frick and the Beard Foundation. It was a special evening and hopefully the beginning of a great relationship between the Feldberg Fellows and the Frick Museum, one of New York's most enduring and hidden treasures.
The Fellows and several significant others were treated to an evening of leadership and fashion with Richard Collasse, President of Chanel Japan. Born in France, Mr. Collasse moved to Tokyo after studying at the University of Paris and his first job was at the French Embassy. Just a few years later, he began his fashion career at Givency in 1979 and joined Chanel Tokyo in 1985 where he rose to lead the franchise over the past 33+ years.
Collasse discussed leadership and strategy, technological changes to the bricks and mortar retail industry, recruiting and, finally, brand and reputation. “Luck is a huge factor in one’s success and you have to catch it,” noted Mr. Collasse, "... luck is about seizing the opportunities that come your way."
Collasse also commented on how hiring at Chanel is about feeling. He can quickly read a candidate to determine if they will fit with the Chanel culture. Another important component of the interview is seeing how the candidate interacts with his/her significant other.
“Fashion has nothing to do with research, it is all about the feeling and how to create the unexpected for our customers.” He noted how true leaders are not always on the front line, but in times of trouble a leader should always take the hit.
Chanel’s brand has been protected by the human touch and they won’t let AI and robotics influence the future too much (only for stock taking behind the scenes) as the salespeople are the key component to understanding the customer, her wardrobe at home and what current trends complement her collection. But Chanel is trying to incorporate facial recognition technology for their VIP customers when they enter different stores around the world. The Chanel brand is always about being different and keeping its integrity. “Coco did completely unexpected things and we are about being a leader, not a follower. She used men as an inspiration for women’s trends, but we don’t have the know-how of the body of a man so won’t veer too far from our current path.” The company rarely discounts anything, unlike many of its competitors, and its loyal customers keep coming back for more as they offer creativity and excitement in their fashion and cosmetics lines season after season.
http://www.college.columbia.edu/alumni/about/honors/young-alumni-service-award
Congratulations Gary!
Feldbergs in front of worldwide posters of protest.
As part of our Master's series of events, the Feldbergs attended a special event at The Whitney Museum of American Art on Friday, Dec. 15th. As guests of the museum, the Feldbergs were treated to a guided tour, discussion in the museum's beautiful Trustee's room on the Whitney's unique place in New York's cultural heritage, private drinks at the Studio Cafe, and finally a night out at Bubby's Highline across the street!
Our tour was led by the incomparable Josh Lubin-Levy, one of of the museum's wonderful Joan Tisch Teaching Fellows. He led us through the relatively new exhibit on protest, currently on the 6th floor. We were introduced to fascinating artists like Carl Pope, Ad Reinhardt, and Faith Ringgold, among many others.
Satire is an important component of the protest toolkit and one the Guerrilla Girls have clearly mastered!
After about an hour of touring, we settled into the Trustee's room to discuss the Whitney's peculiar origins, its new building, and what it means to be involved with Morgan Arenson, the museum's Director of Foundation and Governmental Relations, and Joel Snyder, manager of Membership Benefits.
Next we enjoyed some bonding time at the eighth floor studio cafe where we were treated to views of the Hudson and New Jersey skyline, and beautiful view of the highline. Finally we trekked through the cold to Bubby's where we finished the night. We look forward to a continued relationship with the Whitney and growing our cultural outreach!
The Fellows celebrate the holidays at our annual party, this year hosted by Jen North '14 and her husband Marc Lessner.
The Feldberg Holiday Party was held on December 1, 2017 at the Avery Lounge on 100 Riverside Blvd. Hosted by Jennifer North and Marc Lessner, the night saw over 25 Feldbergs and their significant others including Michael Smeets and Lucy Smeets' little one, Celine get together to celebrate the holiday spirit. The Feldbergs head into the holidays waiting for the class of 2020 to be announced and full of lots of great career and personal news!
On March 3, 2016, the Feldberg Community was privileged to engage with William Bardeen (CBS ‘04), SVP of Strategy and Development at the New York Times. Scott Asher (Feldberg ‘09), hosted the event over a casual dinner at his office near Columbus Circle.
Mr. Bardeen, who oversees a team of 20 people handling all M&A, Strategy, and Corporate Development for the Times, was very interested in the Feldbergs' backgrounds and what united such a diverse and dynamic group. After the participants introduced themselves, Bardeen gave context around the changes in the news delivery industry and how The New York Times has become progressively leaner to focus on its core competency providing premium news content.
Robbie Brown listens intently to Bardeen
The majority of the dinner was spent discussing topical questions and digging deeper into Bardeen's perspective about the past, present, and future of the news industry. Bardeen gave frank and candid answers on how The New York Times thought about many of the challenges it faces daily -- how to engage millennials, how to evolve its revenue model while maintaining high engagement and broad readership, how to deal with pervasive and vicissitudinal competition. He also elaborated on his personal journey through some of the most turbulent periods of the company's storied history, including its near collapse during the financial crisis.
Bardeen (CBS '04) Holds Court
Meeting with Bardeen gave the Feldbergs an inside look into how difficult working in the media industry can be with the advent of the internet and the "all information should be free" model that many of its denizens operate using. Many of the Feldbergs commented afterwards that Bardeen's unique experience in play a key role shepherding the Times through this period as its leader of strategy gave him a truly unique and enlightening perspective. His belief in the importance of the Times and its journalistic mission spoke to everyone in the room.
Victor Eng (Feldberg '17)
On October 29th, the Feldberg Community had the opportunity to share the evening with Keith Sherin, CEO of GE Capital CBS EMBA ‘91. Claire Burke, CBS ‘15 was gracious enough to host us at her lovely home. Walking in I was somewhat surprised how intimate the setting would be. The Fellows gathered up in the living room, Mr. Sherin took out some large white sheets of paper, and literally began walking us through the process of how he managed the unraveling of GE Capital. He explained the obstacles he had to overcome and the unique pressure that his team had to face. Mr. Sherin proceded to discuss the regulatory obstacles and out-of-the-box strategies he led his team in executing in order to complete the successful divestiture of GE Capital’s asset totaling more than $200 billion. Mr. Sherin left us in awe at his ability to speak so granularly about the details of the events and his holistic understanding of all the various components surrounding GE’s diversified businesses and its eye toward software. This experience embodies the opportunities provided to the Feldberg Fellows. We are all appreciative of having Mr. Sherin come in, spend his evening with us, and further our education outside of the classroom.
Daniel Rudyak CBS ‘17, David Johnson CBS ‘17, and Laura Kornhauser CBS ‘17
