Kal Patel, president of Best Buy Asia, will speak about sustainable growth in the Chinese market on Wednesday, Feb. 2, at 7:30 p.m. in the Wells Fargo Room.
A reception for all attendees will be held before the event at 6:30 p.m. in the Bank of America Forum. Registration for the reception and event is required.
Co-sponsored by the Center for Responsible Business and the Dean's Speaker Series, the event will feature a conversation between Patel and Aron Cramer, president and CEO of Business for Social Responsibility, a San Francisco-based organization that works with companies around the world to develop sustainable business strategies. They will discuss the challenges of maintaining Best Buy’s top corporate responsibility and sustainability standards while at the same time meeting meet the Chinese market’s growing demands.
In his current position, Patel oversees operations in China and Turkey. Before becoming president of Best Buy Asia, he was vice president of strategy; executive vice president of strategy and international; and executive vice president, emerging growth. He joined Best Buy in 2003.
In his various roles at Best Buy, Patel has helped spur the company’s transformation into a retailer that uses a bottom-up approach to innovation by capitalizing on insights from those employees who are closest to customers.
The event is the first this semester for the Petersen Series, hosted by the Center for Responsible Business. Each semester the series focuses on a new topic related to corporate responsibility and sustainability. This spring semester is focusing on sustainable consumption.
For more information on the Petersen Series, visit responsiblebusiness.haas.berkeley.edu/PetersonLectureSeries.html.