Lawson president and CEO Harry Debes to speak on transformational leadership Who: Harry Debes, CEO, President, Lawson Software, Inc. What: Carlson School of Management’s First Tuesday Luncheon Series When: 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2009 Where: McNamara Alumni Center, 200 Oak St. S.E., Minneapolis Media contact: Dawn Skelly, Carlson School of Management, (612) 624-8770 Registration contact: (612) 626-9334, firsttuesday@umn.edu MINNEAPOLIS —(Dec. 16, 2008)— Lawson Software President and CEO Harry Debes will speak at the Carlson School of Management’s First Tuesday Luncheon at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 6, at the University of Minnesota’s McNamara Alumni Center, 200 Oak St. S.E., Minneapolis. In his speech, “Transformational Leadership: Running the 4-Minute Mile at Lawson Software,” Debes will talk about how business leaders transform global organizations in today's challenging environment. He will compare Lawson Software’s effort to transform to Roger Bannister’s famous 1954 pursuit of running the four-minute mile, a barrier that many at the time considered physically unbreakable for humans. Debes’ career spans more than 29 years in the software industry. Since June 2005, he has been president and CEO of Lawson, which he joined to help it become one of the world’s leading business software providers. Previously, Debes was president and CEO of SPL WorldGroup, a San Francisco-based business software company. Prior to that, he held executive positions at JD Edwards, PeopleSoft, and GEAC Computer Corporation. He began his career with IBM, then formed his own software company that he later sold to a venture capital firm. Debes received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Toronto, majoring in history and initially aspiring to be a history teacher. He found the business world more attractive and then received his master’s degree in business from McMaster University. The advance registration deadline for the First Tuesday luncheon is Thursday, January 1. A fee of $28 includes lunch and parking in the Washington Avenue Ramp. The fee for walk-ins is $35, but space is limited. Refund cancellations are required by Friday, January 2. There are three ways to register: call 612-626-9634, visit www.carlsonschool.umn.edu/events, or send an e-mail message to firsttuesday@umn.edu. ### |