AIAC AT YALE CEO CAUCUS IN WASHINGTON, DC
For Immediate Release
September 18, 2024 – Washington, D.C. – L. M. Levie, Chairman of American Industrial Acquisition Corporation (AIAC), was among 60 leaders of business, finance, law, and government at the Yale CEO Caucus, held in Washinton DC. Convened by Professor Jeffrey Sonnenfeld of the Yale Chief Executive Leadership Institute on September 18, and held at 101 Constitution Avenue, adjacent to the US Capitol, the Yale CEO Caucus was entitled “Leading Business Optimism Through the Age of Political Grievances.” The event focused on the current political landscape and economic outlook, with a particular emphasis on the upcoming 2024 presidential election.
Following an introduction by Professor Sonnenfeld, Nancy Pelosi, former Speaker of the House of Representatives, spoke about the need to return to bi-partisan cooperation and civil discourse, a theme echoed by Senator Richard Blumenthal.
Topics covered in the forum were:
Finding Common Ground at Home
Finding Common Ground Abroad
Finding Common Ground Through Investing in American Innovation Across Technology, Healthcare and Financial Markets
Finding Common Ground Through Lifting American Industry and the American Economy
Prominent participants at the Yale CEO Caucus included:
Nancy Pelosi, former Speaker of the House of Representatives
Richard Blumenthal, US Senator (CT), Member, Senate Committees on the Judiciary, Homeland Security and Government Affairs, Armed Services, Veterans Affairs, and Aging
Ted Deutsh, former Congressman (FL), CEO, AJC
Brad Karp, Chair, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP
Olivia Troye, Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Advisor to Vice President Mike Pence, Member, White House Coronavirus Task Force
Hon. Douglas Ginsburg, Senior Judge, US Court of Appeals DC Circuit
Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO, Anti-Defamation League
Tom Rogers, Founder, MSNBC and CNBC
Mark Penn, Chair and CEO, Stagwell Corporation, former Chief Strategy Officer, Microsoft, and Founder, Penn Shoen Berlind
Eamon Javers, Senior Washington Correspondent, CNBC
Anne Neuberger, Deputy US National Security Advisor for Cyber and Emerging Technology
John Negroponte, Former US Director of National Intelligence and Deputy Secretary of State
Robert Hormats, Former Vice Chairman of Goldman Sachs International and of Kissinger Associates, Former US Undersecretary of State
Frank McCourt, Chair, McCourt Global
Peter Orszag, CEO, Lazard, former Director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, and the Congressional Budget Office
Adam Aron, Chair and CEO, AMC Entertainment
Faye Wattleton, Former President of Planned Parenthood, former Director of Estée Lauder Companies, and Empire Blue Cross and Blue Shield
Mark Ein, Chair and CEO, Capitol Investment Corp., President’s Export Council, Washington City Papers, DC Tennis Open
Dr. Joel Meyers, Founder and Chair, AccuWeather
Greg Brown, CEO of Motorola Solutions
Sandy Climan, CEO, Entertainment Media Ventures
Steve Miller, Purdue Pharma, Partner MidOcean Partners,
Nell Minow, Vice Chair, ValueEdge Advisors, Founder and Editor, The Corporate Library, former President, Institutional Shareholder Services
Geoff Colvin, Editor and Columnist, Fortune
Mary Barra, Chair and CEO, General Motors
James Quincey, Chair and CEO, The Coca-Cola Company
Indra Nooyi, Former Chair and CEO, PepsiCo
Nicolas Pinchuk, Chair and CEO, Snap-On Inc.
Farooq Kathwari, Chair and CEO, Ethan Allen
Alan Slatas, Managing Director, AlixPartners
Reagan Farr, President and CEO, Silicon Ranch
Tyler Mathisen, Co-Anchor, Power Lunch, CNBC
Igor Kirman, Partner, Wachtel Lipton, Rosen & Katz
Lori Esposito Murray, Managing Director for CEO Programs, Council on Foreign Relations
Asha Rangappa, Assistant Dean, Yale Jackson School of Global Affairs
Marc Sonnenfeld, Esq., Counsel, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP
Dr. Jason Stanley, Professor of Philosophy, Yale University
Lally Graham Weymouth, Senior Associate Editor, The Washington Post
Eddie Tam, CEO, Central Asset Investments
Throughout the event, Dr. Sonnenfeld polled the participants on key topics. The survey revealed that 80% of the participating executives expect a Kamala Harris victory and showed that 37% identified as Republicans, 32% as Democrats, and the remainder as Independents.
Key discussions centered on concerns over inflammatory political rhetoric and its potential impact on national unity. Notably, 68% of the respondents strongly agreed that hate speech was inciting violence, while an additional 26% agreed. The sentiment was underscored by calls for former President Trump to apologize for spreading debunked claims regarding Haitian immigrants in Ohio, a view held by 87% of the business leaders in attendance.
The executives expressed general optimism about the economy, with 84% predicting a soft landing despite current challenges. A minority anticipated a significant recession (10%) or stagflation (6%). On trade policy, 42% of participants supported measures to protect U.S. industries from unfair competition, with 16% strongly agreeing. The group also weighed in on the pending $15 billion Nippon Steel acquisition of U.S. Steel, with two-thirds of executives backing the deal despite political and national security concerns.
At the conclusion of the Yale CEO Caucus Dr. Sonnenfeld led the presentation of the Yale Legend in Leadership Award to James Quincey, Chair and CEO of Coca-Cola Company and Director of Pfizer and Founding Member of the New York Stock Exchange Board Advisory Council. The award ceremony included remarks by Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors, Greg Brown, CEO of Motorola Solutions, Peter Orszag, CEO of Lazard, and Indra Nooyiu, former CEO of PepsiCo. Dr. Sonnenfeld noted “James Quincey is one of the most revered, admired CEO’s operating today, and an inspiring reminder that doing good does not have to antithetical to doing well.”
Following the event, Mr. Levie remarked, "It was a privilege to participate in yet another invaluable forum led by Professor Sonnenfeld. His ability to convene top leaders across industries and foster candid dialogue about critical political and economic issues is unmatched. The perspectives shared at this meeting on the shifting political landscape and economic outlook were deeply insightful. For his remarkable business and philanthropic achievements, James Quincey is a superb choice for Yale’s Legend in Leadership Award.” Mr. Levie added, “It was good to once again personally greet many good friends and clients of AIAC.”
For further information, please see:
DealBook Coverage of the CEO Event
About the Yale Chief Executive Leadership Institute
The Chief Executive Leadership Institute (CELI) is the pioneer of CEO learning and hosts CEO Summits which bring together top business leaders and policy makers, as well as leading academics, in a unique learning environment that fosters candid, off-the-record exchanges among participants. The Yale Mayors College is a best-practices dialogue among municipal leaders in an off-the-record interactive setting, with participants sharing the steps they are taking to make their cities more livable. The Yale CEO Caucus is a semiannual roundtable for business leaders, political leaders, and scholars to discuss the business implications of urgent national and global events that span economics, diplomacy, security, energy, environment, regulation, and politics. The Yale Higher Education Leadership Summit brings together university presidents and board chairs, along with other top leadership, to discuss the higher education environment and key strategies to shape the future of colleges and universities in the U.S.
CELI is the world’s first school for CEOs, featuring applied research and peer-driven learning through lively exchanges among the world’s top business leaders, influential public policy makers, media opinion leaders, as well as foremost scholarly thought leaders, employing candid, confidential discussions of timely global business leadership challenges and compelling societal concerns.
For further information, please see:
https://som.yale.edu/centers/chief-executive-leadership-institute
About the Yale Legend in Leadership Award
The Yale Legend in Leadership Award was created 35 years ago to honor current and former CEOs who serve as living legends to inspire chief executives across industries, sectors, and nations. Recipients have included the following:
June 2024
Marc Benioff, Founder, Chair & CEO, Salesforce
March 2024
Mike Sievert, President & CEO, T-Mobile
January 2024
Shirley Tilghman, 19th President, Princeton University
December 2023
Ajay Banga, President, World Bank Group
September 2023
Arvind Krishna, Chairman & CEO, IBM Corporation
June 2023
Steven Spielberg, Filmmaker & Chairman of Amblin Partners
March 2023
Kathy Warden, Chair, President & CEO, Northrop Grumman Corporation
January 2023
Hanna Holborn Gray, 10th President, University of Chicago
December 2022
Satya Nadella, Chairman & CEO, Microsoft
June 2022
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine
September 2022
Darius Adamczyk, Chairman & CEO, Honeywell
March 2022
W. Douglas Parker, CEO, American Airlines Group
December 2021
Albert Bourla, Chairman & CEO, Pfizer
Alex Gorsky, Chairman & CEO, Johnson & Johnson
September 2021
Lynn J. Good, CEO, Duke Energy
June 2021
Lisa Su, CEO, Advanced Micro Devices
March 2021
Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
December 2020
Doug McMillon, CEO, Walmart Corp.
September 2020
Arne M. Sorenson, CEO, Marriot International
June 2020
Brian C. Cornell, CEO, Target
December 2019
Randall L. Stephenson, CEO, AT&T
September 2019
Colin Powell, Retired Four-Star U.S. Army General; Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff (1989–93), and 65th U.S. Secretary of State (2001–05)
June 2019
Virginia M. (Ginni) Rometty, Chairman, President & CEO, IBM Corporation
March 2019
Janet Yellen, Former Chairman, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System
December 2018
Paul Polman, CEO, Unilever PLC
September 2018
Mary T. Barra, Chairman and CEO, General Motors Company
June 2018
Brian Moynihan, Chairman & CEO, Bank of America
March 2018
David M. Rubenstein, Co-Founder & Co-Executive Chairman, The Carlyle Group
December 2017
Leonard S. Schleifer, President & CEO, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals
George D. Yancopoulos, President & Chief Scientific Officer, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals
September 2017
Brian L. Roberts, Chairman & CEO, Comcast Corporation
June 2017
Ronald M. Shaich, Founder, Chairman & CEO, Panera Bread
December 2016
Terry J. Lundgren, Chairman & CEO, Macy’s, Inc.
September 2016
Marillyn A. Hewson, Chairman, President & CEO, Lockheed Martin Corporation
June 2016
ZHANG Ruimin, Founder, Chairman & CEO, Haier Group
March 2016
Denise M. Morrison, President & CEO, Campbell Soup Company
December 2015
Kenneth C. Frazier, Chairman, President & CEO, Merck & Co.
September 2015
W. James McNerney, Chairman, The Boeing Company
June 2015
Ian M. Cook, Chairman, President & CEO, Colgate-Palmolive
March 2015
Lloyd C. Blankfein, Chairman & CEO, Goldman Sachs Group
Prior Winners
Klaus Kleinfeld, Chairman & CEO, Alcoa
JIANG Jianqing, Chairman, ICBC
GAO Xiqing, President & CIO, China Investment Corporation
D. Scott Davis, Chairman, UPS
Frank Blake, former Chairman & CEO, The Home Depot
Duncan L. Niederauer, former CEO, NYSE
Kenneth R. Feinberg, Managing Partner, Feinberg Rozen
Ellen J. Kullman, former Chairman & CEO, DuPont
David Stern, former Commissioner, National Basketball Associate
FU Chengyu, former Chairman, Sinopec
David M. Cote, Chairman & CEO, Honeywell International
Sir James Wolfensohn, Former President, World Bank Group
Jeffrey L. Bewkes, Chairman & CEO, Time Warner Inc.
Indra K. Nooyi, Chairman & CEO, PepsiCo
Jeffrey R. Immelt, Chairman & CEO, General Electric Company
Michael S. Dell, Chairman & CEO, Dell Inc.
Andrew Liveris, Chairman, President & CEO, The Dow Chemical Company
Kenneth Chenault, Chairman & CEO, American Express Company
Myron E. (Mike) Ullman, III, Chairman & CEO, JCPenney Company, Inc.
Alan Mullally, President & CEO, Ford Motor Company
Anne Mulcahy, Chairman, Xerox Corporation
Robert A. Iger, President & CEO, The Walt Disney Company
Ivan G. Seidenberg, Chairman & CEO, Verizon Communications
Jamie Dimon, Chairman & CEO, JPMorgan Chase
Louis V. Gerstner Jr., Former Chairman & CEO, IBM
Richard J. Harrington, Chairman & CEO, The Thomson Corporation
Stephen A. Schwarzman, Chairman & CEO, The Blackstone Group
Herbert V. Kohler Jr., Chairman, President & CEO, Kohler Company
Thomas G. Stemberg, Founder, Staples
Wilbur L. Ross Jr., Chairman & CEO, W.L. Ross & Company
Terry S. Semel, Chairman & CEO, Yahoo!
Ann M. Fudge, Chairman & CEO, Young & Rubicam
John E. Pepper Jr., Former Chairman & CEO, The Procter & Gamble Co.
Jack Valenti, Chairman & CEO, Motion Picture Association
Kenneth L. Wolfe, Former Chairman & CEO, The Hershey Company
John C. Bogle, Founder, The Vanguard Group
William W. George, Former Chairman & CEO, Medtronic
Roger A. Enrico, Former Chairman & CEO, PepsiCo
Nandan Nilekani, Co-founder, Infosys
Ratan Tata, Tata Group
About Dr. Jeffrey A. Sonnenfeld
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld is the Senior Associate Dean for Leadership Programs at Yale University’s School of Management and the Lester Crown Professor in the Practice of Management, as well as the founder, president & chief executive officer of the Yale Chief Executive Leadership Institute. This institute is the world’s first CEO College and is dedicated to the advancement of top leadership education through scholarly research and peer-driven educational forums for prominent CEOs. Previously, he was a professor at the Goizueta Business School of Emory University. There he founded the Center for Leadership & Career Studies, which he ran for eight years. Sonnenfeld also spent ten years as a professor at the Harvard Business School. His research, publications, and consulting address issues of top leadership development, executive succession, and board governance.
For further information, please see:
https://som.yale.edu/faculty-research/faculty-directory/jeffrey-sonnenfeld
About American Industrial Acquisition Corporation
American Industrial Acquisition Corporation (AIAC) is a diversified industrial group with manufacturing and distribution sites in 24 countries in North America, Europe, and Asia. AIAC has acquired and grown non-core subsidiaries and divisions of Boeing, Siemens, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, Johnson Controls, Merck, Pfizer, Astellas, Visteon, Carlyle, Ahlstrom, Tolko, Groupe Suez, Groupe Rexel, and many other leading multinational corporations.
AIAC companies serve companies and governmental entities worldwide in all major sectors, including aviation, space, defense, automotive, truck, rail, marine, petrochemical, solar, nuclear, food, confectionary, beverage, civil engineering and infrastructure, commercial construction, mining, dredging, disaster relief, education, medical devices, and pharmaceuticals. AIAC companies manufacture materials, components, assemblies, packaging, equipment, and finished products. In addition, AIAC companies are exclusive, authorized distributors of leading branded industrial and consumer products throughout Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. AIAC is a leading manufacturer of building, street, and highway signage in Europe, signage and illumination structures in North America, and a distributor of electrical products throughout France.
Of note, AIAC purchased Boeing Canada in 2005 and has produced over 10,000 unique components for every Boeing jet plane ever since, reliably serving Boeing from manufacturing facilities in North America. A leader in ultra-high precision jet engine component manufacturing, AIAC companies produce 2,200 fan blades and blisks for each jet engine produced by GE, Pratt & Whitney, Rolls Royce, and Honeywell. AIAC companies produce the critical automotive wire and cable for Tesla, GM, Ford, Chrysler- Fiat, Toyota, and Nissan. In connection with its kraft paper manufacturing interests in Canada and the US, AIAC controls and sustainably manages 22 million acres of Manitoba, Canada forestland, an area equivalent in size to the nation of Hungary.
AIAC companies actively support exploration into outer space, manufacturing critical components for launching and propelling spacecraft and satellites. AIAC customers in this sector include NASA, the European Space Agency, SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Boeing. AIAC companies also lead in the design and manufacture of undersea umbilical cables for worldwide oceanographic research.
For further information, please see:
About AIAC Philanthropy
AIAC and the AIAC Foundation support a wide range of nonprofit, nonsectarian, bipartisan organizations which promote international conflict resolution, disaster relief, economic development, environmental sustainability, and exploration.
AIAC’s beneficiaries in the fields of international conflict resolution and understanding and economic development include the Appeal of the Nobel Peace Laureates Foundation Inc., the Asia Society, the Atlantic Council, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation - Gates Philanthropy Partners, the Bretton Woods Committee, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, the Carter Center, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Economic Club of New York, the Foreign Policy Association, the Institut Française des Relations Internationales, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the International Crisis Group, the International Rescue Committee, the Japan Society, the John F. Kennedy School of Government of Harvard University, the Peterson Institute for International Economics, the Richardson Center for Global Engagement, the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House) and the Trilateral Commission.
Exploration-focused nonprofit organizations which AIAC actively support include the Explorers Club, the National Geographic Society, the Royal Geographical Society, the American Museum of Natural History and the Hayden Planetarium, the Victoria & Albert Museum, the National Air and Space Museum, the National Space Society, and the United States Space Foundation.
For further information, please see:
https://www.aiac.com/our-values
Media Contact:
Isabel Carro-Toro, Vice President
American Industrial Acquisition Corporation
+34 689 295 827 (Spain)
+ 1 787 244 3175 (USA)
icarro-toro@aiac.com
