Dec. 2, 2003

Redstone and Buffett Bring Wit and Wisdom to GW

GW’s School of Business and Public Management played host to two of the nation’s top business leaders as Sumner Redstone and Warren Buffett visited in November.

Redstone, chair and CEO of Viacom, delivered the fifth Robert P. Maxon Lecture Nov. 6.

Dubbed a visionary by the media, Redstone took the occasion as Maxon Lecturer to forecast the three key trends that will shape the industry in the coming decades during his address entitled “Competing to Win in the Global Marketplace.”

“From the vantage point as a seasoned veteran of media wars,” said Redstone, “there are three key and enduring trends that have shaped our industry and that will continue to shape the media and entertainment industry for some time to come. They are in the immediate term deregulation; also in the immediate term, and over the next few years, digital technology; and over the long term, this decade and for decades to come, globalization.”

Buffett, chair and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., addressed a standing-room-only crowd of GW MBA students and others at the Nov. 13 event organized by the MBA Association. Both in his opening remarks as well as during his hour-long question and answer session, Buffett was surprisingly sentimental and philosophical.

“You are in a position to be whatever you want to be,” Buffett said. “The time to work on the qualities that you want to have when you are 30, 40 or 50 is right now. Furthermore, you get only one body and one mind,” Buffett said, “so take care of it.”

Send feedback to: bygeorge@gwu.edu