Press Releases

SEA Speaker Series Hosts IBM's Steve Kloblen & Florence Hudson

As worldwide organizations, big and small, continue to adopt "green" business practices, IBM's Steve Kloeblen and Florence Hudson sat down with a class of MBA students in Stern's "Leading Sustainable Enterprises" course, taught by Professor Frances Milliken, to share some insight into the company's corporate culture and recent work in the area of sustainability. Underscoring a commitment to improving the world we live in, Kloeblen and Hudson delved into how IBM is redefining the business of sustainability.

Kloeblen, vice president of business development and new growth platforms, has been cultivating emerging business opportunities at IBM for the last 15 years. Focused on what IBM calls "Innovation that Matters," Kloeblen leads a group of 300 employees in the pursuit of establishing a commercial business that leverages IBM's manifold capabilities to address world poverty. This all-volunteer team has committed to a 10-year venture, aiming to improve the real net income of one billion people by 50 percent, while generating $1 billion in profitable revenue annually.

Florence Hudson serves as an IBM energy and environment executive and is responsible for the strategy and execution of "green" solutions for global clients. She highlighted her work as a pioneer in the server consolidation and virtualization space, which led to significant operational efficiencies. Several other "green" solutions that Hudson is working on include intelligent transportation solutions, smart grids, smart buildings and water management.

"Hearing firsthand accounts from sustainability pioneers like Kloeblen and Hudson is both inspiring and valuable to budding MBAs and future business leaders like me," said MBA student Justin Sean Kenlon. "As the race to join the green movement continues, it's vital for us to understand some of the cutting-edge practices already out there."