John LaNave, Class of 2007
September 8, 2007

On behalf of the talented and distinguished members of the Class of 2007, I offer our heartfelt appreciation to our incredible faculty and staff and, of course, all of the family and friends that make this day so special for all of us. It is my sincere pleasure to offer some observations regarding the prestigious accomplishments that brings us together today. We would not be here without the help and support of our families, friends and our esteemed professors. Acquiring an advance business degree is a “Team Sport” and each and every person here today, and countless others, made it possible for our success and today is a celebration of this collaboration.
The Trium class of 2007 is represented by 39 individuals from 23 different countries. While we were all on a Convergent path to higher learning, we have Divergent backgrounds and cultures. Is our diversity our strength or our weakness? Is the key to Global expansion, to understand how the world is getting smaller or are businesses expanding their reach to meet the seemingly endless growth of global markets? Convergence and Divergence…..Contraction and Expansion. Is this a natural evolution of commerce or are we trying to defy the laws of nature?
When Albert Einstein first proposed the theory of relativity, he used the Greek letter "lambda" to represent the concept of a cosmological constant, as a mathematical fix to the theory of general relativity. In its simplest form, general relativity predicted that the universe must either expand or contract. Well, Einstein thought the universe was static, so he added this new term to his calculation to eliminate the expansion predicted in the calculation.
Later, a Russian mathematician, Freidman realized that this was an unstable fix, like trying to balance a pencil on its point, and proposed an expanding universe model, now called the Big Bang theory. Einstein regretted modifying his theory and viewed the cosmological constant as his "greatest mistake".
The cosmological constant was the result of a bias formed on the basis of conventional thinking about the universe. Each of us will examine our own cosmological constant to determine if our personal or professional universe is expanding or contracting. Our time in the Trium program has given us the venue to explore the boundaries of our own personal universe with some of the best and brightest thought leaders in the world.
Global business is where Convergence is met squarely with regulatory, legal and cultural Divergence. How do executives converge on the global scene and deal with the Divergence of regulatory, legal and cultural barriers. This is really the heart of the Trium value proposition. Many of us came into this program with a good deal of global business experience but were looking for way to improve our effectiveness. The Trium program has improved our foundational business skills, but this was not the real value of the program……the real value was derived from putting together this incredible cohort of accomplished professionals into a program with thought leaders from around the globe, the careful mix of talent and skills has led to the convergence of ideas, knowledge and know how.

Our time together has allowed us to celebrate and leverage the divergence of our cultures, experiences and backgrounds.
Our industry diversity alone, from telecommunications to healthcare, from financial services to manufacturing, the class of 2007 represents an incredible mix of emerging and expanding markets. We represent a cross section of the global market. When you add to the industry mix the fact that we hale from 23 different countries, you add a level of diversity that is surely representative of global business today.
So, how do you create a market advantage as you emerge or grow your business globally? The answer lies, in part, on the business executives’ ability to converge onto the global scene while managing the obstacles of divergent local markets. Convergence and Divergence must be managed together…..to homologate while leveraging, celebrating and exploiting our differences in a way that can create a competitive advantage. It is through this process, managing the dynamics of the complex environment, that one can learn the secret to expanding your business globally.
To know what is required locally in each of the divergent markets and then add the value derived from your global presence and experience.

So, in closing… Where does one go to sharpen these skills?... to expand your universe…to break the bounds of your cosmological constant? Well for the fortunate few here today, you became a part of Trium’s class of 2007.
As I said when I began, pursuing an advanced business degree is a “Team Sport” and I am so very proud to have been a member of your team, congratulations to each of you, I wish you all much success.