Retired Alcoa executive Bill O’Rourke will discuss doing business in Russia as well as other ethical challenges as the featured speaker of the Del Alamo/Hogan Symposium on Business Ethics, hosted by the Pamplin College of Business

O’Rourke’s talk, titled “Leading with Integrity,” is on Oct. 11, at 7:30 p.m. in the Graduate Life Center auditorium. 

For those who can’t attend in person, the talk will be available via WebEx. Please see details below.

O’Rourke founded Alcoa’s operations in Russia and was president of Alcoa–Russia from 2005 to 2008. He also led Alcoa’s worldwide safety and health operations, considered among the best in the world, and held other senior leadership positions in the company.

He co-authored "The Business Ethics Field Guide," published in August and already adopted by the ethics programs at several business schools and corporations. A book signing will follow the talk.

O’Rourke, who received a bachelor’s degree from John Carroll University and a law degree from Duquesne University, joined Alcoa as a patent attorney in 1975. He retired from the company in 2011.

He also served on the board of the Alcoa Foundation and continues to teach in Alcoa executive development programs.

O’Rourke has taught at Duquesne University and lectured on business ethics at the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs and at numerous universities. He serves on several civic, charitable, and religious organizations.

The symposium is part of Ethics Week, Oct. 10-14, on campus. All faculty are encouraged to discuss ethical issues related to the subject matter of their courses during this week.

During his visit, O’Rourke will also participate in an informal seminar with graduate students and faculty to discuss the teaching of business ethics.

The symposium is sponsored by the Business Leadership Center of the Department of Management and by Pamplin accounting alumni Robert F. Hogan Jr., who earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accounting in 1978 and 1980, respectively, and Jorge Del Alamo Jr., who earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting in 1969, and his wife, Lin.

Additional support for the symposium has been provided by Cherry Bekaert and Grant Thornton.

Questions about the speaker and other ethics-related events should be addressed to management professor Richard Wokutch.

The talk is free and open to the public, no tickets needed. Find parking information online.

The talk will be video recorded. It will also be available via WebEx.

The event number is 643 823 825.

The event is also available by phone. Call the number below and enter the access code.

U.S. toll free: 1-855-749-4750
U.S. toll: 1-415-655-0001
Access code: 643 823 825

If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact Cindy Gautier at 540-231-6353, or email cindyg@vt.edu during regular business hours at least five business days prior to the event.

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