Munir Mandviwalla

During the pandemic, with in-person events on hold, connecting Temple students and faculty with industry thought leaders presented a challenge. To bridge the divide, IBIT launched a new series of webinars: the Digital Leader Fireside Chat series.

It comprised 12 thought-provoking webinars on hot topics in the business world, led by notable executives. For about 45 minutes over lunch, speakers offered concise yet in-depth perspectives on topics within the overarching theme of digital leadership’s challenges and opportunities.

During these thought-provoking Zoom sessions, participants were encouraged to ask questions, giving participants the opportunity to interact with industry leaders. Attendance was capped and the discussions were moderated to allow for meaningful conversation and learning. Over the run of the series, a total of 83 industry executives joined the participants, in addition to 378 students and 36 faculty and staff.  An average of 47 people logged on to each of the chats.

George Llado, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer of Alexion, kicked off the series with his talk in September. He shared his insights on a topic top of mind for everyone during the pandemic: “The Future of Work.” As someone with 30 years of industry experience in pharma and IT, Llado’s perspective on what comes next is informed by his time with industry giants including Merck and Citibank.

In his November chat, Chris Kearns tackled the provocative question, “Is digital transformation in the end all about the customer experience?” Senior Vice President in Operations and Technology at NBCUniversal, he is in charge of workplace experience and solutions giving him an authoritative take on customer experience. In his past role as Global Head for Hosting Services for the Vanguard Group, his work supported 20 million clients.

Mark Spykerman, Chief Information Officer of AmerisourceBergen Corporation, addressed the topic “The Purpose of Work” in December. It was another salient issue during a year that prompted big questions about life and careers. Before serving as CIO, Spykerman was Senior Vice President, Transformation. In that role, he bolstered the company culture at AmerisourceBergen while enhancing its effectiveness and efficiency.

Other speakers included Linda Descano of Red Havas, Dinesh Desai of Emtec, Inc., Larry Dignan of ZDNet, Cindy Leavitt of Temple University, Stacy Greiner of Dun & Bradstreet, Ron Kim of Merck, Vince Ford of the Curtis Institute of Music, Steve DeLuca of Comcast, and Luke Olenoski of Main Line Health.

Engagement with industry leaders who can share deep insights is a cornerstone of IBIT. During a year that threatened to isolate academia, the Digital Fireside Chat series made it possible for this kind of engagement to go on.

When the pandemic-related shutdowns started last spring, many small businesses feared the worst. Without the know-how to take their business online, they couldn’t see a way to generate revenue from behind a locked storefront.

It was during this fraught moment when the Institute of Business and Information Technology (IBIT) had a big award winning idea. These struggling firms could undergo a digital transformation that allowed them to survive and even thrive through the pandemic. In April 2020, the Small Business and Non-Profit Digital Transformation program launched with a small group of companies. To date, more than 65 businesses and non-profits have been transformed across industries as diverse as food service, fitness, and fashion.

For example, fitness trainer Saul Benamy, owner of Best Bodies Inc., needed to pivot to an online model. Even as people transition back to in-person fitness, Best Bodies continues to benefit from the tech upgrades Benamy got through the program.

These changes will make an impact going forward by enabling me to use the tools of blogging and social media to drive customers toward my new website, says Benamy.

Eileen Teti, owner of Hair Way to Beauty, needed a way to stay connected to her clients during the pandemic. Temple students swooped in to create a new website for her that’s easy to navigate.

My social media now includes an Instagram presence and a nicer-looking Facebook page, says Teti. These marketing channels will continue drawing new customers to her salon.

Small businesses like Best Bodies and Hair Way to Beauty are vital to the local economy. They also make an important social impact: Of the companies helped so far by the Small Business and Non-Profit Digital Transformation project, 74% have been woman-owned or led and 46% are led or owned by people of color.

Over time, the process has been refined into a 2-week agile-sprint model. A pair of students whose interests align with the selected firm work with an advisor on a bespoke digital transformation, including website development, ecommerce, search engine optimization (SEO), advertising, and in some cases, new digital business models.

By helping companies transform to meet today’s needs, the Small Business and Non-Profit Digital Transformation program offers a low-risk way for businesses to accelerate their post-pandemic economic recovery. The program is no less necessary today than when it launched. Given the way the crisis accelerated digitization across the board, it’s more needed by small businesses than ever.

In June 2021, the program received the Fox School’s IMPACT award for community engagement.