Clarence Otis Jr., Chairman and CEO of Darden Restaurants, will speak at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School at 5 p.m. on Oct. 27. Otis, one of five African American CEOs of a Fortune 500 company, will be presenting as a Dean’s Leadership Series featured speaker focusing on the emerging importance of “shared value” as an integrated component of corporate responsibility.
The event is free and open to the public (RSVP).
“At Goizueta Business School, we place great value on real-world experience,” said Larry Benveniste, Dean of Goizueta Business School. “That’s why I’m pleased to bring some of the best corporate officers into our building each semester to address students as Dean’s Speakers, including Mr. Otis.”
Otis has served as Chief Executive Officer of Darden Restaurants since November 2004 and Chairman of Darden’s Board of Directors since November 2005.
Darden is the world’s largest full-service restaurant operating company with annual sales of $7.5 billion. The company owns and operates 1,900 Red Lobster, Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, The Capital Grille, Bahama Breeze and Seasons 52 restaurants in North America, employs approximately 180,000 people and serves more than 400 million meals annually. In 2011, under Otis’ leadership, Darden became the first full-service restaurant company ever to be named to the Fortune “100 Best Companies to Work For” list.
Otis, 55, started at Darden in 1995, joining the company as Vice President and Treasurer and progressing to the position of Chief Financial Officer several years later. Prior to joining Darden, he served as Managing Director and Manager of Public Finance for Chemical Securities, Inc. (now JP Morgan Securities, Inc.).
Otis is a member of the New York Bar Association and earned a Juris Doctor degree from Stanford Law School. He has also worked as a securities attorney in New York City. He earned a bachelor’s degree, magna cum laude, from Williams College in Williamstown, Mass.
Otis also serves on the board of directors of The Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission, VF Corporation, Verizon Communications, Inc., the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, and the Central Florida YMCA.
About Darden Restaurants
Darden Restaurants, Inc., (NYSE: DRI), the world’s largest full-service restaurant company, owns and operates more than 1,900 restaurants that generate more than $7.5 billion in annual sales. Headquartered in Orlando, and employing approximately 180,000 people, Darden is recognized for a culture that rewards caring for and responding to people. In 2011, Darden became the first full-service restaurant company ever to be named to the FORTUNE “100 Best Companies to Work For” list. Our restaurant brands — Red Lobster, Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, The Capital Grille, Bahama Breeze and Seasons 52 — reflect the rich diversity of those who dine with us. Our brands are built on deep insights into what our guests want. For more information, please visit www.darden.com.
About the Dean’s Leadership Speaker Series
Goizueta Business School welcomes renowned business leaders for our Dean’s Leadership Speaker Series, offering students, alumni, faculty and friends the opportunity to learn first-hand from industry leaders. Speakers have achieved acclaim in industries ranging from telecommunications to sports management to consumer packaged goods and have shaped the economic trends of the past few decades. Designed to connect our students and alumni with leaders, the Dean’s Leadership Speaker Series gives both undergraduate and graduate students at Goizueta the chance to meet, learn from and interact with those working at the highest echelons of corporate leadership around the world. Series speakers share their perspectives on the complexities, challenges and opportunities facing leaders in today’s global business climate. Past speakers hail from companies like Deloitte, the Atlanta Falcons, the Dallas Mavericks, UPS, The Coca-Cola Company, Cox Enterprises, Procter & Gamble, Xerox and GE. Leaders in government and various charitable organizations have also shared their expertise.
About Emory University’s Goizueta Business School
Emory University’s Goizueta Business School is home to an Undergraduate degree program, a Two-Year Full-Time MBA, a One-Year MBA, an Evening MBA, an Executive MBA (Weekend and Modular formats), a Doctoral degree and a portfolio of non-degree Emory Executive Education courses.
