SIS INAUGURAL BUSINESS BREAKFAST
Wed 26 March 2025
By: Rahul Binish

The Setting and Initial Comments
This morning Strothoff International School hosted its inaugural Business Breakfast organised by DP Business and Economics teacher, Ms Ruth Honigwachs-McHelm, featuring its first guest speaker, Steve Rogers. The students participated in a discussion covering a broad spectrum, from establishing private equity businesses to global marketing and how it is influenced by international economics and technology, and ended off with a Q&A session.  

Mr. Rogers presented himself as the bridge between the theory taught in class and its real-life application. He stressed the use of LinkedIn (See Hanna Rogers or Steve Rogers for examples of a well-structured profile) as it is a powerful tool for students to build their profiles or ‘marketing vehicle’ to differentiate themselves from competition in terms of admission to universities or jobs. He advises students to commit to research to ensure they present themselves in a favourable manner to said universities and firms.

About the Speaker
Steve Rogers spent most of his career in the high tech sector such as IBM, Microsoft and SAP essentially, developing software which supports business processes such as manufacturing, asset organisation, etc. He challenged students to ponder how a relatively small businesses such as SAP could transform into the most valuable business in Europe today.

Business Formation and Structure
He gave a detailed explanation of how various ‘Chiefs’ run companies.  

There is a CEO (Chief Executive Officer) at the top who runs a company to an extent where they report to the board of directors, which represents the broader shareholders. Under the CEO lies CFO (Chief Financial Officer) who controls and reports legal and financial information, and ensures numbers are not misrepresented. He/she must also ensure that these records are published (e.g., in Europe financial results are published quarterly). The structure varies according to the size of a company. For example, a CFO may have oversight over Legal. In the same tier as the CFO there is COO. This person focuses on day to day operations in a firm. There then is a CRO, Chief Revenue Officer (Mr. Rogers’s field of expertise and background) who focuses on marketing, engaging partnerships and distribution channels. The CPO, Chief People Officer, focuses on hiring talent, training, and most importantly the culture of the company. Additionally, they also deal with how much employees are paid and their relationship with unions.

Often companies are split into businesses that are inclusive and extremely collaborative or commanding. As an employee, from Mr. Rogers’s experience, you have to deliver results to climb up the ladder that is the cooperate world. You have to deliver results at a young age so that you receive your recognition of “higher manager potential” — this is a form of training you can apply for, assuming you are good.
 
The Role of Technology in Driving the Effectiveness of Marketing Today
What is the primary purpose of marketing according to Mr. Rogers? — To establish brand recognition, and evolve the brand. Secondly, the objective of marketing is to create awareness in the market in order to create sales opportunities, which convert into revenue. He notes that the manner in which sales are converted varies in accordance with the value and purpose of industries. In summary to drive revenue creation and create customer loyalty.

Forms of advertising include online marketing, sponsorships, billboards, newsletters as well as their electronic counterparts, brand ambassadors (e.g., Michael Jordan), newspaper ads, door-to-door business, and use of television adverts.

The use of data and analytics allow businesses to access specific communities. To gain the greatest quality of data is to ask the customer themselves to get the most accurate data. The higher the quality of data the more precise the marketing can be. Google was built on selling advertising based on consumer data. Every industry must use marketing to reach the audiences; businesses may spend 5-20% on marketing. Many businesses went out of business 20 years ago because of their inability to adapt to competition that had adopted new technologies.

The Connection Between Politics and Business
Example: Businesses use Trump as a ‘brand-ambassador’ for their company. For example, almost all CEOs in attendance at Trump’s inauguration had initially sponsored the Democrats. However, in representation of their shareholders they chose to partake in the event as a show of loyalty to ensure business security.

Q: How do companies use data to change growth strategies during an economic recession?
A: They simply create a new campaign now with consideration of a state’s politics and market dynamics. Private equity companies will request some (e.g., pension fund) investment into their fund to then use as capital used to purchase other companies.

Major Advice

• You must be able to demonstrate your abilities as a team player.
• You have to be interesting in terms of what you have done.
• Do a ‘crazy’ job so that you show you are not afraid to take risks and of course to have prior experience.
• Do something you are passionate about so that you can work till 70.
• Work for different companies both the mature and immature ones because the experience you gain is invaluable.
• Make sure your positions are deserved to gain respect from colleagues and deliver results.
• Have a discussion with a manager, document everything such as your objectives and tick them off to gain respect and ensure you are achieving company expectations for you.
• To change from back office to front office, assuming you are in a big company, they will be able to facilitate your moving to different fields.
• Qualifications are important in new sectors and it will give you an advantage over other potential employees.
• Diversity is vital to developing a work culture to encourage and deliver results. MAKE SURE YOU ARE A TEAM PLAYER! What are you doing to help your boss? What additional work are you doing to establish yourself as an individual? It will create a good image for you.
• Thankfully nepotism/Vetternwirtschaft is no longer an aspect in companies thanks to modern regulations.
• To create connections as a graduate you must involve yourself with other graduates and friends of families essentially giving the company more information about your connections.
• Take Sandwich Courses to involve yourself with companies.

The School Environment & Workspace
School is an environment which allows companies to recruit their employees.

Key Takeaways and Sources of Further Information

• Read Financial Times or Wall Street Journal to keep up with times. Read the novel Hit Refresh about restoring a company.
• “Put yourself in the position of the employer.” If Mr Rogers was an interviewer he looks out for punctuality.
• Dress well: “First impressions are lasting impressions” and have to be prepared.
• Show that you are the person you say you are and will ‘lift’ the level of the team. No one left behind mentality.
• “Do I look like a Guinea pig?”
• “If you’re not early, you’re late.”

On behalf the DP1 Business, Economics and Global Perspective students, thank you very much to Mr Steve Rogers for sharing his time and experiences with us.