SBU’s Kearns Global Business Forum to focus on GenAI applications in business, higher ed

St. Bonaventure University alumnus and global businessman Dick Kearns, ’72, returns to his alma mater this month, bringing along a panel of international business executives for the 11th annual Kearns Global Business Forum. 

The presentation, titled “GenAI: Understanding Current Applications in Business and Higher Ed,” will begin at 4 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 17, in Dresser Auditorium of the Murphy Building on the St. Bonaventure campus.

Free and open to the public, the event will be livestreamed. Kearns and his team welcome local businesspeople to attend. 

“Artificial Intelligence is one of the key areas of concerns for CEOs and leaders, worldwide” said Dr. Matrecia James, dean of the School of Business. “It is a game changer that can redefine how organizations operate. Dick and his panel are working with our students to understand how an important AI subset, Generative AI, is currently being applied in business and higher education. It’s important for them to understand the concepts of GenAI as they prepare to enter a changing workplace.” 

Kearns has over five decades of experience in global markets, including nine years living and working in Switzerland. He retired from Zurich Insurance in June of 2023 after serving 21 years as a board director in the U.S. and chief administrative officer in Switzerland. Previously, he spent 30 years at PwC in senior roles, including as vice chairman.

Kearns served as a St. Bonaventure trustee from 2000 to 2009. He is a recipient of the university’s Gaudete Medal, 2017 Alumnus of the Year award, and an honorary doctorate in 2019. He received a BBA in accounting and is a CPA. 

Joining Kearns on the panel will be:
 
Brian Kearns: Kearns is CFO and a board director of B.H. Aircraft, a leading manufacturing company serving the aerospace and defense industries. He began his career with EY, where he spent 15 years in various audit and consulting roles, including multiple international assignments serving global clients throughout Europe and the Middle East. He also served in financial positions at Goldman Sachs and Pall Corporation. He received a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Providence College and is a CPA.

Daniel Grady: Grady is a business development professional with over 25 years’ experience, primarily in the artificial intelligence, machine learning and data analytics space. He serves as director of Outbound Product Management for in-platform process mining at ServiceNow, which he joined in 2016. Previously, Grady spent 17 years at Information Builders where he held several sales, consulting and analytical roles. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from St Joseph’s University in New York.

Thomas McCarthy, ’10, ’13: McCarthy serves as senior manager of hotel openings providing sales and marketing advisory services at Marriott International. From 2022 to 2024 he was manager of Learning + Development, working with the company’s hotel and field sales teams across North America. Since 2013, he’s worked in a variety of sales roles with The Ritz-Carlton and W Hotel brands, most recently as the inaugural sales executive for W Nashville. McCarthy also chairs ONE, Marriott’s LGBT+/Ally associate talent network. A St. Bonaventure graduate, he received a BBA in marketing in 2010 and an MBA in 2013. He also worked in the SBU Admissions Office while pursuing his graduate degree.

Jennifer Torneden: Torneden is an experienced insurance distribution executive with particular expertise in digital transformation, C-suite partnering, growth and strategy, and customer experience. In January 2024, she was named director of Commercial Growth at BroadStreet, a large North American insurance broker, where she is driving business expansion and revenue growth. She has previously served in global and national roles at Legal & General America, Aon and Zurich Insurance. She lived and worked in Switzerland for eight years. She received the 2019 Women to Watch Award from Business Insurance Magazine and holds a bachelor’s degree in Finance from George Mason University and an MBA from Columbia University.