Six accomplished business leaders will bring decades of global experience to St. Bonaventure University Oct. 22 for a conversation about what it means to “Think Like a CEO.”

The discussion, part of the 13th annual Kearns Global Business Forum, will be led by St. Bonaventure alumnus and global businessman Dick Kearns, ’72. The presentation, titled “Think Like a CEO,” will begin at 4 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22, in the Rigas Family Theater at the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts on the St. Bonaventure campus. 

“The Kearns Global Business Forum gives our students a rare opportunity to learn directly from accomplished leaders who have made consequential decisions across industries and around the world,” said Dr. Matrecia James, dean of the School of Business. “Hearing how these leaders think, navigate change and lead through complexity brings lessons to life in a way that extends far beyond the classroom.”

Kearns and his wife, Maureen “Mo,” support the annual forum and help guide its programming, creating opportunities for students to engage with experienced business leaders who provide vital insight into working across countries and cultures.

Free and open to the public, the event will be livestreamed at https://video.ibm.com/channel/st-bonaventure-university-live-stream. Kearns and his team welcome local businesspeople to attend.

Kearns has more than five decades of experience in global markets, including nine years living and working in Switzerland. He retired from Zurich Insurance in June 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 chair. He currently is chair of the board of B.H. Aircraft.

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

Joining Kearns on the panel will be:

Brian Kearns: Brian 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.

Dan Grady: Grady is a business development professional with more than 25 years of experience, primarily in artificial intelligence, machine learning and data analytics. He currently serves as senior director of outbound product management for Process Intelligence 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 is corporate director of Culture Transformation at the Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center. Most recently, he was senior manager of hotel openings 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. McCarthy also co-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 Partners, 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.

Donard Gaynor: Gaynor retired at the end of 2025 as Group Chairman of Glanbia, Plc., an Irish-based global nutrition group with operations in 32 countries. He served on the Glanbia board for 13 years, including five years as chair. He previously served in senior executive positions at Beam Global Spirits, Seagram’s and PwC. Gaynor serves on the boards of other internationally based companies and has held global roles throughout his career in the U.S., Europe and Asia Pacific. He is a certified public accountant and a chartered accountant and attended the Institute of Technology in Sligo, Ireland, along with advanced management programs at Western University in Canada and INSEAD in France.