We continued the saga we began in September 2017 with three formidable and venerated leaders from major entities in northeast Ohio. Panelists shared the experiences that shaped their leadership strategies and divulged the opportunities and challenges that will drive our economy and shape our world in the years to come. Leaders from EDGE member companies gathered at the City Club for the CEO Panel.

Dan Moulthrop, Chief Executive Officer of The City Club of Cleveland moderated this panel featuring:

• Sandra Pianalto, Former President & Chief Executive Officer, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland
• Alexander ‘Sandy’ Cutler, Former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Eaton Corporation
• Monte Ahuja, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Transtar Industries

Sandra Pianalto:

• The leader of the organization is so important to setting the culture, they can describe it but if they aren’t walking the talk the organization won’t embrace it or behave that way.
• Admitting failure, listening to people, changing approaches and moving on and forward.
• Serving as a civic board member: take it as a responsibility, as another business and an opportunity to give back as well as an opportunity for personal and professional development.
• The top 2 drivers of economic development are: workforce quality & innovation

Monte Ahuja:

• Be open to what is going on beyond the horizon
• Develop talent around you and build trust in them
• Create a good plan, market it to your team properly and they’ll get on board to move forward
• Values are the foundation of the organization

Sandy Cutler:

• #1 responsibility to the institution is to get the right talent in the door, develop them and put them in the position to take on more.
• Get the culture right and make sure those values guide the decisions being made.
• People have to be learning every day to feel vital, learning doesn’t stop at school, create a learning environment and provide continuous feedback.
• Leaders never have a bad day, you can’t complain down. A quarterback of the football team doesn’t say “we’re going to blow this next play.”
• Successful organizations need:
  • The right talent
  • The right culture
  • The right talent leader

Special thanks to sponsors, KPMG and BNY-Mellon.

About the EDGE Executive Forum Series

The EDGE Executive Forum Series is designed with entire management teams in mind, always brings high-level thought to propel middle-sized businesses towards the cutting edge of best practices in value creation.

Upcoming Executive Forum Events

For more information contact: Grant Marquit Grant@edgef.org.