“A career is a marathon of experiences, not a sprint to the top,” says author Peter Vanham, who shares key insights and life lessons drawn from conversations with 20 prominent CEOs from his book, Before I Was CEO: Life Stories and Lessons from Leaders Before They Reached the Top. Vanham spoke before an audience of Wisconsin MBA students and alumni as part of the M. Keith Weikel Leadership Speaker Series at the Wisconsin School of Business.

Vanham is the U.S. media lead at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, and a business journalist, contributing to the Financial Times, Business Insider, and World Economic Forum Agenda.

The M. Keith Weikel Speaker Series at the Wisconsin School of Business enables Wisconsin MBA students to interact with and learn from accomplished business leaders and alumni. Executives from both the private and public sectors are invited to campus to address students. The series was established in 2004 with a gift by John J. Oros (BBA ‘71) and his wife, Anne Wackman. Today, the series continues as the M. Keith Weikel MBA Leadership Speaker Series thanks to a gift by M. Keith Weikel (Ph.D. ‘66) and his wife, Barbara.