Campus Life

Bard Capital co-founder, CEO to kick off Smeal's Executive Insights series

Sept. 28 event to feature Richard Bard

Bard Capital, LLC founder and CEO Richard Bard, a founding member and vice chairman of the Smeal Board of Visitors, a Penn State Alumni Fellow and a Penn State Distinguished Alumnus, is the first of three guests this semester in Smeal's signature speaker series, Executive Insights. Credit: Penn StateCreative Commons

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Richard H. Bard, the founder and chief executive officer of Bard Capital, LLC, and a serial entrepreneur, is the first guest in a series of three speakers this semester in Executive Insights, the signature lecture series of the Penn State Smeal College of Business.

Bard will take part in a moderated discussion with Charles H. Whiteman, John and Becky Surma Dean of Smeal, from 10:10 to 11 a.m. Friday, Sept. 28, in the Struthers Auditorium, Room 110 of the Business Building. The event is free and open to the public, but online registration is required.

Bard’s visit will coincide with Impact Smeal Day. Hosted by the Smeal Alumni Society Board, Impact Smeal Day provides alumni with the opportunity to return to campus and reconnect with the college through a number of activities such as interacting with current students, networking with other alumni, and hearing college updates.

Executive Insights will be streamed on Facebook Live on Smeal’s Facebook page.

Since graduating from Penn State in 1969 with a degree in civil engineering and earning an MBA in finance from Baruch College in 1971, Bard has embarked on a multi-faceted career.

Early in his professional career, he worked as an engineer and then in various capacities at Citibank. After that he began acquiring and operating nascent middle-market companies and real estate. In 1990, he founded Bard Capital, a private investment and operating company, and has since founded, acquired and led a series of companies in a variety of industries.

His current portfolio includes Blastrac Global, a global leader in the manufacturing of resurfacing equipment, and Jet Edge, a leading U.S.-based private jet fleet manager and charter operator.

Bard is a founding member and vice chairman of the Smeal Board of Visitors. He has been named an Alumni Fellow and a Distinguished Alumnus by Penn State, the highest recognitions by the University for individuals.

Upcoming speakers for the series include:

Salomon Sredni, co-founder of Ocean Azul Partners, and Chronwell, Inc.

11:15 a.m. to 12:05 p.m. on Oct. 12. Register online.

Sredni is co-founder, partner and managing director of Ocean Azul Partners, a venture capital firm that invests in startups and early stage companies across various industries. He is also co-founder and president of Chronwell, Inc., a startup that focuses on combining technology with innovative processes to reduce the cost of workers compensation while increasing the satisfaction of and improving the outcomes for injured workers.

Prior to that, Sredni served as board member, chairman, president and CEO of the TradeStation Group, one of the largest online brokers in the United States.

He is a member of Smeal’s Board of Visitors and was a Smeal commencement speaker in spring 2016. Sredni earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Penn State.

Steven H. Collis, chairman of the board, president and CEO of AmerisourceBergen

11:15 a.m. to 12:05 p.m. on Oct. 26. Register online.

Steve Collis is chairman of the board, president and chief executive officer of AmerisourceBergen, a pharmaceutical sourcing and distribution services company. It serves healthcare, pharmaceutical and biotech manufacturers to improve patient access to products and enhance patient care. Collis has held a series of senior level leadership positions within AmerisourceBergen and its predecessors since 1994.

He holds a bachelor of commerce degree from the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa.

About the Executive Insights series

Executive Insights is designed to complement the Smeal educational experience by bringing high-profile business leaders to the college to connect with students, faculty, staff and administrators. Past guests include leaders from organizations such as Amazon, Archer Daniels Midland, Barclays, BASF, Boeing, Credit Suisse, Dell, Deloitte, Dick’s Sporting Goods, EY, GE, Johnson & Johnson, Kohl’s, KPMG, Macy’s, National Retail Federation, Nestlé, Oracle, Procter & Gamble, PwC, Samsung, Siemens, Verizon, Tumi Holdings, Inc., and Urban Outfitters.

Last Updated October 4, 2018

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