Alcoa CEO to discuss global business challenges in Yale talk

Klaus Kleinfeld, Alcoa chair and chief executive officer, will deliver the Gordon Grand Fellowship Lecture at Yale on March 28.

Titled “Global Business in an Uncertain World,” the talk will take place at 4 p.m. in the Morse College Master’s House, 302-304 York St. The event is free and open to the public.

Kleinfeld joined Alcoa in 2007 as president and chief operating officer and seven months later assumed CEO responsibilities. He has served on the company’s board of directors since 2003 and became chair in April 2010.

Before Alcoa, Kleinfeld had a 20-year career with Siemens, the global electronics and industrial conglomerate, based in the United States and Germany, where he served as chief executive officer of Siemens AG starting in 2005.

In 2009, Kleinfeld was appointed chair of the U.S.-Russia Business Council, which is dedicated to promoting trade and investment between the United States and Russia. He is a member of the Brookings Institution Board of Trustees, as well as a member of the Board of Directors of the World Economic Forum.

Alcoa is a world leader in the production and management of aluminum. The company has been a technology leader since its beginning, providing more than 90% of the aluminum alloys used in aircraft and space flight; helping make automobiles lighter and reducing their emissions; and providing construction industry materials that help advance the green building movement. The company has more than 60,000 employees in 31 countries

The Gordon Grand Fellowship at Yale promotes dialogue between business leaders and students. The fellowship was established in 1973 to honor Gordon Grand, a graduate of Yale College and president and CEO of the Olin Corporation.