On the evening of Friday, September 20, 2024, the Sustainable Leadership Forum class, led by Professor Timo Eccarius from the GHRM MBA and IBMBA programs at NSYSU, had the honor of inviting Adjunct Professor Gideon Loewy, CEO of Scandinavian Design Consultant Co. Ltd., to deliver an insightful lecture on business leadership, global governance, and environmental stewardship. The lecture left a lasting impact on the students.

The lecture began with Professor Loewy’s teaching motto: "The challenges of tomorrow are the opportunities of today." He emphasized that by anticipating future needs, businesses can create solutions today to ensure their success and sustainability tomorrow. Professor Loewy explained the critical role businesses play in addressing global challenges, as governments alone cannot drive the necessary changes. He also pointed out that, while these problems have been evident for years, many corporations have failed to act, leaving the current generation to deal with the consequences. He considered it important to educate students—the future business leaders—about the seriousness of these challenges by presenting key facts on their impact, encouraging them to take action for a more sustainable environment.

Professor Loewy also introduced the Five Whys root cause analysis method, developed by Sakichi Toyoda, founder of the Toyota Motor Company. He explained how this method—asking "why" at least five times—can be applied to uncover the root causes of problems, rather than merely addressing symptoms. Additionally, he discussed the concept of problem levels, from tame to super-wicked, which helped students think more deeply about future business solutions.

With decades of teaching experience, Professor Loewy captivated the audience through an interactive and dynamic presentation. Students shared positive feedback, expressing how much they had learned from the lecture.

Written by Ailee Yang