Just Asking: Part 2

When no MBA chose to approach a CEO

On a whim, my friend and I saw that there was an Alternate Protein Conference happening at Duke in Spring 2024, and decided on the day of the event that we should check it out. We hopped on the Robertson Bus that shuttles between UNC and Duke, and arrived at Fuqua. There were many interesting panelists, but the main event was the CEO of Impossible Foods coming to speak about his experience in the alternative protein industry.

As the events went on, I looked around the room and saw that there were primarily MBA students in the room, and maybe a single-digit number of undergraduates like us. When the Impossible Foods CEO’s talk began, my friend and I marveled at how he was brought in as a turnaround CEO, and how he was able to improve his company through his storytelling skills. He explained how everything boiled down to telling a story, and that those who could do it were unlike any other.

After he finished the talk, he didn’t leave time for questions at all. Generally, for most talks this is standard practice. However, we saw him rushing out the room and wanted to ask our questions. We ran outside the auditorium and saw him at the end of the hallway. Surprisingly, no one else, not even the MBA students (who are supposed to be top networkers), wanted to ask him a question. I was a bit hesitant to do this, since I didn’t know whether this was normal. My friend, though, was fully convinced that we should give it a shot. I understood, the worst thing was that we’d hear a “No, we don’t have time”. It was worth it to at least try asking our question.

We ran down the hallway, and reached them while they were on the stairs towards the exit. The CEO’s assistant told us he was in a rush, probably in an attempt to shoo us away. We asked if we could ask our questions while the CEO walked to his car. The assistant said yes (thankfully), and we asked him questions about storytelling and his vision. He answered them thoroughly and genuinely, fully respecting our efforts to reach him. Soon, his car neared, and he had to leave. But it felt good making that push to run over and ask him.