Charles R. Conn#mw-head
{{Short description|CEO, investor, author (born 1961)}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Charles R. Conn
| image = File:Charles Conn.jpg
| website = {{URL|https://www.linkedin.com/in/charles-conn-5008904/|Profile}}
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1961|8|22|df=y}}
| alma_mater = {{bulleted list|Boston University|Balliol College, Oxford|Harvard Business School}}
| occupation = Chair (officer)
| notable_works = {{Bulleted list|Bulletproof Problem Solving: The One Skill That Changes Everything|The Imperfectionists: Strategic Mindsets for Uncertain Times}}
| boards = Patagonia, Inc.
| module = {{Infobox officeholder
| embed = yes
| office = CEO of {{URL|Oxford Sciences Enterprises|Oxford Sciences Innovation}}
| term_start = 2019
| predecessor = David Norwood
| office1 = Warden of Rhodes House, Oxford
| term_start1 = 2013
| term_end1 = 2018
| predecessor1 = Andrew Graham
| successor1 = Elizabeth Kiss
| office2 = Senior Advisor to the Gordon & Betty Moore Foundation
| term_start2 = 2001
| term_end2 = 2013
| office3 = CEO & Chairman, Ticketmaster Online-Citysearch
| term_start3 = 1998
| term_end3 = 2001
| office4 = Co-Founder & CEO, Citysearch
| term_start4 = 1995
| term_end4 = 1998
| footnotes =
| termend = 2020 }}
}}
Charles R. Conn (born 22 August 1961) is a Canadian and American{{Cite podcast|url=https://www.fastleader.net/charlesconn/|title=Charles Conn: You can easily take apart almost any problem|website=Fast Leader|publisher=fastleader.net|host=Fast Leader Show}} CEO, conservationist and author. In 2021 he co-founded and is partner of [https://www.monograph.bio/ Monograph], a life sciences venture firm.{{Cite web |title=Monograph Capital {{!}} Funding Groundbreaking Life Sciences Companies |url=https://monograph.bio/ |access-date=2022-07-01 |website=Monograph |language=en-GB}} In 2019 he was the CEO of Oxford Sciences Innovation. Previously, he was the warden and global CEO of Rhodes House and the Rhodes Trust, the organization responsible for administering the Rhodes Scholarship from 2013 to 2018.{{cite web|author=E. Anthony Abrahams (1940-2011) |url=http://www.rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk |title=The Rhodes Scholarships |publisher=Rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk |access-date=2013-10-23}}
He is Chair of Patagonia, Inc.{{Cite web |url=https://www.ft.com/content/b497af04-4865-4c53-b359-b5f6c1de04f9 |title=Patagonia chair: 'Put that in your pipe and smoke it, Milton!' |date=2022-09-16 |access-date=2024-07-24 |website=Financial Times |last1=Bryan |first1=Kenza |last2=Edgecliffe-Johnson |first2=Andrew}}
Biography
Conn studied at Boston University's University Professors Program before reading philosophy, politics and economics at Balliol College, Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar from Massachusetts.{{Cite news|title=Rhode Scholarship winners include first from city U|last=Gruson|first=Linsey|date=Winter 1982|work=New York Times}}{{Cite web |url=https://archive.org/stream/2012BILDERBERGMEETINGSSPECIALREPORT171/List%20of%20American%20Rhodes%20Scholars%20(1904-2014)-155_djvu.txt|title=Full text of 'Collection of Membership Rosters on the CFR, Trilateral Commission, Bilderberg Group, and Rhodes Scholars'|website=archive.org|language=en|access-date=2018-06-05}} Conn subsequently worked at the Boston Consulting Group and gained an MBA at Harvard Business School.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YVhdhNEi-pwC&q=Charles+Conn+McKinsey&pg=RA1-PA327|title=The Strategy Process: Concepts, Contexts, Cases|last1=Mintzberg |first1=Henry |last2=Ghoshal|first2=Sumantra|last3=Lampel|first3=Joseph|last4=Quinn|first4=James Brian|date=2003|publisher=Pearson Education|isbn=9780273651208|language=en}}
Conn was a partner at McKinsey & Company.[3] He co-founded Citysearch in 1995,{{Cite web|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/person.asp?personId=229873&privcapId=238022487|title=Charles Conn III: Executive Profile & Biography |website=www.bloomberg.com|access-date=2018-06-05}} Conn oversaw the merger with Ticketmaster, acquisition of Match.com and the company’s public share offering. He became chairman of Ticketmaster Online-Citysearch in 2001.{{Cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-may-11-fi-28820-story.html|title=Ticketmaster Names Conn as Chairman|date=2000-05-11|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=2018-06-05|language=en-US|issn=0458-3035}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.misosoup.com/caltech83/|title=Caltech 1983|last=Weston|first=Mike|website=www.misosoup.com|access-date=2018-06-05}}
Conn subsequently worked as senior advisor to the Gordon & Betty Moore Foundation[2]{{Cite news |url=https://ssir.org/articles/entry/robbing_the_grandchildren|title=Robbing the Grandchildren (SSIR)|access-date=2018-06-05|language=en-us}} where his projects included the preservation of wild salmon ecosystems{{Cite web|url=https://www.moore.org/article-detail?newsUrlName=conservation-biology-through-the-lens-of-a-career-in-salmon-conservation|title=Conservation biology through the lens of a career in salmon conservation|website=www.moore.org|language=en|access-date=2018-06-05}} and the Palmyra Atoll research station.
He is a Henry Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute.{{Cite news|url=https://www.aspeninstitute.org/programs/henry-crown-fellowship/|title=Henry Crown Fellowship |work=The Aspen Institute |access-date=2018-06-05|language=en-US}} Conn also sits or has sat on several company and non-profit boards or advisory committees, including Patagonia,{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tgLnBAAAQBAJ&q=Charles+R+Conn+++Patagonia&pg=PT82|title=The Responsible Company: What We've Learned from Patagonia's First 40 Years|last1=Chouinard|first1=Yvon|last2=Stanley|first2=Vincent|date=2013|publisher=Patagonia|isbn=9781938340109|language=en}} The Nature Conservancy European Council,{{Cite web |title=The Nature Conservancy in Europe |url=https://www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/where-we-work/europe/ |access-date=2022-07-01 |website=The Nature Conservancy |language=en-US}} the Arcadia Foundation,{{Cite news|url=https://www.arcadiafund.org.uk/charles-conn/|title=Charles Conn |date=2018-02-09|work=Arcadia|access-date=2018-06-05|language=en-GB}} the Oxford Internet Institute,{{cite web|url=http://www.oii.ox.ac.uk/people/?id=358|title=Oxford Internet Institute – People – Mr Charles Conn|author=Advisory Board Member|publisher=Oii.ox.ac.uk|access-date=2014-02-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140329100059/http://www.oii.ox.ac.uk/people/?id=358|archive-date=2014-03-29|url-status=dead}} Trout Unlimited, and the Atlantic Salmon Federation.[2] {{Cite web |url=https://0104.nccdn.net/1_5/16e/1db/182/ASF-Annual-Rept-2015.pdf|title=Atlantic Salmon Foundation, Annual Report, 2015}}
Conn is the author of two books on strategic problem solving,{{Cite web |url=https://search.worldcat.org/title/1090219873 |title=Bulletproof problem solving : the one skill that changes everything |access-date=2024-07-24 |website=WorldCat}}{{Cite web |url=https://search.worldcat.org/title/1379475984 |title=The imperfectionists : strategic mindsets for uncertain times |access-date=2024-07-24 |website=WorldCat}} and is published in Harvard Business Review,{{Cite journal |url=https://hbr.org/2023/07/in-uncertain-times-embrace-imperfectionism |title=In Uncertain Times, Embrace Imperfectionism |date=2023-07-10 |access-date=2024-07-24 |journal=Harvard Business Review |last1=Conn |first1=Charles |last2=McLean |first2=Robert}} Fortune,{{Cite web |url=https://fortune.com/2022/09/14/patagonia-chair-we-are-turning-capitalism-on-its-head-by-making-the-earth-our-only-shareholder-charles-conn/ |title=Patagonia Chair: 'We are turning capitalism on its head by making the Earth our only shareholder' |date=2022-09-14 |access-date=2024-07-24 |website=Fortune}} Stanford Social Innovation Review and other journals.{{Cite web |url=https://ssir.org/bios/charles_conn |title=Charles Conn |access-date=2024-07-24 |website=Stanford Social Innovation Review}}
Rhodes Trust
Conn was warden and CEO of the Rhodes Trust from June 2013 to August 2018.{{Cite web|url=https://www.rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk/news/charles-conn-starts-as-warden-and-andrew-graham-becomes-rhodes-trustee|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170226111404/https://www.rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk/news/charles-conn-starts-as-warden-and-andrew-graham-becomes-rhodes-trustee|url-status=dead|archive-date=2017-02-26|title=Charles Conn starts as Warden and Andrew Graham becomes Rhodes Trustee – The Rhodes Scholarships|date=2017-02-26|access-date=2018-06-05}}{{Cite news|url=http://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1531708/hong-kong-students-encouraged-apply-rhodes-scholarships|title=Hong Kong students encouraged to apply for Rhodes Scholarships|work=South China Morning Post|access-date=2018-06-05|language=en}} He was the first American to hold this position, and the first Warden of Rhodes House not to have served previously on the University of Oxford faculty.{{Cite web|url=https://www.rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk/contact/the-warden-of-rhodes-house/|title=Rhodes House – Home of The Rhodes Scholarships|website=Rhodes House – Home of The Rhodes Scholarships|language=en|access-date=2018-06-05}}
During his time as CEO of Rhodes House, Conn led a project to transform the Rhodes Trust into a 21st-century institution. This involved raising in excess of £250 million to secure the endowment for existing country scholarships and expand the scholarships globally. During his time as warden the annual number of scholars increased from 83 to 101, adding China, UAE, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Malaysia, East Africa, West Africa and new global Rhodes Scholarships.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/02/world/europe/rhodes-scholarship-oxford.html|title=Rhodes Scholarship Program to Expand|date=2016-06-01|work=The New York Times|access-date=2018-06-05|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}
During Conn’s tenure, the Trust started a convening program of current and alumni fellows on character, service, and leadership. The Trust also pioneered several new partnerships, including with Atlantic Philanthropies to set up the Atlantic Institute and with the Eric & Wendy Schmidt Fund for Strategic Innovation to establish Schmidt Science Fellows.[16]{{Cite news|url=https://philanthropynewsdigest.org/news/schmidt-science-fellows-names-inaugural-cohort|title=Schmidt Science Fellows Names Inaugural Cohort|last=Center|first=Foundation|work=Philanthropy News Digest (PND)|access-date=2018-06-05|language=en}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/anismuslimin/2018/04/24/former-google-chairman-eric-schmidt-announces-new-science-fellows/|title=Former Google Chairman Eric Schmidt Announces New Science Fellows|website=www.forbes.com|language=en|access-date=2018-06-05}} Other partnerships included the Saïd Foundation, Templeton Foundation and the Schwarzman Scholars program.{{Cite press release|url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/eric-and-wendy-schmidt-launch-the-schmidt-science-fellows-program-in-partnership-with-the-rhodes-trust-300535304.html|title=Eric And Wendy Schmidt Launch The Schmidt Science Fellows Program In Partnership With The Rhodes Trust|last=Fellows|first=The Schmidt Science|website=www.prnewswire.com|language=en|access-date=2018-06-05}} After moving to Oxford, Conn became a trustee of the Mandela Rhodes Foundation in Cape Town, South Africa, and an advisory board member of the Oxford Internet Institute.[17] In January 2014, he became a Professorial Fellow of Balliol College, Oxford University.[18] Conn announced his retirement as warden of Rhodes House for the end of his five-year term, in August 2018.[19]
Oxford Sciences Innovation
In March 2019, Conn was appointed CEO of Oxford Sciences Innovation, the £600 million investment company formed in partnership with the University of Oxford to develop the University’s deep science and technology ideas. He was joined by new Board Director Patrick Pichette, former CFO of Google. Both he and Pichette departed OSI towards the end of 2019.{{Cite news|last=Boland|first=Hannah|date=2020-02-14|title=Inside the bitter boardroom feud at Oxford's spin-out arm|language=en-GB|work=The Telegraph|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2020/02/14/inside-bitter-boardroom-feud-oxfords-spin-out-arm/|access-date=2020-06-04|issn=0307-1235}}
Publications
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20160316102640/http://www.rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk/rhodes-trust/the-warden Wardens of Rhodes Trust]
{{Wardens of Rhodes House, Oxford}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Conn, Charles R.}}
Category:Wardens of Rhodes House
Category:American Rhodes Scholars
Category:American academic administrators
Category:Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford
Category:Boston University alumni
Category:Harvard Business School alumni
Category:Boston Consulting Group people
Category:McKinsey & Company people
Category:Fellows of Balliol College, Oxford