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Jimmy Wales is the founder of Wikimedia Foundation, the non-profit that operates Wikipedia.org and co-founder of for-profit Wikia.com. Wikipedia is one of the five most visited websites and the only non-profit in the list. Wikipedia currently has more than 15 million articles in 271 languages and is sometimes cited as being more accurate than the Encyclopedia Britannica, while critics debate its accuracy and bias. Wales believes that the future of Wikipedia lies in other Wiki-type web sites that go more in-depth about topics outside the scope of the encyclopedia format. He believes the future is a collaborative web culture. His goal for Wikipedia is ultimately to contain “the sum of human knowledge” and the method that will influence how reliable information is generated in philosophical, cultural and political spheres.

Wales was appointed a fellow of the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School, 2005-06; he serves on the board member of non-profit Creative Commons. The World Economic Forum named Wales one of its 2007 “Young Global Leaders,” recognizing the leaders’ professional accomplishments, commitment to society and potential to contribute to shaping the future of the world. Wales received the “Time 100 Award” in 2006, as one of the most influential people in the “Scientists & Thinkers” category. He received a Bachelor’s degree in finance from Auburn University and a Master’s in finance from the University of Alabama.

Wales will be questioned by Professor Adam Klein who spent the last 20 years applying his strategy, innovation and change management expertise to the rapidly transforming media industry sector – confronted by relentless advances in digital technology, consumer adaptation and business model collapse. He believes that constant innovation of products and organizational capabilities is the future of successful competitiveness. Klein is the founder of Media Leader, LLC and an adjunct professor at Columbia Journalism School, teaching graduate journalism students about evolving digital media business realities. He previously taught strategy and management at Harvard Business School, where he obtained both an MBA and Doctorate in change management. Klein was a lead partner in Booz Allen Hamilton’s media practice, the Boston Consulting Group and Klein & Co. He was the president of Video Egg, EVP Strategy EMI Music (during the rapid transformation of the music industry), President/COO of AskJeeves and EVP, President Global Marketing for Hasbro, Inc.

No Guests Please

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Location: The Harvard Club, 27 West 44 Street (between Fifth and Sixth Ave.), NYC
Time: 6:30 pm registration and open bar, 7:00 pm program
The Harvard Club maintains a dress code of business casual.
Cost:  no cost for Members/ $35 Non-members- HBS Alumni Only
Organizers: Carla Graubard PMD49, Ava Seave MBA ’82, Barbara Morrow MBA

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