5/1/2015 -
Kellogg praised three alumni April 30 for their achievements and commitment to both the school and community at large.
John Livingston ’91, Robin Yoshimura ’94 and Steve Wilson ’74 were honored at the “With Gratitude, Kellogg” awards held at the Trump International Hotel & Tower in downtown Chicago.
Founder and CEO of Connected Sensor Solutions, Livingston received the Distinguished Alumni Service Award, which recognizes graduates who have made significant investments in shaping Kellogg’s strategy, culture and brand to compete in the global marketplace.
Yoshimura, a director at Credit Suisse in San Francisco, received the Wade Fetzer Award, which recognizes outstanding dedication and loyalty in support of the school’s alumni body.
Wilson, the retired CEO and former chairman of the board of the Deerfield, Illinois-based CF Industries, won the Schaffner Award, which honors Kellogg leaders who have made significant contributions to society and, through their professional achievements, have exemplified Kellogg’s culture.
Dean Sally Blount ’92 thanked the award winners, alumni and the many friends of the school in attendance for their tireless service to Kellogg.
“This gift has been entrusted to our care,” Blount said of Kellogg. “We are the next generation to drive this great school forward.”
Giving back to Kellogg
Livingston spent more than two decades at the global management consultancy
McKinsey & Company, retiring as a senior partner, before launching Connected Sensor Solutions in September 2014. Through his new company, Livingston is building a family of businesses that play at all levels of industrial technologies — devices, connectivity infrastructures and analytics — to reinvent industry.
“Now I get to be part of a team, rather than an advisor,” he said. “Being an entrepreneur has given me a whole new ramp on learning.”
While his job may have changed, Livingston continues to partner with Kellogg students and staff, with a focus on corporate consultancy that now will extend into data analytics. He also serves as a key campaign leader for Kellogg’s capital campaign, Transforming Together.
Supporting alumni
As a director at Credit Suisse, Yoshimura oversees assets for the company's PB USA division. In the past, he has worked for some of the biggest names in the business and investment worlds.
Yoshimura has also stayed close to Kellogg since graduating, serving on the advisory board of the Kellogg Asset Management Practicum and the Kellogg Alumni Council and working closely with the Transforming Together campaign.
“It might sound kind of corny, but I find the work that I do for Kellogg benefits me as much as anything I give [the school],” he says.
Love of country and alma mater
An Army veteran and Northwestern trustee, Wilson led CF Industries, North America’s largest nitrogen fertilizer producer and distributor. Under his leadership, CF Industries transformed from an agricultural cooperative with a private market value of less than $500 million to a global leader with a public market capitalization of $13 billion.
Contributing to society, Wilson has also provided funding and guidance to Andrew Youn ’06, founder of the One Acre Fund, a market-based and sustainable nonprofit that helps African farm families grow their way out of poverty.
For his love of country and alma mater, Wilson has always worn his heart on his sleeve — or rather on the flagpole outside of his Evanston home. “If there’s any doubt of my commitment,” he says, “underneath the stars and stripes is a purple NU flag.”
More from Reunion:
