AIAC AT YALE CEO CAUCUS IN DC
For Immediate Release
March 10, 2025 – Washington, D.C. L. M. Levie, Chairman of American Industrial Acquisition Corporation (AIAC), joined 100 corporate leaders from industry and finance along with prominent senators, congressmen, Executive Agency officials, diplomats, and journalists at the Yale CEO Caucus, held in Washington DC on. Convened by the Yale Chief Executive Leadership Institute, the program was held on the top floor and terrace at 101 Constitution Avenue, in full view of the US Capitol.
The Yale CEO Caucus was entitled “Don’t Let the Midterm Elections Divert Your Strategic Direction” and focused on the following general themes:
Is the World Becoming More or Less Stable? How it Matters to Hour Strategic Plans
Harmonizing Constituents Against the Noise of a Divisive Political Grandstanding
Do Your Strategic Horizons Change After 150 Days of Tariffs?
Advancing Science and Innovation Amidst Transformation and Turbulence
Following an introduction by Yale School of Management Professor Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,remarks were offered by Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Baroness Teresa May, former UK Prime Minister, Isaac Herzog, President of Israel, and Doug Lute, 23rd US Ambassador to NATO.
AIAC Chairman personally greeted the following participants:
Jose Andres, Founder World Central Kitchen
Adam Blumenthal, Founder and Managing Partner, Blue Wolf Partners
Albert Bourla, CEO, Pfizer
Matthew Boyle, Senior Reporter, Bloomberg News
Diane Brady, Executive Editorial Director, Fortune
Morgan Brennan, CNBC Anchor, Closing Bell
Joanne Crevoiserat, CEO, Tapestry Inc.
Richard Dickson, CEO , GAP Inc.
Rachel Ferdinando, CEO, PepsiCo Foods US
Glenn Fogel, CEO, Bookings Holdings
Robert Hormats, Former Vice Chairman, Goldman Sachs International
Robert Isom, CEO, American Airlines
Farooq Kathwari, CEO, Ethan Allen Interiors Inc.
Elena Kvochko, Founder and CEO, Trust Guard AI
John Lapides, Chairman, United Aluminum
Nick Lichtenberg, Business Editor, Fortune
Baroness Theresa May, Former Prime Minister, United Kingdom
Peter McGrath, Co-Founder, CEO, Coriendo, LLC
Robert “Steve” Miller, Chairman, Purdue Pharma, Former Chairman of AIG, Delphi, and Vice Chairman of Chrysler
Steve Moore, Senior Economist, The Heritage Foundation, Former President, The Club for Growth
Joel Myers, Founder and Chairman, AccuWeather
John Negroponte, Former US Deputy Secretary of State, Deputy Director of National Security, The White House, US Ambassador to Mexico, Iraq, and the United Nations
Grover Norquest, President, Americans for Tax Reform
Alan Patricoff, Co-Founder and. Chairman, Primetime Partners, former Senior Partner of Patricoff Capital
Robert Pendleton, President, United Aluminum
Nicholas Pinchuk, CEO, Snap0On, Inc.
Jim Sciutto, Chief National Security Correspondent, CNN
Christopher Shay, Former Congressman, CT
Marc Sonnenfeld, Counsel, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius
Eddie Tam, CEO, Central Asian Investments
Olivia Troye, Former Senior Homeland Security Advisor, The White House
Harold Yoh, CEO, Day & Zimmerman
Melanie York, Internal Communications and Engagement, Philip Morris Intl.
Others participating in the session included:
Mark Bennioff, Founder and Chairman, Salesforce.com
Michael Beschloss, Presidential Historian, NBC News, PBS
Robert Bradway, CEO, Amgen
Senator Elaine Cantwell, Washington State
Sylvia Matthews Burwell, 22nd Secretary, US Health and Human Services Department
Paul Carbone, CEO, Panera Bread
Steve Case, Chairman and CEO, Revolution, Former CEO, AOL
Ron Cortez, Under Secretary, Smithsonian InstitutionBrian Driscoll, Former Acting Director, FBI
Thomas Cage, CEO , Marconi Pacific
Richard Gephardt, Former US House Minority Leader
Seifi Ghasemi, Former CEO, Air Products
Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO, Anti-Defamation League
John Herbst, Former US Ambassador to Ukraine
Glenn Hutchins, Chairman, North Island, ______
Greg Ip, Chief Economics Commentator, The Wall Street Journal
Eamon Javers, Senior Washington Correspondent, CNBC
Neal Katyal, Partner, Milbank
Chris Layden, President and CEO, Kelly Services
James McCann, Founder and Chairman, 1-800-Flowers.com
Frank McCourt, Chairman, McCourt Global, Founder, McCourt Institute, and Board Member, Georgetown University
Bill Oplinger, CEO, Alcoa
Peter Orszag, CEO Lazard, former Director, Office of Management and Budget, Congressional Budget Office, Special Assistant to the President for Public Policy
Asutosh Padhi, Senior Partner, McKinsey & Co.
Maria Pope, CEO, Portland General Electric
Leo Salam, CEO, TD Bank US
Harry Sideris, CEO, Duke Energy
Kelly Sullivan, Partner, Joele Frank
Jay Timmonds, CEO, National Association of Manufacturers
At the conclusion of the Yale CEO Caucus, Dr. Sonnenfeld led the presentation of the Yale Legend in Leadership Award to José Andrés, celebrated chef, entrepreneur and founder of World Central Kitchen. The award ceremony included remarks by Marc Benioff, Founder, Chair and CEO, Salesforce, Rachel Ferdinando, CEO , PepsiCo Foods US, Glenn Hutchins, Chairman, North Island, Co-Founder, Silver Lake, Danny Meyer, Founder and Executive Chairman, Union Square Hospitality Group, Hamdi Ulukaya, Founder and CEO, Chobani.
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, senior associate dean for leadership studies at the Yale School of Management commented, “Jose is that rare leader whose vision has transformed not only an industry but also our collective understandsing of what it means to serve others.”
Following the event, Mr. Levie remarked, “Like all prior Yale CEO Caucus sessions, today’s discussion was candid, bi-partisan, respectful, and stimulating. Professor Sonnenfeld’s orchestration of this symphony of debate was energetic and diplomatic. I wish to extend a note of thanks to my dear friend, Ambassador Stuart Eizenstat, my special guest for today’s event. Stuart’s credentials and track record as a negotiator during international conflicts is legendary.”
Mr. Levie continued, “I join my friends and colleagues at the Yale CEO Caucus in recognizing the profound accomplishments of José Andrés, who has dedicated his remarkable career to proving that food is far more than sustenance — it is an instrument of hope, dignity, and healing. Through World Central Kitchen, José has mobilized chefs, volunteers, and communities across nearly 50 countries, serving over 450 million meals to people in the wake of earthquakes, hurricanes, wars, and pandemics. His courage, compassion, and extraordinary organizational energy have redefined what it means to be a humanitarian in the 21st century. AIAC is a proud donor to World Central Kitchen, an organization that plays a vital role in emergency relief around the globe, and we are honored to stand alongside José Andrés in his mission to feed a better world.”
For further information, please see:
About José Andrés
José Ramón Andrés Puerta (born July 13, 1969, Mieres, Spain) is a Spanish-American chef, restaurateur, author, and humanitarian widely credited with introducing the small-plates tapas dining concept to the United States. He enrolled in culinary school in Barcelona at age 15 and later worked at the legendary El Bulli restaurant under chef Ferran Adrià. He moved to the United States at age 21 and in 1993 was hired to lead the kitchen at Jaleo, a tapas restaurant in Washington, D.C., which became the foundation of what grew into the José Andrés Group — today operating nearly 40 restaurants worldwide, including two Michelin-starred tasting counters.
In 2010, following a devastating earthquake in Haiti, Andrés founded World Central Kitchen (WCK), a nonprofit organization devoted to providing fresh, nourishing meals in the wake of natural disasters, wars, and humanitarian crises. Since its founding, WCK has served over 450 million meals in nearly 50 countries, responding to events including Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, the conflict in Ukraine, the Gaza humanitarian crisis, and the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires. Andrés serves as WCK’s Chief Feeding Officer and is also a professor and founder of the Global Food Institute at George Washington University.
Among his many honors, Andrés has been named Outstanding Chef and Humanitarian of the Year by the James Beard Foundation, recognized as one of TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People (2012 and 2018), awarded the National Humanities Medal by President Obama in 2016, received the 2021 Princess of Asturias Award for Concord, and in 2025 was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He and World Central Kitchen were nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2024.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Andr%C3%A9s
About the Yale Chief Executive Leadership Institute
The Chief Executive Leadership Institute (CELI) is the pioneer of CEO learning and hosts CEO Summits which bring together top business leaders and policy makers, as well as leading academics, in a unique learning environment that fosters candid, off-the-record exchanges among participants. The Yale Mayors College is a best-practices dialogue among municipal leaders in an off-the-record interactive setting, with participants sharing the steps they are taking to make their cities more livable. The Yale CEO Caucus is a semiannual roundtable for business leaders, political leaders, and scholars to discuss the business implications of urgent national and global events that span economics, diplomacy, security, energy, environment, regulation, and politics.
CELI is the world’s first school for CEOs, featuring applied research and peer-driven learning through lively exchanges among the world’s top business leaders, influential public policy makers, media opinion leaders, as well as foremost scholarly thought leaders, employing candid, confidential discussions of timely global business leadership challenges and compelling societal concerns.
For further information, please see:
https://som.yale.edu/centers/chief-executive-leadership-institute
About the Yale Legend in Leadership Award
The Yale Legend in Leadership Award was created 35 years ago to honor current and former CEOs who serve as living legends to inspire chief executives across industries, sectors, and nations.
Recent Legends in Leadership Award Winners
Bernard Arnault, Chairman and CEO, LVMH
Ed Bastian, CEO, Delta Air Lines
Glenn Fogel, CEO, Bookings Holdings
Tim Cook, CEO of Apple
Larry Fink, Chair and CEO of BlackRock
James Quincey, CEO of Coca Cola Corporation
Marc Benioff, Founder, Chair & CEO, Salesforce
Mike Sievert, President & CEO, T-Mobile
Shirley Tilghman, 19th President, Princeton University
Ajay Banga, President, World Bank Group
Arvind Krishna, Chairman & CEO, IBM Corporation
Steven Spielberg, Filmmaker & Chairman of Amblin Partners
Kathy Warden, Chair, President & CEO, Northrop Grumman Corporation
Hanna Holborn Gray, 10th President, University of Chicago
Satya Nadella, Chairman & CEO, Microsoft
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine
Darius Adamczyk, Chairman & CEO, Honeywell
W. Douglas Parker, CEO, American Airlines Group
Albert Bourla, Chairman & CEO, Pfizer
Alex Gorsky, Chairman & CEO, Johnson & JohnsonLynn J. Good, CEO, Duke Energy
Lisa Su, CEO, Advanced Micro Devices
Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Doug McMillon, CEO, Walmart Corp.
Arne M. Sorenson, CEO, Marriot International
Brian C. Cornell, CEO, Target
Randall L. Stephenson, CEO, AT&T
Colin Powell, Retired Four-Star U.S. Army General; Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff (1989–93), and 65th U.S. Secretary of State (2001–05)
Virginia M. (Ginni) Rometty, Chairman, President & CEO, IBM Corporation
Janet Yellen, Former Chairman, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System
Paul Polman, CEO, Unilever PLC
Mary T. Barra, Chairman and CEO, General Motors Company
Brian Moynihan, Chairman & CEO, Bank of America
David M. Rubenstein, Co-Founder & Co-Executive Chairman, The Carlyle Group
Leonard S. Schleifer, President & CEO, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals
George D. Yancopoulos, President & Chief Scientific Officer, Regeneron PharmaceuticalsBrian L. Roberts, Chairman & CEO, Comcast Corporation
Ronald M. Shaich, Founder, Chairman & CEO, Panera Bread
Terry J. Lundgren, Chairman & CEO, Macy’s, Inc.
Marillyn A. Hewson, Chairman, President & CEO, Lockheed Martin Corporation
Zhang Ruimin, Founder, Chairman & CEO, Haier Group
Denise M. Morrison, President & CEO, Campbell Soup Company
Kenneth C. Frazier, Chairman, President & CEO, Merck & Co.
W. James McNerney, Chairman, The Boeing Company
Ian M. Cook, Chairman, President & CEO, Colgate-Palmolive
Lloyd C. Blankfein, Chairman & CEO, Goldman Sachs Group
Prior Winners
Klaus Kleinfeld, Chairman & CEO, Alcoa
JIANG Jianqing, Chairman, ICBC
GAO Xiqing, President & CIO, China Investment Corporation
D. Scott Davis, Chairman, UPS
Frank Blake, former Chairman & CEO, The Home Depot
Duncan L. Niederauer, former CEO, NYSE
Kenneth R. Feinberg, Managing Partner, Feinberg Rozen
Ellen J. Kullman, former Chairman & CEO, DuPont
David Stern, former Commissioner, National Basketball Associate
FU Chengyu, former Chairman, Sinopec
David M. Cote, Chairman & CEO, Honeywell International
Sir James Wolfensohn, Former President, World Bank Group
Jeffrey L. Bewkes, Chairman & CEO, Time Warner Inc.
Indra K. Nooyi, Chairman & CEO, PepsiCo
Jeffrey R. Immelt, Chairman & CEO, General Electric Company
Michael S. Dell, Chairman & CEO, Dell Inc.
Andrew Liveris, Chairman, President & CEO, The Dow Chemical Company
Kenneth Chenault, Chairman & CEO, American Express Company
Myron E. (Mike) Ullman, III, Chairman & CEO, JCPenney Company, Inc.
Alan Mullally, President & CEO, Ford Motor Company
Anne Mulcahy, Chairman, Xerox Corporation
Robert A. Iger, President & CEO, The Walt Disney Company
Ivan G. Seidenberg, Chairman & CEO, Verizon Communications
Jamie Dimon, Chairman & CEO, JPMorgan Chase
Louis V. Gerstner Jr., Former Chairman & CEO, IBM
Richard J. Harrington, Chairman & CEO, The Thomson Corporation
Stephen A. Schwarzman, Chairman & CEO, The Blackstone Group
Herbert V. Kohler Jr., Chairman, President & CEO, Kohler Company
Thomas G. Stemberg, Founder, Staples
Wilbur L. Ross Jr., Chairman & CEO, W.L. Ross & Company
Terry S. Semel, Chairman & CEO, Yahoo!
Ann M. Fudge, Chairman & CEO, Young & Rubicam
John E. Pepper Jr., Former Chairman & CEO, The Procter & Gamble Co.
Jack Valenti, Chairman & CEO, Motion Picture Association
Kenneth L. Wolfe, Former Chairman & CEO, The Hershey Company
John C. Bogle, Founder, The Vanguard Group
William W. George, Former Chairman & CEO, Medtronic
Roger A. Enrico, Former Chairman & CEO, PepsiCo
Nandan Nilekani, Co-founder, Infosys
Ratan Tata, Tata Group
About American Industrial Acquisition Corporation
American Industrial Acquisition Corporation (AIAC) is a diversified industrial group with manufacturing and distribution sites in 24 countries in North America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia-New Zealand. AIAC has acquired and grown non-core subsidiaries and divisions of Boeing, Siemens, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, Johnson Controls, Merck, Pfizer, Astellas, Visteon, Carlyle, Ahlstrom, Tolko, Groupe Suez, Groupe Rexel, and many other leading multinational corporations.
AIAC companies serve companies and governmental entities worldwide in all major sectors, including aviation, space, defense, automotive, truck, rail, marine, petrochemical, solar, nuclear, food, confectionary, beverage, civil engineering and infrastructure, commercial construction, mining, dredging, disaster relief, education, medical devices, and pharmaceuticals. In addition, AIAC companies are exclusive, authorized distributors of leading branded industrial and consumer products and serve as critical suppliers for the construction of major airports, schools, hospitals, performing arts and sports centers, offices and hotels throughout Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. AIAC is a leading manufacturer of building, street, and highway signage in Europe, signage and illumination structures in North America, and a distributor of electrical products throughout France.
Of note, AIAC purchased Boeing Canada in 2005 and has produced over 10,000 unique components for every Boeing jet plane ever since, reliably serving Boeing from manufacturing facilities in North America. A leader in ultra-high precision jet engine component manufacturing, AIAC companies produce 2,200 fan blades for each jet engine produced by GE, Pratt & Whitney, Rolls Royce, and Honeywell.
AIAC companies actively support exploration into outer space, manufacturing critical components for launching and propelling spacecraft and satellites. AIAC customers in this sector include NASA, the European Space Agency, SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Boeing. AIAC companies also lead in the design and manufacture of undersea umbilical cables for worldwide oceanographic research.
AIAC companies produce the critical automotive wire and cable for Tesla, GM, Ford, Chrysler-Fiat, Toyota, and Nissan. In connection with its kraft paper manufacturing interests in Canada and the US, AIAC controls and sustainably manages 22 million acres of Manitoba, Canada forestland, an area equivalent in size to the nation of Hungary. AIAC affiliate, Metallwarenfabrik Gemmingen GmbH, located in Germany, designs, manufactures and distributes high performance, emergency portable power generators utilized in global conflict zones and during natural disasters.
About AIAC Philanthropy
AIAC and the AIAC Foundation support a wide range of nonprofit, nonsectarian, bipartisan organizations which promote international conflict resolution, disaster relief, economic development, environmental sustainability, exploration, and the performing arts. The exploration-focused nonprofit organizations which they actively support include the Explorers Club, the National Geographic Society, the Royal Geographical Society, the American Museum of Natural History and the Hayden Planetarium, the Victoria & Albert Museum, the National Air and Space Museum, the National Space Society, and the United States Space Foundation.
AIAC’s other beneficiaries include the Appeal of the Nobel Peace Laureates Foundation Inc., the Asia Society, the Atlantic Council, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation - Gates Philanthropy Partners, the Bretton Woods Committee, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, the Carter Center, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Economic Club of New York, the Foreign Policy Association, the Institut Française des Relations Internationales, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the International Crisis Group, the International Rescue Committee, the Japan Society, the JFK School of Government of Harvard University, the Peterson Institute for International Economics, the Richardson Center for Global Engagement, the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House), the Sierra Club, the Trilateral Commission, and the Yale Chief Executive Leadership Institute.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: HTTPS://WWW.AIAC.COM, HTTPS://WWW.AIAC.COM/OUR-VALUES
Media Contact:
Isabel Carro-Toro, Vice President
American Industrial Acquisition Corporation
+34 689 295 827 (Spain)
+ 1 787 244 3175 (USA)
icarro-toro@aiac.com