Marilyn Carlson Nelson

Marilyn Carlson Nelson is chairman and former CEO of Carlson, one of the largest privately held companies in the world which includes such brands as Radisson, Country Inn & Suites, Park Plaza and Park Inn, Carlson Wagonlit Travel and T.G.I. Friday’s.  More than 170,000 people work under the Carlson brands in 61 countries.  Nelson co-chaired the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland in 2004 and has held a number of other high-level positions at the WEF and other industry councils. She has received prestigious awards from the governments of France, Sweden, Finland and Norway. In 2007, Ethisphere Magazine named her one of the "100 Most Influential People in Business Ethics." She serves on the boards of Exxon Mobil, The Committee Encouraging Philanthropy, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and is chair of the Mayo Clinic Board of Trustees.Nelson is the bestselling author of How We Lead Matters: Reflections on a Life of Leadership, an inspiring collection of wisdom about how to build a meaningful legacy one day at a time.