Mission and Advisory Board

CEM Mission

Northeastern University’s Center for Emerging Markets (CEM) is dedicated to conducting research on how organizations can leverage high-growth emerging markets for global competitive advantage and to disseminating best practices to managers, policy makers, students, and academics.

Advisory Board

CEM is guided by a seasoned group of executives, all of whom are deeply engaged in emerging markets on behalf of their own organizations. A list of these board members can be found to the right and a spotlight on two of them, Sanjay Mirchandani of EMC and Michael Cannon-Brookes of IBM follows.

Spotlight on Board of Advisors  

Mitchell Habib, Chief Operating Officer, Nielsen Mitchell Habib is the Chief Operating Officer for Nielsen, where he heads a global organization of 40,000 people in more than 100 countries. Mitchell is responsible for wide-ranging services that provide consumer insights, including statistical methodologies, product engineering, technology, business process reengineering, product leadership, operations and several corporate functions. He works with industry-leading advertising, media and consumer packaged goods companies to deliver innovative technology solutions that provide unparalleled consumer insights. Prior to joining Nielsen, Mitchell held leadership positions at several prominent global firms, including Ernst & Young, General Electric and Citigroup. Community involvement has been a top priority for Mitchell throughout his career. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the National Underground Freedom Center in Cincinnati, an organization focused on educating the public about America’s struggle for freedom and the impact a fully participating society can have on the world. He recently joined the Center for Emerging Markets' Advisory Board after being a featured speaker at the Center's 2011 Emerging Markets Symposium.

Wiebe Tinga, President of Asia Pacific and Latin America Sales and Marketing, Hasbro   Wiebe Tinga is the President of Asia Pacific and Latin America Sales and Marketing at Hasbro. Before taking on that position in 2006, Tinga served as president of Hasbro Canada from 2004-2006. From 1993-2003, Tinga served as General Manager of Hasbro Northern and Central European Region, before joining Hasbro Benelux. Wiebe Tinga was the keynote speaker at the 2010 Emerging Markets Symposium organized by CEM on campus in August 2010, and has spoken frequently to Professor Ramamurti's Executive MBA students.

Jean-Michel Halfron, Former President and General Manager, Emerging Markets, Pfizer Inc.   Jean-Michel Halfron is the former President and General Manager of the Emerging Markets Business Unit. After joining Pfizer in 1977, he left after 10 years to join Merck where he served as a marketing director in France. From 1999 to 2007, he worked as Country Manager of Pfizer Canada. At Pfizer Canada, Halfron helped to increase Pfizer Canada's competitiveness and improved access to medicine for patients. Under Halfron, Pfizer Canada grew from a $500 million to a $2.3 billion business. Additionally, Halfron has served as chair of Rx&D, the Canada research-based pharmaceutical association. He has also served as Chairman of the Canada PhRMA Committee and Vice Chair of the Latin America PhRMA Committee. Jean-Michel Halfron has offered his counsel to CEM at various times, and is tentatively scheduled to participate in CEM's 2011 Emerging Markets Symposium scheduled for July 2011. Source: PSA 2010 Biographies