10/6/16 | Dunkin’ Brands Chairman and CEO Nigel Travis opened his hour-long talk at JWU’s Providence Campus with an unusual request. “Call me Nigel,” he told the crowd of roughly 400 School of Business students. “Let’s keep this informal.”
Over the course of his briskly conversational but focused presentation, he touched on topics both big (Dunkin’ Brands’ 5-year plan; the impact of technology and globalization on growth) and small (why his background as a DJ proved useful in business).
Joining him on stage was Jeff Miller ’98, executive chef and vice president of product innovation for Dunkin’ Brands, who explained that there are 10-15 JWU alumni working at the global brand’s Canton headquarters at any given time. “I actually work with my college roommate!”
The two had an easy rapport as they laid out their vision for Dunkin’ Donuts and its sister company, Baskin Robbins.
“The world is growing at such a rapid pace,” noted Travis. “You have to put strategies in place to handle the speed of change.”