Shell Canada president to launch new leadership forum Oct. 30 at KU

LAWRENCE -- A 1980 University of Kansas graduate who is ranked by Fortune magazine as one of the top 20 powerful women in business, will visit KU Thursday and Friday, Oct. 30 and 31, to inaugurate the new International Leadership Forum series.

Linda Zarda Cook, president and chief executive officer of Shell Canada Limited, will present a public talk on "Sustainable Development and Corporate Social Responsibility" at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 30, in Eaton Hall's Spahr Auditorium.

KU's Center for International Business Education and Research is launching the new leadership series, which is co-sponsored by the KU schools of business, engineering and law. The series will build student awareness about the leadership role executives play in international firms and service organizations.

Cook received a degree in petroleum engineering from KU in 1980 and has held positions at Shell in Houston, The Hague and London. Before being named CEO of Shell Canada in 2003, she was CEO of Shell Gas & Power in London, responsible for the global natural gas and power generation activities of the Royal Dutch/Shell Group. Cook also is a member of the Harvard School of Government Dean's Council and will join the Boeing Co. board of directors in December.

A native Kansan, Cook is originally from Shawnee.

While at KU, Cook will speak at several classes and meet with faculty and administrators.