News & Events

"How can entrepreneurs survive overseas markets?"

08 May 2006

A masterclass by marketing expert and Harvard professor, Joe Lassiter.

Joe Lassiter, Professor of Management Practice at Harvard Business School, will give a masterclass on how Irish businesses can survive the transition to overseas markets and avoid becoming another faceless commodity supplier.  The masterclass will take place at 18.30 on Thursday, 11 May, at the DCU Ryan Academy.

Addressing the third in a series of Mason Hayes & Curran sponsored ‘Visiting Professor’ masterclasses on innovation and entrepreneurship, Professor Lassiter will advise on how to effectively manage entering offshore markets, dealing with global competitors and using offshore suppliers.  According to Professor Lassiter, if Irish companies are to be successful in diversifying into overseas markets they must retain their local ethos and values.

Professor Lassiter is well known to Irish entrepreneurs and business people through his appearance on the Entrepreneur of the Year television series on RTE 1 TV.

The ‘Visiting Professor’ series brings top international business experts to Ireland to deliver masterclasses on a range of topical and relevant global issues affecting entrepreneurship. Commenting on the series, Mason Hayes & Curran Managing Partner Declan Moylan said that, “Irish businesses are traditionally leaders in entrepreneurship but to maintain our position we must ensure that the right support structures are put in place, particularly for start-ups and SMEs.  We are delighted by the calibre of the ‘Visiting Professors’ taking part in the masterclass series and are confident of the benefit that their teaching and advice will have for local businesses”.

Professor Lassiter teaches Entrepreneurial Marketing in the Harvard MBA Program and Marketing Strategy in the Executive Education Program at Harvard Business School.

His research focuses on high potential ventures including those formed as new companies as well as within existing organisations.  He is active in new ventures and is currently serving on the Executive Steering Committee of the Cambridge Chapter of the Center for the Quality of Management (not-for-profit/ mutual learning) and on the Board of Directors of RSA Security (NASDAQ/ identity and access management).

Prior to joining Harvard Business School, Professor Lassiter was President of Wildfire Communications, a telecommunications software venture.  From 1977 to 1994 he was a Vice President of Teradyne (NYSE / automatic test equipment) and a member of its Management Committee. Professor Lassiter received his BS, MS, and PhD from MIT and was awarded National Science, Adams and McDermott Fellowships. He was also elected to Sigma Xi.