Last week I attended the Consumer Electronics Association's CEO Leadership Summit in Ojai, Calif. Normally I do not write about such meetings, but Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of CEA, interviewed Brian Dunn, who was named CEO of Best Buy last year. It's a good thing because if he were simply the president of Best Buy he could not attend the CEO conference. Well, maybe he could have. This CEO conference is the consumer electronics industry's answer to the World Economic Forum in Davos.
I enjoyed the pleasure of knowing Dick Schulze (Best Buy's founder) and Brad Anderson (the company's former CEO), but I had never met Mr. Dunn. Anderson was kind enough to take a meeting with me once when it seemed we were at an impasse with buyers and managers.
It did not take long during this interview before I realized how alike Brian Dunn and Brad Anderson are. Both present themselves as just one of the guys in a most amicable way - very approachable and genuine. I believe that everyone will take away something from the notes I took during the interview that I am happy to share with my readers.