Tyco’s Dennis Kozlowski’s surreal fall from the business stratosphere to jail gets a telling tonight from a white-collar crime expert at Sacred Heart University.
Catherine Neal will speak about her book “Taking Down the Lion,” which looks at the scandal surrounding Tyco International. Her discussion will highlight the rise and fall of Kozlowski, who, it was shown on videotape in court, once hosted a $2 million-dollar birthday party for his wife on Sardinia in 2001, allegedly billing half to Tyco.
The event is free and open to the public.
Neal, an attorney, is associate professor of business law and business ethics in the Haile/US Bank College of Business at Northern Kentucky University. Her expertise includes white-collar crime, corporate internal investigations, corporate governance and executive compensation.
Neal examined Kozlowski, his colleagues, his friends, his attorneys and the company”™s paperwork to get a closer look at the company and CEO as well as a truer inside story. She interviewed many involved in the debacle including Kozlowski”™s prosecutor and the board of trustees of Tyco.
The event will be held at the University Commons, 5151 Park Ave., Fairfield, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 7 p.m. The sponsor is The John F. Welch College of Business, the Department of Communication and Media Studies and the Department of Criminal Justice.
This should be a very interesting and enlighening presentation. CEOs and board members involved in the selection of executive-level hires would benefit from this close examination. While we too often read of such unfortunate events, as happens with other crimes, most people tend to think it only happens in other companies, and they skip or cut corners in the due-diligence process, believing that they know all they need to know about a candidate.