Podcast Ep. 20 Glover Lawrence Stanford MBA ’95 Vikram Kanodia meets MBA ’25

Today, I’m joined by Glover Lawrence from the Stanford MBA Class of 1995 and Vikram Kanodia from the Class of 2025.

Glover is a highly respected M&A strategist and financial advisory executive with over 30 years of experience helping founders, CEOs, and boards drive growth across the technology sector. Calm under pressure and pragmatic in approach, Glover has built a career structuring, negotiating, and integrating major transactions—from leading corporate development at AspenTech and driving its $12 billion deal with Emerson Electric, to advising global technology firms through his work at Oracle, Hambrecht & Quist, and his own firm, McNamee Lawrence. Today, he continues this work as the Founder of North Hollow Advisors and a Partner at FounderPartners, while also serving on the boards of innovative technology companies like Arundo Analytics and Prevu3D.

Vikram is a second-year MBA student at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business with a dynamic background in M&A, corporate strategy, and innovation. Prior to Stanford, Vikram worked at EY-Parthenon in New York, where he led the operationalization of major corporate divestitures across retail, healthcare, and industrial sectors. He then served as Manager in the CEO’s Office at Datamatics, driving M&A, go-to-market strategy, and helping build out the company's GenAI practice. Passionate about building value through business and technology, Vikram also brings creativity and perspective as an avid musician, photographer, and wildlife enthusiast. After graduation, he will return to India to help lead his family's technology business, celebrating its 50th year.

In this conversation, Glover and Vikram offer a fascinating intergenerational view of the evolution of technology, leadership, and entrepreneurship. They explore how the rise of AI, shifting global markets, and the power of resilience and intention are reshaping what it means to build strong, lasting enterprises today.

00:00 Introduction and Background
11:05 Career Paths and Transitions
20:54 Technology and Software Evolution
26:37 India's Economic Landscape and Global Perception
28:34 The Shift Towards a Consumer-Driven Economy in India
30:42 The Future of Technology and Innovation in the U.S.
30:57 Insights on AI and Future Trends
32:35 Cultural Perspectives on Global Innovation
34:34 The Impact of Immigration on U.S. Innovation
36:30 Skepticism Towards Global Developments
40:18 Government's Role in India's Business Infrastructure
44:34 AI's Influence on Business Models
50:48 Designing the Future of Work
53:57 Reflections on Career Journeys and Lessons Learned

Join the Podcast Series
Stanford MBA: From Baby Boomer to Gen Z | Class of ‘95 Meets Class of ‘25

Each of these episodes will feature a different pair of Stanford MBA people -- one from the class of 1995, and one from the class of 2025.

Remember to rate, review, and subscribe to stay connected with future episodes!

📺 Also available on YouTube:
Entire series playlist:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSaVisoF0D_GKxVmHmakNxdpAJCb5_VTP

More info: https://www.katharinemclennan.com/

Contact: [e-mail]

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katharinemclennan/