Haslam Alumni Awards Gala
L-R: Nikhil Morar, Outstanding Young Alum; Thomas Jackson “Jock” Weaver III, Outstanding Entrepreneur; Holly Sullivan on behalf of Amazon, Outstanding Corporate Partner; Scott Roe, Distinguished Alum.
The 15th annual Alumni Awards Gala was held Friday, November 1, 2024. The gala benefits the College Fund for the Haslam College of Business.
The award ceremony recognized the 2024 distinguished alum, outstanding entrepreneur, outstanding corporate partner and outstanding young alum, all of whom have generously invested in the college in a myriad of ways.
Award Winners
Distinguished Alum Award
Distinguished Alum Award recipients are extraordinary professionals who personify leadership. Through their vision, intellect, passion for excellence and boldness of spirit, these individuals have touched countless lives.
Outstanding Entrepreneur Award
As the largest influence on American job growth, entrepreneurship is a vital part of business education. Haslam recognizes the importance of entrepreneurship in the global economy and is committed to providing its students with the foundation necessary for future entrepreneurial growth. In recognition of the entrepreneurial spirit embraced by the college, the Entrepreneur of the Year Award spotlights an alum who shares this same passion.
Outstanding Corporate Partner Award
Haslam’s corporate partners invest in the college by giving their time, talent and financial philanthropic support. Hiring students as interns, recruiting recent graduates as employees, mentoring students in the classroom and providing resources through financial gifts are just a few examples of the ways these organizations invest in business education. The Outstanding Corporate Partner Award recognizes organizations that have demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to the success of the college’s students, faculty and programs.
Outstanding Young Alum Award
The Haslam College of Business has successful alumni of all ages, many of whom achieved professional excellence early in their careers. The Outstanding Young Alum Award recognizes alumni aged 40 or younger who have demonstrated records of achievement, leadership and promising futures in business disciplines.
We would like to thank all our Corporate Partners for their continued support of the Haslam College of Business.
2024 Distinguished Alum Award: Scott Roe (HCB, ’87)
Scott Roe began his career at Arthur Young & Co., now EY. He later co-founded a paper recycling business and worked for several industrial companies before joining VF Corporation, the global apparel and footwear company that owns Vans, Timberland and The North Face. During his tenure there, Roe spent six years living and working in Switzerland, traveled extensively throughout Europe and Asia and helped increase VF’s international revenue from $1.6 billion to $2.6 billion.
After more than 25 years with VF, he joined Tapestry, Inc., a New York-based corporation that owns luxury brands Coach, Kate Spade and Stuart Weitzman. As the company’s chief operating officer, Roe supports innovative initiatives for environmental sustainability, such as leather recycling. He is also a proponent of using data analytics for sales forecasting, supply chain management and decision-making across the board.
2024 Outstanding Entrepreneur Award: Thomas Jackson “Jock” Weaver III (HCB, ’80)
After graduating from Haslam with a degree in finance, Jock Weaver pursued a career that highlights a lifelong love for entrepreneurship. At age 29, he became the youngest person in history to list a company – Hard Rock Café International, where he served as president at the time – on both the London Stock Exchange and the American Stock Exchange. Weaver then established and served as chair of TBA Entertainment Corporation, one of the U.S.’s larger live event companies.
Later, he founded and currently serves as chair of Heritage Trust Company, a private equity firm that provides advisory services to growing businesses and efficiently assesses debt and equity capital. In addition, he serves as chair of Heritage Plantation Company, a private, family-owned land holding company established in 1826, and chair of Heritage Plantation Foundation, a private, not-for-profit, charitable trust.
2024 Outstanding Corporate Partner: Amazon
Multinational technology giant Amazon continues to foster its longstanding ties with Haslam. In 2021, connections forged with Haslam the college Amazon to commit $750,000 for an endowed professorship, enabling academics to work with Amazon in applying research methods to complex technical challenges while they continue their university work. Michel Ballings, assistant professor in the college’s Department of Business Analytics and Statistics, was appointed as an Amazon Visiting Academic in 2022 and promoted to Amazon Visiting Scholar in 2024.
Amazon serves as a corporate partner with the Haslam Business Analytics Forum and is a member of Haslam’s Advanced Supply Chain Collaborative. Haslam students often go on site visits to Amazon facilities, and company leaders are frequent guest speakers in Haslam classes. The e-commerce and cloud storage provider leader has brought on Haslam students as interns and hired several alumni, particularly from the business analytics and statistics and supply chain programs. Amazon and Haslam leaders appreciate the mutually beneficial relationship they have formed.
2024 Outstanding Young Alum Award: Nikhil Morar (HCB, ’19)
Nikhil Morar, the manager of business analytics and strategy for the Los Angeles Lakers, has the job of his dreams. High-level and fast-paced, his position includes working with the Lakers’ business analytics team in pre-game preparation and post-game data analysis for 82 professional regular season basketball games. The business analytics department collaborates with revenue-generating departments on large data analyses to optimize processes and provide objective recommendations that inform the organization’s important business decisions.
With the Lakers, Morar participates in volunteer events, and is especially keen on those that enable him to encourage young people to achieve their goals. While still early in his career, Morar is also giving back to his alma mater through service on the Haslam Young Alumni Board. Further, he has served as a teaching assistant for three Haslam courses and mentored several students.