WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — A fireside chat between Purdue University President Mitch Daniels and David Ricks, president and CEO of Eli Lilly and Company, will be the highlight of the seventh Annual Lilly Day at Purdue on Wednesday (August 31).
The conversation will be one of many opportunities throughout the day for Purdue students to hear how they can make an impact on the future of healthcare through a career with Eli Lilly and Company.
“We’re excited to host Lilly Day at Purdue again this year,” said Tim Coleman (Management ’90), Lilly’s vice president and chief information officer, drug development insights and digital solutions. “It’s a great opportunity for students to learn how we bring care with discovery to create medicines that improve the lives of people around the world.”
Eli Lilly and Company is one of the largest employers and one of the oldest companies in Indiana. Each year, the Fortune 500 pharmaceutical company hires Purdue graduates in areas such as engineering, sales, finance, human resources, marketing, procurement, supply chain and more.
In fact, Lilly employs nearly 2,500 Purdue graduates, more than any other university.
Lilly Day at Purdue will kick off at 10 am with a two-hour “Connect & Chill” event. Students can bring their own beverage to the Centennial Mall area and connect with Lilly employees in various areas of interest.
The fireside chat between Daniels and Ricks will take place from 4 to 5 pm at the Stewart Center’s Loeb Playhouse.
Ricks is a Purdue graduate who earned a bachelor’s degree in business in 1990. He joined Lilly as a business development associate in 1996 after completing his MBA at Indiana University.
Prior to being named President and CEO, Ricks spent 20 years in various executive and management leadership roles for Lilly. He held various management positions in US sales and marketing before moving to Lilly Canada, where he served as director of pharmaceutical marketing and national sales director before being named general manager in 2005. In 2008, he began serving as president and general manager of Lilly China. and, in 2009, he was named president of Lilly USA, the company’s largest subsidiary. Ricks served as president of Lilly Bio-Medicines from 2012 to 2016.
After the fireside chat, students will be able to learn about career opportunities at Lilly in breakout sessions beginning at 5:20 pm in the Stewart Center.
For more information and to register for Lilly Day at Purdue, students should visit purdue.university/LillyDay or text “LDAP2022” to 50500.
About Purdue University
Purdue University is a leading public research institution developing practical solutions to today’s toughest challenges. Ranked the fifth most innovative university in the United States by US News & World Report, Purdue offers world-changing research and out-of-this-world discoveries. Committed to hands-on, real-world online learning, Purdue offers a transformative education for all. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue has frozen tuition and most fees at 2012-13 levels, allowing more students than ever to graduate debt-free. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent search for the next big thing at purdue.edu.
