Todd Gabianelli, Partner at Green Key leading the Pharma team, was recently selected as an Old Master at Purdue University. Established in 1950, the Purdue Old Masters Program is an annual event that invites accomplished individuals to share their insights and experiences with students. Over 600 distinguished figures have contributed to this tradition over the years, representing diverse fields.
According to Purdue Old Masters, “To Purdue students and faculty, an Old Master is an exceptional person who has made significant contributions to his or her own field. There is no typical Old Master, all walks of life are represented. It is not necessary for an Old Master to be a graduate of Purdue. Each person, however, possesses the same desire to share philosophies and experiences with Purdue students.”
Todd was invited back to Purdue’s campus, where he had the opportunity to speak with several classes on how the decisions he made during his college experience set him up for a career in sales and recruiting.
To be chosen as an Old Master, alumni first need to be nominated, and then selected by the Central Committee, comprising of student leaders and advisors who organize the program every year. The program offers Purdue students the opportunity to interact with the Old Masters in various classroom settings, round-table discussions, and topic driven panels throughout the multi-day program.
We had the opportunity to chat with Todd about his experience as an Old Master and how his time at Purdue set him up for a successful career in recruiting!
What does this honor mean to you?
“It was an incredible honor to be selected as a Purdue Old Master, a top 5 life moment! The students that planned, hosted, and executed the Old Masters program laid it out in such a way that gave us the opportunity to have meaningful interactions with the students, student leaders, faculty, and former mentors. The Old Masters experience is a 73-year-old annual event designed to give Purdue students the opportunity to learn from alumni and various others that have built successful careers and/or business and have made an impact on others along the way. It was fun to be back on campus and tell the story about how I ended up at Purdue sight unseen from a small town in Connecticut and to share the many obstacles I had to overcome, mostly academic, while at school that helped prepare me for my career.”
Can you share some of the experiences or lessons from your career that you imparted to Purdue students as an old master?
“One of the lessons I shared was to always be looking a few years ahead of where you want to be in your career, find people doing what you want to be doing at a high level and get around them. The old saying that ‘success leaves clues’ is true and those that have found success are often the ones willing to share the most to help others be successful.”
In your journey, what aspects of your Purdue education have played a significant role in shaping your success?
“Although my professors were great, I attribute a lot of my growth and success at Purdue to the experiences I had outside of the classroom in various student organizations. I was on an Education/Guidance counseling track so not exactly a direct path to a career in sales, but the skills that I learned and developed studying this curriculum ultimately gave me a competitive advantage that helped propel the growth of my career.”
What advice do you have for current students who aspire to follow in your footsteps?
“One of my favorite quotes is simple and straightforward; ‘Successful people are those willing to do the things that others aren’t.’ I’ve used this as a guide for the decisions I’ve made along the way in my career and my advice would be the same to the students regardless of which major they are in, or career path they are pursuing. Create good daily habits, get out of your comfort zone each day, and find ways to help other people get what they want.”
