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CORVALLIS, Ore. - Douglas Conant, the president and chief executive officer of Campbell Soup Company, will give a free public talk at Oregon State University on Monday, Jan. 10.

His presentation begins at 2 p.m. in the Construction and Engineering Hall of LaSells Stewart Center, 875 S.W. 26th St., Corvallis.

Conant's appearance at OSU is a result of the first-place finish by the university's Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) team in the national 2010 Let's Can Hunger Challenge. In his talk, Conant will reveal 12 lessons from his corporate journey and share glimpses into his personal life through his presentation, "Over 30 Years in the Rearview Mirror."

Conant was appointed president and CEO of Campbell Soup Company in January 2001. Under Conant's leadership, Campbell, which is No. 299 on the Fortune 500, has reversed a precipitous decline in market value and employee engagement.

Conant joined Campbell after 25 years of extensive food industry experience from three of the world's leading food companies: General Mills, Inc., Kraft, and Nabisco. He began his career in 1976 in marketing at General Mills. After 10 years there, he moved to Kraft, where he held top management positions in marketing and strategy. Immediately prior to coming to Campbell, he was president of the $3.5 billion Nabisco Foods Company, where he led that unit to five consecutive years of double-digit earnings growth.

A native of Chicago, he earned his bachelor's degree from Northwestern University and his master's degree in business administration from the J.L. Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern.

The talk is sponsored by OSU's Austin Entrepreneurship Program and OSU Students in Free Enterprise.