Mario Moretti Polegato, chairman of Italian footwear company Geox Group, spoke April 10 to a full house of MBA students at the MIT Sloan School of Management. Polegato talked about his diverse career, in which he went from working in the family business, which had been focused on agriculture and wine production for three generations, to launching Geox in the mid-1990s. Geox is known for its porous sole inserts that allow air in while drawing water away--a patented technology that keeps feet cool, dry and comfortable. The company has about 30,000 employees. Photo / L. Barry Hetherington