UWG’s Inaugural Executive EDGE Leadership Talk Features Southwire’s Ramaswamy Share this page
The University of West Georgia’s Richards College of Business recently hosted the inaugural Executive EDGE Leadership Talk, featuring Southwire President and CEO Dr. Ganesh Ramaswamy.
Dalyah Spencer, a senior management information systems major and member of the Southwire Business Leadership Program, emceed the event and welcomed everyone by sharing how Richards College of Business and Southwire have provided her and other UWG students with life-changing opportunities.
Ramaswamy sat down with Dr. Christopher Johnson, dean of the Richards College of Business and Sewell Chair of Private Enterprise, to discuss leadership, innovation and navigating opportunities in an evolving business landscape. Johnson explained that the leadership series is a by-product of the professional development opportunities the college offers.
“The Richards College of Business EDGE program is rooted in our commitment to developing the next generation of leaders. It is about helping students explore, develop, grow and excel both inside and outside of the classroom,” Dean Johnson explained. “It is very fitting that our inaugural talk features Ganesh Ramaswamy as Southwire has a unique relationship with the college, and the Richards College of Business proudly bears the name of Southwire’s founder, Roy Richards Sr.”
During the talk, Ramaswamy and Johnson broached a variety of topics. Ramaswamy shared that his mother, who he described as the perhaps the most competitive person on the planet, put him into kindergarten eight months before his peers – and that while it was difficult at the time, it led to him developing grit from an early age. It is this grit that caused him to develop his own competitive spirit and quiet confidence, which he has carried through his life and professional career.
His drive and dream to see the world resulted in Ramaswamy leaving India as a graduate student to study in the United States. After earning a master’s and a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering, he went to work in the public and private sectors before returning to school to earn a master’s degree in business.
Ramaswamy has been at Southwire since December 2025 and shared that one of the reasons that he was attracted to the company is that they “do well by doing good,” and that he appreciates the culture of compassion not only internally but with the communities it serves. UWG is a part of that community, and he said he looks forward to Southwire and UWG continuing their joint work on workforce needs.
“It was an honor to participate in the inaugural Executive Edge conversation with Dean Johnson, and I truly enjoyed connecting with students, faculty and the broader university community,” said Ramaswamy. “We are grateful for our strong relationship with the University of West Georgia and the Richards College of Business. Partnerships like this help create stronger pathways for workforce development and economic mobility while building the talent ecosystem we need for our business, our community and our nation to thrive for the long term.”
Dr. Michael Johnson, UWG’s president, welcomed Ramaswamy to the stage and thanked him for his partnership and investment in the future of UWG’s students.
“At UWG, we believe that higher education changes lives, but transformation happens most powerfully when learning connects with opportunity, when students see a path from the classroom to a meaningful career,” he said. “That’s why partnerships like what we have with Southwire are so important. Over the years, UWG and Southwire have shared a commitment to developing talent, creating opportunity and strengthening the workforce that drives this region forward.”
To learn more about UWG’s academic programs and the transformative opportunities they provide, visit westga.edu.
photography by Hailey Wilkinson