| Last visit was: 23 Apr 2024, 11:54 |
It is currently 23 Apr 2024, 11:54 |
Customized
for You
Track
Your Progress
Practice
Pays
28 Sep 2018, 08:02
| FROM Kenan Flagler Executive MBA Blog: Failing all in |
It’s hard to put into words what we learned from our Global Entrepreneurs Lab Course in Denmark with Ted Zoller, that captures the highlight reel of inspirational moments. As a class, we experienced business pitches from entrepreneurs, politicians and business incubators; lunches, dinners and late nights discussing our own professional and personal blunders fueled with Acquivit; and karaoke where we all sang our hearts out.  However, what I will cherish the most came from those conversations on failure and our triumphant return. Four key lessons I will apply to my first venture include: A mandatory failure loop – Accelerace founder Peter Torstensen told us as entrepreneurs we must learn from both the positive and negative customer meetings. This in theory seems like common sense, but Torstensen challenged us to follow up with customers we have failed and then actually listen to what they have to say. As an employee and human, I fail someone or something every day, but rarely do I go back and ask them for feedback on my failure. Who wants to relive their failure? Well now I can say I’m forcing the loop into my every day personal and professional life so I can learn from my mistakes and succeed next time. No excuses, fail anyways – Mai-Britt Zocca, CEO and founder of IO Biotech ApS, responded brilliantly when pressed on how she dealt with gender in a predominantly male field. The moment, while so simple, stuck with every woman in class. She mandated that we should never allow gender to be an excuse for not getting funding, a specific leadership role or a company off the ground. As entrepreneurs, we all know that for one reason or another, we will be told no many times over, but we can never use an excuse as a reason to accept failure. Fail, pivot, fail, pivot – On day four, after an adventurous bike ride, during rush hour traffic where I certainly failed repeatedly to give the correct hand signal, we spent time with Donkey Republic CEO Erdem Ovacik. His firm had to pivot its business model several times until finding the model they eventually scaled to different cities and countries. While also another common-sense rule, I challenged my own way of thinking; I’ve been invested in seeing a business succeed from my own narrow viewpoint, being scared to fail and then pivot. However, fail and pivot I must.  Failing all in – The biggest lesson I took away from the whole trip, both professionally and personally, was to go all in regardless of how scared I am to fail. I must fail all in if I ever stand a chance of succeeding. During every presentation and pitch we listened to over the week from serial entrepreneurs, we learned that we will face a high failure rate and the odds are not in our favor. Several entrepreneurs were on their second or third businesses but were unstopped by the naysayers, critics and their prior failures. They all continued to follow their passions and create a new venture. We, as entrepreneurs, will surely experience a variety of failures. But after each failure we must pick ourselves up, maybe go take a shot (or two or three) of Aquavit, sing a few songs at karaoke, then pivot to our next failure which will lead us to our ultimate success. By Stacy Dobson (Executive MBA ‘18) |
08 Oct 2018, 06:00
| FROM Kenan- Flagler Admissions Blog: Breaking barriers |
 Carolina Women in Business. Breaking barriers. We couldn’t think of a better theme for Carolina Women in Business as we enter UNC Kenan-Flagler’s centennial year. When we came together to pick our theme we knew it had to be a catalyst for change but also celebrate our rich history. We have interwoven “Breaking Barriers” throughout all of our events this year. We started off by ambitiously launching our first-ever guest speaker series. We welcomed Christine Cuoco, global head of business marketing for Twitter in a fireside chat. She shared her post-MBA journey and her passion was contagious as she shared her professional challenges and successes. Advice like being flexible and adventurous when looking to take that next career step helped us frame our own future careers. Our second speaker series featured Dana Halberg (MBA ‘80), vice chairman of BNY Mellon Atlanta. She spoke about not competing against anyone except herself and how that has fueled her long career in finance. The two speakers shared over 50 years of career insights, such as how they overcame obstacles and celebrated their successes. They embodied women who have broken barriers and we were honored to host them. Carolina Women in Business is looking to break barriers in new ways. We are particularly excited about our campaign for male allies. We firmly believe that substantial change to increase female representation at UNC Kenan-Flagler and beyond requires that everyone has a seat at the table. Gender parity and equity is not just women’s business, but rather everyone’s business. Our peers at schools like USC Marshall reached gender parity (50 percent) this past year, we believe it’s important to follow their lead. Men are imperative to this initiative and must be a part of this conversation. Our new initiatives are a way to highlight our “Breaking Barriers” theme and celebrating our traditions is important, too. Our annual conference will celebrate UNC Kenan-Flagler’s past by bringing back some of our strongest female alumni such as Mary Shelton Rose (BSA ’87, MAC ’88), east regional chairman for PwC, and Vanessa Wittman (BSBA ’89), director and former CFO of Oath, as well as Dropbox, Motorola and Marsh & McLennan. The day will be filled with workshops, panelists, networking and much more. Some of our scheduled events include workshops led by author Mary Abbajay, who wrote “Managing Up,” and Maital Guttman, chief diversity officer for McKinsey. We will showcase both UNC Kenan-Flagler faculty and business professionals to highlight the intersection of business and academics. You will also find we are engaging men who will moderate panels and help with event logistics. We have an ambitious goal to increase the number of men and women attendees. Check out our schedule to see the incredible lineup this year. Finally, we realize that one of the most important aspects to increase female representation at UNC Kenan-Flagler and beyond requires creating a collaborative and inclusive community for women. Carolina Women in Business is doing this in several, fun and unique ways. Networking sessions, happy hours, tailgates, Carolina Casuals, golf lessons and camping trips are a few ways we are helping to build our community. We also challenge the old way of doing things. Every board meeting is held at one of our favorite Chapel Hill locations where kids and pups are welcome. Part of breaking barriers involves creating a more flexible work environment and we need to live what we preach! Want to help us break barriers or have questions? Contact carolinawomeninbusiness@kenan-flagler.unc.edu. By Charlotte Burnett (MBA ’19), president of Carolina Women in Business |
10 Oct 2018, 06:00
| FROM Kenan- Flagler Admissions Blog: Friendship helps MBAs foster mental health start-up |
 When Rachael Paolino and Mary Margaret Milley embarked on their full-time MBA studies at UNC Kenan-Flagler, the two had no idea they’d be business partners one day. Before they met during their first week of classes in 2017 and became friends, Paolino was working in the real estate finance sector, which she later realized wasn’t for her. “I needed to advance my skill set and pursue something different to figure out what the right path was,” Paolino says. She felt that an MBA would help her decide on the right move. “I chose UNC Kenan-Flagler because the real estate and entrepreneurship centers are top-notch and I had a strong inclination that I was going to follow an entrepreneurial path,” she says. Milley knew she didn’t want to work for a huge company but didn’t know why until she was exposed to entrepreneurship at the Business School. She fell in love. But even before stepping foot on campus, Milley felt UNC Kenan-Flagler was a great community and place to propel her career in the right direction. “What stood out most to me was the alumni I spent time within different cities. I was really impressed with how down to earth every alum was and I really like who they are as people,” Milley explains. Paolino agrees. “The friendliness of everyone I encounter at the Business School will always vividly stand out to me.” Everyone shares their experiences and classmates are always willing to help each other,” she says. And this welcoming culture helped Paolino and Milley become instant friends. They met at an Adams Apprenticeship event at Launch Chapel Hill before becoming co-founders of their mental health start-up — Viyb Health. “I was called out in the crowd for looking confused. Then someone mentioned that they had a contact for me knowing I was really passionate about mental health. Without hesitation, Rachael came right up to me and starting asking me about my interest in mental health,” Milley says. “We both had experience as patients for over a decade and deeply understand how difficult it is to find mental health help when you are in a very vulnerable state. We wanted to improve that process and help people choose and connect to care,” Paolino says. The entrepreneurs are focusing on trauma patients and connecting them with specialists. Yet they want to do more than connect patients to care. Viyb Health’s vision is to become the world’s premier mental health virtual hub that transforms patients’ lives. Milley says the MBA Program has helped her apply what she’s learning in the classroom to her venture. “It has really been a life changing experience for me.” For Paolino and Milley, co-founding Viyb Health has been their greatest accomplishment, fueled by dedication and hard work. “Starting a business while being a student is tough, but the ability to learn in a classroom and then apply what I am learning to running a business is a wonderful opportunity,” Paolino says. Both spend a lot of time networking off campus, which has helped them to become integrated into a much larger community — Research Triangle Park. The Business School’s core value of community resonates with them, and they also apply integrity and teamwork into their company’s core values, which can drive strong business decision-making skills. Milley and Paolino say UNC Kenan-Flagler’s culture played a big role in their decision to come to the Business School, and now, they’re happy to have built a life-long friendship while working towards their career goals. |
11 Oct 2018, 09:00
| FROM Kenan- Flagler Admissions Blog: Register now: Alumni Weekend 2019 |
 Come back to beautiful Chapel Hill to spend quality time with classmates and faculty and celebrate your Tar Heel pride at UNC Kenan-Flagler’s Alumni Weekend, April 26 – 28, 2019. The School will be celebrating its own milestone – 100 years of business education at UNC-Chapel Hill. We are celebrating and reuniting all alumni who graduated in the classes of 1959, 1964, 1969, 1974, 1979, 1984, 1989, 1994, 1999, 2004, 2009, 2014 and 2018. Alumni Weekend will immediately follow the Leonard W. Wood Center’s Real Estate Conference on April 25, 2019. Throughout Alumni Weekend, you will have the opportunity to:
Early-bird registration is $175 per person. For questions about registering, becoming a Class Connector, giving to your class campaign and planning a class-specific event, please contact Carrie Dobbins, associate director for reunion giving. |
17 Oct 2018, 10:00
| FROM Kenan- Flagler Admissions Blog: How a Master of Finance degree compares to the Master of Accounting. |
 You may be deciding on a business-related master’s degree, but your real goal is mastery of your career. Maybe you want to accelerate your career within your current company. Or, maybe you’re interested in jumping to a new employer or even a new field. Whatever the case, figuring out which degree provides the most fuel to power your career ambitions is important. >> Read our analysis: “The ROI of the Master of Accounting Degree for Working Professionals” For people who like numbers or want to understand what drives financial results, the choice might come down to a Master of Finance (M.Fin) or a Master of Accounting (MAC). The two degrees overlap in some areas, but they are quite different in other ways. Here are four critical differences between an M.Fin and the MAC and what they might mean for your career. Knowledge and skills People who earn a Master of Finance degree are typically focused on the theoretical and technical aspects of finance. They use advanced mathematics and statistics to drill into the details behind how assets and liabilities are allocated under different circumstances. Managing investments and handling corporate finances are both areas where this highly mathematical approach to finance is important. Typically people with M.Fin degrees tend to focus on analysis and building quantitative models that executives use to make decisions. People who earn Master of Accounting degrees learn accounting — the “language of business.” Accounting communicates what an organization is doing — where it gets capital, how it uses those funds and what the business result are. MAC students get a strong grounding in finance, along with accounting-specific skills such as preparing financial statements, handling taxes, and conducting audits. MAC students also learn to apply math to many business tasks, but they focus on using math in smart ways, rather than applying esoteric formulas or high-level statistics. MAC students also get a broader range of general business education, plus classes focused on soft skills — such as writing, public speaking, and managing others — that are critical to business success. Professional licensure A master’s degree looks good on a résumé, of course, but sometimes it’s the gateway to additional credentials. Some people who earn M.Fin degrees may go on to earn other credentials, such as the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation that many investment managers have. But many M.Fin recipients move forward without additional credentials — or the higher earnings and additional career prospects those credentials can bring. MAC degree recipients, though, frequently become Certified Public Accountants. The CPA is a highly respected designation that permits its holders to oversee certain tax and auditing functions. MAC programs are designed to prepare individuals to become CPAs, but M.Fin programs do not. MAC recipients can also earn additional credentials, including the CFA, based on specific career interests. Job duties Some jobs, such as financial analyst, can be held by someone with a M.Fin or a MAC, or even other degrees. M.Fin recipients tend to take jobs focused more on the technical or theoretical aspects of finance. A MAC degree provides a broad range of job opportunities from the moment of graduation. The most common career paths for MACs are focused on tax, auditing, or consulting. But MACs also work in for businesses, nonprofits, and government agencies in accounting, finance, and auditing roles. While someone with a MAC degree could do many of the same jobs as someone with an M.Fin, the reverse is not true. Accounting jobs require specific skills — and often a CPA credential — that only a MAC provides. Career paths Finally, while choosing between a MAC and an M.Fin, you should look beyond your next job. That master’s degree will launch you on a new career path. Will you still want to travel that path in 5, 10, or 15 years? Most M.Fin graduates go into corporate finance or investment management. Of course, they’ll have chances to get promoted, but if they want to move beyond those fields, or launch their own business, or advance to the C-suite, an M.Fin may not be enough. MAC recipients frequently start out in finance and accounting positions, but over the long term move into a wide variety of job roles. Their broad skill base, CPA credential, and the fact that every organization and many individuals need accounting professionals ensures that MAC recipients are always in demand. MAC careers come in extraordinary variety: Some run start-ups and large companies, others travel the world as consultants. There are even MACs who’ve devoted themselves to hunting down terrorists and investigating organized crime. And, of course, there are many MACs who have lengthy, satisfying careers in accounting and finance. Choosing a master’s degree to pursue is an individual decision. Your personal interests, professional background and career ambitions all play a role. When choosing between a M.Fin and a MAC the choice is between the M.Fin’s finance focus or the broader business opportunities a MAC provides. Interested in how the MAC pays off? Download our analysis, “The ROI of the Master of Accounting Degree for Working Professionals”. It’s a concise, but instructive, perspective of several facets of the degree and the investment required to earn it.  What’s your next career move? The online Master of Accounting (MAC) degree from the UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School can give your career the boost it needs.
>> Join our next webinar |
19 Oct 2018, 07:00
| FROM Kenan- Flagler Admissions Blog: How deep accounting skills can help you unlock cool new jobs |
 There’s a lot of upside to adding deep accounting knowledge and skills to your resume — impressive credential, prospects for higher pay, and a chance to take your career to the next level, among other positive career boosts. If you already have solid work experience and have developed expertise in certain areas, adding accounting knowledge – and a Master of Accounting (MAC) degree – can put you in an especially strong position, whether you want to advance in the field you already work in, or leap to an entirely new career. >> Take our quiz: What “cool” job could new accounting skills unlock for you? Here are a few ways accounting can transform your professional prospects. It delivers financial savvy and technical skills. One of the most common reasons people pursue MAC degrees is to jump ahead in the company or industry they already work in. For example, you may already have a successful career in sales, but now you’d like to leap to a sales management job or a strategic role helping your company get the most from its sales efforts. The deep accounting knowledge that a MAC degree provides can be a big help, giving you the financial savvy needed to do forecasting and provide you more insight into how sales activities affect the bottom line. You’ll understand how commission incentives, sales competition, and price discounts really impact your company’s profits. By adding advanced auditing skills, you could harness your insider knowledge of how your company operates to become a trusted internal auditor. Internal auditors bring a systematic, disciplined approach to all sorts of organizational practices, from risk management to financial controls. They can identify little problems before they grow out of control, and ensure the company is ready for external scrutiny from regulators, investors and others. It can take you beyond the numbers. Some people wonder if an accounting career will focus too much on numbers and finance. While those are an important part of accounting, accounting skills apply to much more than just money. For example, some accountants apply their auditing skills to nonfinancial information. An auditor working for a pharmaceutical company, for example, might evaluate the company’s manufacturing supply chain to ensure the drugs the company makes are safe, effective, and high quality. Or an auditor might tackle cybersecurity — one of the biggest risks facing business today — to make sure the company is protecting its employees, data and customers. Sustainability accounting is a relatively new field that focuses on rigorously measuring the economic and environmental impact of various business practices, such as switching a corporate fleet from gasoline-powered vehicles to hybrids and electric cars. If someone asks whether making business “green” is worth the investment, accountants specializing in sustainability can provide the answer. It can open up unique and unexpected career paths. If you tell your mom you’re going to become an accountant, she’ll be excited about the prospect of a secure job. But your close college friends? They’ll be supportive, sure, but maybe not excited. But they should be. Accounting can lead you to some pretty cool jobs. For example, did you know that the FBI employs accountants to help bring mobsters to justice and trace terrorist financing? Forensic accountants are often hired to solve monetary mysteries, such as figuring out how financial crimes were conducted. Day in and day out, these accountants solve tricky puzzles, often uncovering truths that someone tried to hide. Other accountants are involved in products and industries you might never associate with them. They help develop financial software, ensure Oscars go to the right winners, or work to integrate bleeding-edge technology, like bitcoin, into existing business practices. Or, you could just be an accountant (which isn’t bad either!). Of course, all employers need people with accounting know-how. Government economists predict the number of accounting jobs will grow significantly in the next few years. And those jobs will pay well. New accountants often hit six figures after just a few years, especially if they have an advanced credential like a MAC degree. So yes, deep accounting knowledge – and a MAC degree — will provide a solid boost to your career prospects. It can also be the gateway for a more interesting job and, ultimately, a great career. Next step: Find out what’s next for you? Find out what unique job you could unlock if you added deep accounting knowledge to your current skills and interests in our “Cool Jobs” quiz. What’s your next career move? The online Master of Accounting (MAC) degree from the UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School can give your career the boost it needs.
>> Join our next webinar |
22 Oct 2018, 06:00
| FROM Kenan- Flagler Admissions Blog: A business school internship with the National Park Service? |
 Prior to business school, I served as an infantry officer in the U.S. Marine Corps. I deployed to Afghanistan and Kuwait, serving in a rifle company. My Marine Corps experience taught me a lot about leadership, problem solving and mental toughness, but it did not teach me finance, marketing, accounting or how to run any sort of commercial business. Because I lacked the hard skills needed to transition into a successful post-military career, I believe it made sense for me to pursue an MBA. Initially I was skeptical about finding an internship following my first year that would be as rewarding as leading a platoon of our nation’s most precious human resources. I never considered the other types of precious resources our nation has to offer – the natural and cultural ones. Fortunately, I discovered the National Park Service (NPS) Business Plan Internship (BPI). The mission of the NPS is to “preserve unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the national park system for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations.” Of the four federal land-management agencies, the NPS has the strongest conservation mandate. With an annual budget of only $3 billion and a workforce of around 22,000, the NPS must make sound business decisions to effectively preserve 84 million acres and host 300 million visitors each year. Like any large commercial organization, the NPS has a slew of uncertainties and management challenges. As visitation rates rise, historic structures age and the budget remains relatively constant, the NPS must apply some creative problem solving to effectively accomplish its mission.  For 20 years, the NPS has brought together top graduate students in business, public policy and environmental studies to work on the most challenging business issues facing our national park system. Students are divided into teams of two to three and deployed as summer consultants to eight or nine of the 417 national park sites. Over the summer, students advise park staff and work on projects involving commercial services, fleet strategies, financial forecasting, workforce planning and business plans. My summer experience started with a week of training in Acadia National Park in Maine. I got to know my colleagues through outdoor activities, social gatherings and many learning sessions on NPS finance, operations, partnerships and commercial services. Toward the end of training, I was paired with a co-consultant, and we met with our project champion from the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (SAMO) to refine the project scope and logistics for the summer. Our were to develop a business plan for building out a short-term leasing program and develop program management recommendations for resolving encroachments onto NPS land.  Our next destination was Los Angeles and we started to explore SAMO. Our first task was to get out and experience the park. Among many adventures, we enjoyed kayaking at the Channel Islands, surfing at Sunset Beach, mountain biking in Malibu Creek, hiking Sandstone Peak and rock climbing at Point Dume. After establishing ourselves as locals, we developed a plan to conduct our analysis and ultimately deliver a meaningful contribution to the park. I spent time interviewing park staff, building a financial model, analyzing comparable parks, and leading brainstorming sessions, while also getting to enjoy weekend excursions to San Diego and Idyllwild, karaoke Wednesdays at Café Habana and morning surf sessions. I never would have imagined spending my MBA summer internship in the Santa Monica Mountains working as a consultant for the National Park Service. I had expected to spend it stuck in a dark cubicle, working late at night, chugging through Excel documents and building decks for a Fortune 500 company. While I did spend some of my time with the NPS working as a “Spreadsheet Ranger,” I couldn’t imagine an internship experience more personally, professionally or spiritually satisfying than my summer with the NPS. And my learning experience would not have been possible without my outstanding UNC Kenan-Flagler education and support from the Stacia L. Wood Social Impact Summer Grant. By Bailey Whitaker (MBA ’19) |
08 Nov 2018, 06:00
| FROM Kenan- Flagler Admissions Blog: A focus on community |
 Having a meaningful academic experience is more than studying and making good grades. It’s also about social activities that help you enhance friendships and build your network. From day one of UNC Kenan-Flagler’s full-time MBA Program, Priyanka Nanda (MBA ’19) knew she would focus more of her time being an actively engaged member of the student body. The School’s sense of community is a key factor for many students who choose UNC Kenan-Flagler and Nanda was no different. Nanda earned her undergraduate degree in computer engineering from the University of Mumbai and then came to the U.S. to earn her master’s degree in computer science from the University of California in San Diego. “During my master’s I spent two years doing research, exploring algorithm problem-solving,” Nanda says. She wasn’t thinking about earning an MBA yet — she was just focused on enhancing her technical skills. Her next step was taking a position as a software developer at OSIsoft LLC in San Leandro, California. “I was given the first project to prototype a smart connector. I got to interact with a lot of teams and really drove the entire project from scratch,” Nanda says. She enjoyed the coding as well as managing and owning the project. Then she started to manage more projects at OSIsoft, which sparked her interest in earning her MBA. “That’s when I started thinking about wanting to do more than programming. My manager pushed me to explore different projects and find solutions for various challenges,” says Nanda. After three years with the company, Nanda realized she wanted to get an MBA. She spoke with the company’s director of marketing who is a UNC Kenan-Flagler graduate. “I found that people at UNC Kenan-Flagler were more responsive than other schools and everyone talked about it being a great community to be in,” she says. Several conversations later, she decided to apply and then made the move to Chapel Hill. “I really like the community here. I’ve made a lot of friends and I don’t think I’ve ever seen as many supportive people as I do here at the Business School,” Nanda says. The School’s culture. “The school environment is great.” Community is one of the School’s core values, as well as teamwork — something that resonates with Nanda. “I have always been a team player,” Nanda says. “I need to have an understanding of what’s going on in a company and to do that, I need to be able to work with people to learn the knowledge they have so I can excel and make a better product.” While earning her master’s degree in San Diego, Nanda focused more on coursework instead of being apart of the School’s community and engaging with classmates. At the Business School, her goal is to be more integrated into the community. She’s already made strides, taking on leadership roles in various clubs. She’s the vice president of communications for the Business Technology Club, MBA Student Association vice president of international experience and co-president of the UNC Kenan-Flagler dance club. But that’s just the beginning of what Nanda hopes to achieve at the Business School. She wants to make sure all students feel like they’re home when they come to the School. “There are so many activities to participate in. Explore them all to see which ones you enjoy. This is the time to experiment who you network and socialize with,” Nanda says. Because you never know who you might work with, or for, in the future. And speaking of the future, after graduation Nanda plans to stay in the technology industry but in a management role where she can devise solutions to business challenges. She experienced a taste of this during a summer internship at Google where she was a partner technology manager for Google Technical Services, part of the sales operation department. “I worked on developing new ways of leveraging machine-learning techniques to generate customer insights to drive products and support,” Nanda says. Part of her Business School experience included a two-week intensive course at the Stockholm School of Economics. “The program was structured around learning how entrepreneurship works and how the society and global economy supports new businesses. We visited Ericsson and DeLaval and learned how they innovate and drive their businesses,” Nanda says. “It was a fantastic experience and I’ve made some good friends.” |
08 Nov 2018, 07:00
| FROM Kenan- Flagler Admissions Blog: Connect, lead and learn with your alumni chapters |
 Bay Area Alumni Chapter Boating in the Bay event. Connecting with our alumni is easier than you think. UNC Kenan-Flagler has 13 active Alumni Chapters. From educational alumni breakfast events, mentor and mentee programs, to holiday gatherings, chapters organize, promote and host opportunities for alumni to connect with each other. Behind each chapter is an enthusiastic team of alums who develop events and other ways to keep people in their city connected to each other. Some volunteers find giving their time back to the School is a valuable way to connect with their communities. “I moved to San Francisco in February 2018 and wanted to establish myself within the Bay Area,” said Ryan Cartwright, account executive at Armory.io and chief recruiting officer of the Bay Area Alumni Chapter. “I gained an immediate circle of trust from the other board members. I also gained immediate connections with UNC Kenan-Flagler students and alumni who attended our events.” Other officers see the Alumni Chapter as an educational tool to stay informed about the School. “I think it’s important to get involved with the local chapter so you can keep up to date with Carolina and UNC Kenan-Flagler activities and events as well as enjoy the various programs that are put on,” said Anton Downie, relationship manager, middle market banking at Wells Fargo and chief marketing officer for the Charlotte Alumni Chapter. “In the short amount of time I’ve spent in this role I’ve met some incredible people on my team and other alumni who have attended events. I feel better plugged into the UNC and the various events in the area.”  Summer Welcome Event The chapters are not just in the U.S. You’ll find them in London and Shanghai, too. UNC Kenan-Flagler has a presence all over the globe. They are an amazing way to keep in touch with UNC while overseas, says Lorenzo Lombardi, senior consultant at Monitor Deloitte and CEO of the London Alumni Chapter. “I have met some amazing UNC alumni living over in London and who have come over here for work or study! Also, it’s a great excuse to check out some local restaurants and pubs!” Belma Porobic, financial analyst at Wells Fargo and CEO for the Charlotte Alumni Chapter, encourages alums to use the local network. She said, “Getting involved in the alumni community offers great networking opportunities with people who all have one thing in common – rooting for our Tar Heels!” Porobic also has met many new, interesting people in Charlotte who she wouldn’t have met otherwise. Every officer has gained something different from serving on their local chapter boards. Ed Lee, senior financial analyst at Applied Economics and CEO for the Atlanta Alumni Chapter, values the chance to serve his local community and gain more leadership experience. He encourages alumni to raise their hands and get involved with their local officer team. “Volunteering with the local alumni chapter will give volunteers the chance to develop new, lasting friendships, expand their network of business relationships, improve their skills in working within a team, learn about themselves, their school and their community, and to be a part of a group outside of work and their personal lives,”says Lee. He has served on his local chapter board for three years. “The Atlanta alumni community is beginning to feel more like family,” he says.  Dallas Alumni Chapter Q&A with the Dean Visit the chapter websites to learn more about their upcoming events, meet the officer team and find out how to get involved! You can also see all of the upcoming events for the community here. UNC Kenan-Flagler is partnering with alumni to determine where we should establish the next chapters. If you are interested in being part of this process, contact Cherie Michaud, assistant director of alumni community. |
15 Nov 2018, 08:00
| FROM Kenan- Flagler Admissions Blog: Grant enables global internship focused on sustainability |
I worked with the Corporate Social Responsibility Institute in Tel Aviv, Israel, this summer, thanks to the Stacia L. Wood Social Impact Summer Grant. The institute is a non-profit organization that promotes effective sustainability practices for corporations with a presence in Israel. I wanted to work for the institute because it is the singular entity promoting corporate social responsibility in the country. One way the institute promotes sustainability practices is by helping organizations implement Global Reporting Initiative standards. At the start of my internship, I studied the unique challenges many organizations face when reporting on sustainability initiatives. An inherent difficulty is measuring the impact of sustainability initiatives as they affect many aspects of society. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals provide a blueprint for addressing 17 of the world’s most pressing problems, and companies have increasingly taken these goals as a framework to report on their sustainability initiatives. My main project was to design and implement a go-to-market strategy for a new sustainability reports assurance product the institute was creating to help local companies measure their sustainability initiatives. I took a deeper look into the competitive landscape and saw the big four accounting firms and a few specialized boutique firms were the strongest players. The big four firms had made considerable progress in entering markets that were consolidated, such as those in Western Europe. However, in less consolidated markets such as those in sub-Saharan Africa they had below average levels of market penetration. These markets were attractive because of their low level of market penetration and high-growth potential. My job was to promote our tool in the markets that stood out by creating infographics, compiling a list of contacts to pursue and sending targeted emails. As I continued to populate the list of companies, I adjusted the marketing material to be suitable for the diverse regions. By the end of the internship, the institute was corresponding with multiple organizations, including Fortune 500 companies in sub-Saharan Africa with the plan to partner with them to improve their sustainability reporting.  The classes I had taken towards a Sustainable Enterprise concentration at UNC Kenan-Flagler were critical in helping me to get up to speed during my internship. In particular, the introduction to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in the Impact Investing class provided a great foundation to tackle challenges I faced during my internship. The great learning experiences during my internship would not have been possible without the Social Impact Grant from UNC Kenan-Flagler. I am so grateful for the opportunity! By Dan Mwai (MBA ‘19) |
26 Nov 2018, 10:00
| FROM Kenan- Flagler Admissions Blog: Women leading in consulting |
 At the 2018 Carolina Women in Business Conference, panelists gathered to discuss their experiences in consulting and the unique challenges they’ve faced as women in the field. Karin Cochran (MBA ’99), co-director of UNC Kenan-Flagler’s STAR program, consulting professor and a former Deloitte consultant, moderated the panel of Nina Cockfield, senior manager at Deloitte; Lana DeWitt, strategic business manager at Tata Consultancy Services; and Karen Hilton (MBA ’00), partner at Scott Madden. They discussed changes in the consulting industry over the years, work-life balance and their support networks. The changing industry Consulting has always been about working with clients, but just how consultants interact with their clients has changed drastically over the last decade. “When I was working there wasn’t a lot of Skype and Zoom technology or WebEx, so to be effective in your job you were there in person.” said Cochran. In-person interaction is still favored, but companies are now much more used to employees working remotely. Cockfield tries to work out the most efficient schedule with her clients, which often includes one week of working remotely. “If you can make the business case where if each team takes a week off a month, I’m giving my team a week at home to do normal things, like get dinner with friends on a Tuesday, and it substantially cuts down on all the expenses for the client,” said Cockfield. “I have to help the client understand that there’s no loss of quality – we’re still available and accessible through video conferences. We can do anything that is required.” Work-life balance Another aspect of consulting that has changed considerably is work-life balance. Firms have started to make the balance more of a priority. When Cochran was working as a consultant, Deloitte introduced a new concept “three-four-five – three nights on the road, four days at the client site and five total work days.” In the past, consultants spent the whole week traveling and were expected to work on weekends so the concept drastically changed the industry. Over the years, other firms adopted the practice, allowing consultants to spend more time at home, especially on the weekends. Finding the balance is still a challenge, but Cockfield emphasized that “at the end of the day it’s making it work and figuring out how to find the pockets for yourself through it all.” Part of finding the pockets is learning when to say no. For new hires, it can be more difficult to turn anything down because they’re still learning and proving themselves. However, once consultants prove themselves and begin to move to higher positions, they can start to think more about what works best for them and vocalizing their preferences. Support networks Even with the concept of three-four-five, consultants still spend large amounts of time on the road away from friends and family. This means they need a strong support network. However, it’s important to distinguish between personal and professional networks. Cochran described that when you’re on a project for a long time, you develop strong bonds with your team, but when the project ends you’ll be staffed on another project and everyone from your previous team disperses. While you still have connections with members of the team, you lose the daily support network. To create a stable support network, you need to build a personal community and separate that from your professional communities. Cockfield offered advice for building and maintaining that personal community. “It’s really important as women in consulting to have conversations with people who matter to you the most,” she said. “My husband and I have a conversation every year, and we call it our state of the union. We evaluate how this last year has gone, what he felt like he was missing, and what I felt like I could have done better. We personally have made a pact that if ever that conversation goes something like ‘this isn’t working for me,’ I will make the adjustment because that is what matters to me.” Cochran added some context: “Our careers aren’t linear, so I encourage you to constantly evaluate life changes, new projects and consulting.” By Kelly McNeil (BSBA’19) |
27 Nov 2018, 09:00
| FROM Kenan- Flagler Admissions Blog: Can business save the world? |
|
Can business save the world? Duke University’s Dr. Aaron Chatterji came to UNC Kenan-Flagler to answer that question and speak more broadly about the role business plays in sustainability with UNC and Duke MBA students. For the long answer to this question, you can read his book “Can Business Save the Earth? Innovating Our Way to Sustainability. As MBA students stretched for time, we were grateful for the short and sweet answer: “No.”  Chatterji started writing his book driven by the belief that the private sector could and should be able to solve the great environmental challenges of our time. His research to understand how companies were responding to climate change and other environmental crises revealed that business was a necessary part of the solution but insufficient on its own. Environmental challenges are, “simply too big and complex for any one sector to manage on its own,” says Olga Hawn, Center for Sustainable Enterprise faculty director and a professor of strategy and entrepreneurship at UNC Kenan-Flagler. Both the public and private sector have important roles to play and a cross-sector approach seems especially daunting today, but Chatterji is not pessimistic about the future. He views the need collaboration as an asset and noted how temporary inaction in one sector can be countered by action in another, and technological or cultural advances made in either can be shared. He noted the dramatic increase in what he calls “CEO activism” and increasing interest in sustainability among those in the business world since 2016 as reasons for hope. “The room has gotten fuller every year since I started working on sustainability in 2006,” he says. While graduate school conversations about sustainability used to take place predominantly in public policy and environmental science programs, he sees growth in the number of business students seeking to tackle these issues. While the federal government idles on climate change and other environmental issues, cities and states are increasingly taking steps to reduce their environmental footprint and position themselves well for a future carbon-light economy. The state of Washington even had a carbon tax on the ballot in the 2018 mid-term election. These governmental efforts are complemented by private sector actions like Starbucks’ decision to stop using straws and Patagonia’s lawsuit to protect Bears Ears National Monument. Chatterji sees these broadly distributed efforts as reasons for hope on climate action.  Chatterji’s authenticity and rational positivity were well received by students. His talk focused not just on the problems associated with climate change but on the potential solutions, which was refreshing, says Jack Bolas (MBA ’20). “It gives us something to work with on the topic both professionally and the bigger picture,” says Bolas. For those of us who have been engaged in sustainability and environmental issues for a long time, it is often easy to get bogged down in the challenges and problems and lose sight solutions do indeed exist and progress is being made. Ultimately, Chatterji’s talk about the business world’s responsibility to address climate change was heartening. Hearing about the changes he has seen in businesses over the last decade and the increasing interest in using private sector strengths to address climate change suggests that more and more people are becoming engaged in efforts to tackle this tremendous global challenge. Meeting our counterparts from Duke swapping stories about our respective plans was an additional highlight of the event. These relationships could ultimately offer more and better suggestions of what we can do today as students to address environmental problems because they come from our peers and colleagues. We all are eager to join these efforts when we finish school and are glad to have exposure to them through the Net Impact Club and our universities’ respective sustainability centers. By Will Leimenstoll (MBA & MCRP ’20) |
03 Dec 2018, 07:00
| FROM Kenan- Flagler Admissions Blog: Trendsetting or brand consistency? |
 Trying to solve real-world marketing challenges is one way students learn at UNC Kenan-Flagler. Tommy Markham, senior director for VF’s Dickies brand, challenged students to resolve the conflict between maintaining brand consistency and adapting to new market trends during the “Global Brand Management and Consumer Challenges” session of the 2018 Global Business Conference hosted by the Global Business Center. Dickies is known for its workwear apparel in North America and Europe, but the company’s trendy, lifestyle wear is rapidly developing in Asia. The task at hand for students: determine how to appease consumers’ desire for lifestyle clothing in Asia without isolating workwear-focused customers in other parts of the world. MBA and Undergraduate Business students pitched their ideas for resolving Dickies’ brand marketing challenges while also learning applicable business lessons from Markham. Questions over answers Students learned the importance of asking questions during the marketing development phase. “We probably generated more questions than we answered because we need data,” a student notes. “When you end up with more questions than answers, you can use data to find the missing information. This process helps you think through problems,” says Tarun Kushwaha, associate professor of marketing at UNC Kenan-Flagler and the session’s faculty host. When determining which direction to take, think out loud, collaborate with other professionals, conduct research and ask questions. Business professionals often do their best work together, not alone. “That’s how this works,” says Markham. “When you come up with questions, you become a strategist. You can never be 100 percent confident, but to be confident, you need to do your research.” Know the audience To reach customers with different desires, students recommended tracking global trends, adjusting to align with new trends and set trends. Students recognized the “risk in remaining stagnant,” but will be unable to pick the most effective option if it fails to gauge expected audience reaction. They identified a “problem with depending solely on lifestyle wear in Dickies’ consumer markets” when fashions can go out of style, “so you need to commit and invest resources to handle the changing market. High risk means high reward.” When making decisions that affect what is offered to customers in different regions, Dickies must first know its audiences. Only then can they determine what items will best appeal to consumers without losing business when trends fade. Find a niche and market it As Dickies implements new product changes based on audience-focused research, it should determine its niche in the market, the students recommended. “Brand consistency is why you have a brand in the first place. It’s what gives people a reason to remain loyal to your company,” say the students. To maintain brand loyalty, students suggested Dickies pick a product that it already creates, such as khaki pants, and make it their focus. They then recommended marketing this rebranding approach via market segmentation by product and category. Students also determined that logo consistency is vital when introducing a new market campaign. “Consider McDonald’s,” says one student. “McDonald’s has different menu options in different places, but its logo lets you know where you are and enables you to recognize the brand globally.” By keeping recognizable components of the brand intact, Dickies can market itself in a memorable way. By Grace Ketron (BA ’19) |
04 Dec 2018, 12:00
| FROM Kenan- Flagler Admissions Blog: International alumni return to share lessons learned |
 International alumni came back to campus to share their experiences – pursuing different industries, career switches and challenges overcome to land jobs in the U.S. – with students at International Alumni Night on Dec. 3, 2018. The International Business Association and several MBA career clubs hosted the event. “We created this event to help international students gain confidence and to empower them to pursue their dreams,” says Delphis Vera (MBA ’19), a student organizer. Academic and social activities contributed to the recruiting success of Ravi Maniar (MBA ’16), university relations manager at Align Technology. Relationships he formed with faculty and connections he made while being an engaged student leader – he was elected MBA Student Association president – led to his internship and his current employment. “As international students, you have more to offer, not less to offer,” Maniar said in his keynote address. A panel of seven MBA alumni provided valuable lessons. Professor Tim Flood moderated the discussion with Adhi Poddar (’18), investment banking associate at Bank of America Merrill Lynch; Rodrigo Aquino (’16), case team leader at Bain & Company; Tarang Agarwal (’16), product manager at Oracle Bronto; Nishanth Kadiyala (’16), product marketing manager at Progress; Shravan Prasad (’17), assistant marketing manager at Ecolab; and Jose Garakis (’17), associate manager-strategy at AICPA. Their insights included:
He spoke about the value of students reaching out to alumni. “Be prepared and professional, of course, but talk to me like a Tar Heel, like a member of this big family,” he said. Alumni unable to make the trip to Chapel Hill also offered their support. “Give my contact information to any international student who would want to reach out to me in search of guidance,” Miguel Garcia-Ochoa of Cigna (’16) said to the event organizers. “I’ve been in every step of the process and might be beneficial to some of them. For example, I’ve started with a basic F1 student visa for my MBA. I applied to H-1B after completing my MBA credits. After two years with an H-1B, I’ve applied and received permanent residence.” “I was tremendously excited to see old friends giving back at the School,” said Flood. “The insights they offered, from tactical to more existential, were amazing. But what brought everything full circle was when p Shravan Prasad quoted a conversation he’d had during his admissions interview: ‘Use your time in the MBA to focus on the things you can do to make yourself better.’” |
10 Dec 2018, 10:00
| FROM Kenan- Flagler Admissions Blog: Understanding the possibilities of blockchain |
 Blockchain has become a buzzword ever since the technology was popularized by Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. However, not many people really know what blockchain is or exactly why it’s so revolutionary. Two leaders from IBM led a workshop to clear up some of the confusion around blockchain and explain its wide variety of uses at UNC Kenan-Flagler’s annual Global Business Conference hosted by the Global Business Center. The event convenes industry and academic leaders to present real global business issues for companies to UNC Kenan-Flagler students, who work in teams to craft and present solutions. Jason Mudd (BSBA ’98, MBA ’05), IBM’s director of procurement transformation and operations, and Derek Harrison IBM’s procurement emerging technologies lead, led a blockchain design thinking session with students from across the degree programs. Even though most media coverage of blockchain focuses on the finance industry, any industry can benefit from the technology, they said. In fact, many companies are working to use the technology to increase transparency and efficiency in supply chains and shipping operations. Blockchain can help deliver four key benefits: a shared ledger, trust, a smart contract and permissions. In the past, ledgers were kept in one place with only one person as the administrator, with a resulting risk of fraud. Now with blockchain, ledgers reside in multiple places, and the blockchain ensures that there is consensus among all of the different ledgers, increasing trust and traceability. Once information is out, it’s protected cryptographically and only viewable by people who have access. Companies can give permission to specific people they want to have access to that information. Then when multiple companies have joined a blockchain, they can start to build smart contracts by writing rules about how transactions happen. Over time this will build a new ecosystem of work. Mudd used Chipotle as a hypothetical example for blockchain use in supply chain management. If Chipotle built a blockchain network with its suppliers, every time there was a health concern it could look back at where its spinach or avocados came from and instantly be able to see the point of origin where the tainted food entered its ecosystem. Mudd and Harrison then challenged students at the workshop to use their new knowledge of blockchain to brainstorm how to build a network for a new blockchain platform, “Know Your Supplier.” The platform aims to reduce the amount of time it takes to acquire and maintain a new supplier. Currently when a company identifies a potential supplier, that supplier must fill out a 200- or 300-question survey that the buyer must then use to verify information. It is time consuming for both parties because suppliers are filling out a different survey for each buyer, and buyers then have to validate information for each supplier by going to the post office, running adverse media searches, and much more. “Know Your Supplier” would create a network that brings together buyers, suppliers and third-party validators, expediting the process of acquiring a new supplier. Suppliers would only have to complete one profile on the platform and then buyers could receive that information instantaneously without having to wait on the suppliers to fill out a questionnaire. Because the platform needs a large network to be beneficial to both suppliers and buyers, the key challenge is attracting a critical mass of users. Student groups in the workshop came up with two main approaches to acquiring a critical mass. The first is to place people over profit. Essentially, attract a critical mass and then monetize the platform. The benefit of this method is that companies would become dependent on the platform and would have high switching costs, so when prices for the platform eventually increase, they would be more willing to pay. However, this approach would result in financial losses for the first few years. The second approach was to target a few key players in an industry and hope that their influence would require other buyers and suppliers in the industry to join the platform. Most companies have chief procurement officers (CPOs) and in the case of IBM, its CPO has relationships with other companies’ CPOs and could use those connections to draw in users, building a critical mass. As companies are becoming more interested in blockchain powered platforms and systems, Harrison issued a word of advice. “If someone is putting value into a network, they need to get the same or more value out of it or they won’t want to play.” By Kelly McNeil (BSBA ’19) |
13 Dec 2018, 10:00
| FROM Kenan- Flagler Admissions Blog: 5 reasons you should choose UNC Business Essentials |
 I discovered the UNCBusiness Essentials (UBE) program as a sophomore at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. I was talking to a friend who had completed it and I remember being a little skeptical. I didn’t know if it would be the right fit for me. However, my friend reassured me that I wouldn’t regret my decision. I eventually decided to enroll in the program, and looking back, I am so glad I did. Not only has it been a great experience overall, UBE has helped me expand my skills and hone in on what I want to do in the future. If you are a bit unsure of whether or not this program is for you, here are five reasons why you should choose UNC Business Essentials. Flexible Because the program is online, you have the flexibility of deciding when you want to start and set the pace at which you complete it. I am a full-time college student, so I decided to complete the program over the summer. I was in Ethiopia for the entire month of July, so I worked around that and made sure that I could still enjoy my time abroad and finish UBE. Supplemental One reason I was apprehensive about the program was because I didn’t know if I would be interested in the material. I am not a business major, but UBE taught me so much about what I want to do in the future and has proved extremely relatable to my career goals. I want to be a lawyer and taking UBEhas allowed me to think about opening my own practice one day from a business perspective. Marketable Not only does UBE teach key business skills and enhance your employability, the curriculum is designed by faculty from the UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School. By completing the program, you earn a certificate from UNC Kenan-Flagler, a nationally ranked institution, which is an amazing addition to your resume. Accessible The UBE portal through which you complete the program is very user-friendly. I am not very tech savvy, but I used the website with no problems whatsoever. You have 24/7 access to program tutors and interact with other students who are completing the program. I found this feature extremely helpful since I could ask questions with relative ease and quickly get clarification on anything I was confused about. Fun! I know fun isn’t usually the first thing that comes to mind when you think of a program about business fundamentals, but I enjoyed the entire process. I learned a lot, and the modules were engaging and relevant to the things I care about. I felt really stimulated by the material and the assignments were designed to enhance my learning and apply the concepts to real-world examples. I am so grateful to the UNC Business Essentials program because it gave me a unique opportunity to get real-world business education and skills I wouldn’t have otherwise. By Aklesia Maereg (BA ’20) |
14 Dec 2018, 06:00
| FROM Kenan- Flagler Admissions Blog: Thanks for giving! |
 As we approach the end of 2018, we want to thank all of our alumni, friends and partner organizations who made financial contributions to UNC Kenan-Flagler during the 2017-18 fiscal year. Without your loyal and generous support, the Business School would not be where it is today. Thanks to you, fiscal year 2018 was the greatest year of fundraising in the School’s history. More than 7,304 alumni, students, faculty, staff and friends of the School made a gift to UNC Kenan-Flagler between July 1, 2017, and June 30, 2018. Together, we raised $48.7 million in cash and commitments, including $4.1 million in unrestricted gifts to the Fund for UNC Kenan-Flagler. These gifts have enabled UNC Kenan-Flagler to remain a leading global business school recognized for extraordinary learning experiences and innovative research. Thanks to your support, thousands of current and future UNC Kenan-Flagler students will benefit from scholarship and fellowship dollars, faculty support, program funding, classroom and technology upgrades and countless other opportunities. Your support matters. Thank you for helping continue UNC Kenan-Flagler’s proud tradition of excellence in business. Our online Donor Honor Roll includes individuals who made gifts qualifying them for membership in one or more UNC Kenan-Flagler giving societies in fiscal year 2017-18. Degree information is included for Business School alumni only. For more information on UNC Kenan-Flagler’s giving societies, visit our Donor Recognition website. Show your support for the School by making a gift today. |
14 Dec 2018, 06:00
| FROM Kenan- Flagler Admissions Blog: Help UNC Kenan-Flagler keep moving forward |
 In 1919 we opened our doors as the Department of Commerce at UNC Chapel-Hill. Next month we will begin our celebration of the Business School’s Centennial – an incredible milestone. We’ve come a long way since we graduated our first 12 students in 1921. Our alumni network surpasses 37,000 graduates worldwide. We offer Undergraduate Business, MBA, Master of Accounting, PhD and Executive Development programs in a array of formats. Our faculty are world-class researchers and teachers, our alumni are leaders at all levels of industry, and our students have earned just about every accolade in the book. The last 100 years has given us a lot to be proud of, and while much has changed since our founding, what is important endures. Our tradition of educational innovation and our core values of excellence, leadership, integrity, community and teamwork can be traced back to our earliest days. In recognition of all that we are – and all that we will become – please offer your support for UNC Kenan-Flagler as we enter our Centennial year.  Big things are on the horizon for the Business School, including technological initiatives, new and enhanced cross-campus partnerships, and expansion in the form of a new building. Please help us celebrate the last 100 years and be a part of our future by making a gift today. Remember, all gifts must be postmarked by Dec. 31 to qualify for a 2018 tax deduction. You can make a gift online via our secure website until 11:59 p.m. EDT on Dec. 31. If you’re unsure about your giving to UNC Kenan-Flagler, ,login here to view your giving history or click here to access our searchable donor honor roll from the 2017-18 academic year. |
14 Dec 2018, 07:00
| FROM Kenan- Flagler Admissions Blog: Tying all pieces of business together with an MBA |
 Earning an undergraduate degree in manufacturing systems engineering from Kettering University in Michigan, Nancy Reaves (MBA’ 00) began her career building and designing assembly lines for air conditioning modules for General Motors. She felt earning an MBA was a great way to tie all the pieces of business together. “I wanted to go to one of the best schools out there,” Reaves says. She considered both Duke Fuqua School of Business and UNC Kenan-Flagler. After speaking with the admissions team at UNC Kenan-Flagler, her mind was made up. “It was just really clear that UNC was the right choice for me.” Reaves wanted to be more than a technical specialist. “I wanted to be a person who is able to manage a business,” Reaves says. “I wanted to be well-rounded and be able to manage like an entrepreneur in the area I worked in.” She felt UNC Kenan-Flagler would help her achieve her goals. Reaves applied and enrolled in the Business School’s inaugural class of the Weekend Executive MBA (EMBA) Program. She knew an MBA would help her bridge a career in engineering to other industries, including IT. After she graduated, Reaves started working at IBM as a product marketing manager. She took on multiple roles – alliance manager, cloud market segment manager as well as a business line manager. “Things just took off at a really fast pace. I was asked to work on a program that was brand new,” she says. “It was pretty different from what IBM had been doing and I got to be one of the product managers who worked on the that program. It was extremely successful and ended up being one of the fastest ramping server products in IBM history.” Reaves and her team were awarded the Lou Gerstner Award for Client Excellence, the highest internal award IBM employees can earn. It was one of her greatest achievements and highlights of her career. And her success did not end there. Lenovo recruited her to be a product manager for its software business, and then Dell hired her as a senior consultant in product management in July 2018. “The Dell opportunity was one that I could not refuse,” Reaves says. She says it was a great mix of technical, business and product management experience. “I love product management. As a product manager, you are a product owner and you get to work from something that’s just an idea to taking it to market, supporting our sales team, and managing the business. You really get to touch every aspect of the project,” Reaves says. Her career trajectory might have been different, she says. “It would have been a lot harder without having that asset of a UNC Kenan-Flagler MBA on my resume. It’s that proofpoint you need to show that you have the capacity and aptitude to be able to do the work,” Reaves says. And it wasn’t just the professors who challenged Reaves throughout the program, her classmates did, too – an advantage of the Executive MBA Program.  Reaves often gives back to the UNC Kenan-Flagler community by speaking with students at on-campus events. “We had such a great class of students that we learned from each other as much as we learned from the professors. Everyone had years of experience under their belt,” she says. “Not only were you learning theory and principles from the professors, you also were learning what was practical and realistic and how it applied to students and their jobs.” “The program really challenges you to think about how you would apply what you’re learning to your role and career,” Reaves says. “I was applying it immediately.” UNC Kenan-Flagler did an excellent job in selecting diverse students to participate in the program, she says. “Diversity is important. It is proven that a company that is highly diverse is more profitable and more successful. Dell makes a concerted effort to drive diversity and my management team always recruits with that in mind.” Reaves counts many benefits of the Executive MBA Program. “I got a set of skills from my classmates as well as the coursework that have really helped me be a better employee and a better entrepreneur for my business,” she says. “I’ve gotten more than my money’s worth earning my MBA at UNC Kenan-Flagler. It’s paid for itself many times over. Having that credential on my resume helps to get my foot in the door.” “I encourage those interested in leading, teaming and managing a business to look at Dell Technologies and a leader in driving opportunities that empower the individual to add value and make a difference.” |
14 Dec 2018, 07:02
| FROM Kenan Flagler Executive MBA Blog: Tying all pieces of business together with an MBA |
|
Earning an undergraduate degree in manufacturing systems engineering from Kettering University in Michigan, Nancy Reaves (MBA’ 00) began her career building and designing assembly lines for air conditioning modules for General Motors. She felt earning an MBA was a great way to tie all the pieces of business together. “I wanted to go to one of the best schools out there,” Reaves says. She considered both Duke Fuqua School of Business and UNC Kenan-Flagler. After speaking with the admissions team at UNC Kenan-Flagler, her mind was made up. “It was just really clear that UNC was the right choice for me.” Reaves wanted to be more than a technical specialist. “I wanted to be a person who is able to manage a business,” Reaves says. “I wanted to be well-rounded and be able to manage like an entrepreneur in the area I worked in.” She felt UNC Kenan-Flagler would help her achieve her goals. Reaves applied and enrolled in the Business School’s inaugural class of the Weekend Executive MBA (EMBA) Program. She knew an MBA would help her bridge a career in engineering to other industries, including IT. After she graduated, Reaves started working at IBM as a product marketing manager. She took on multiple roles – alliance manager, cloud market segment manager as well as a business line manager. “Things just took off at a really fast pace. I was asked to work on a program that was brand new,” she says. “It was pretty different from what IBM had been doing and I got to be one of the product managers who worked on the that program. It was extremely successful and ended up being one of the fastest ramping server products in IBM history.” Reaves and her team were awarded the Lou Gerstner Award for Client Excellence, the highest internal award IBM employees can earn. It was one of her greatest achievements and highlights of her career. And her success did not end there. Lenovo recruited her to be a product manager for its software business, and then Dell hired her as a senior consultant in product management in July 2018. “The Dell opportunity was one that I could not refuse,” Reaves says. She says it was a great mix of technical, business and product management experience. “I love product management. As a product manager, you are a product owner and you get to work from something that’s just an idea to taking it to market, supporting our sales team, and managing the business. You really get to touch every aspect of the project,” Reaves says. Her career trajectory might have been different, she says. “It would have been a lot harder without having that asset of a UNC Kenan-Flagler MBA on my resume. It’s that proofpoint you need to show that you have the capacity and aptitude to be able to do the work,” Reaves says. And it wasn’t just the professors who challenged Reaves throughout the program, her classmates did, too – an advantage of the Executive MBA Program. Reaves often gives back to the UNC Kenan-Flagler community by speaking with students at on-campus events. “We had such a great class of students that we learned from each other as much as we learned from the professors. Everyone had years of experience under their belt,” she says. “Not only were you learning theory and principles from the professors, you also were learning what was practical and realistic and how it applied to students and their jobs.” “The program really challenges you to think about how you would apply what you’re learning to your role and career,” Reaves says. “I was applying it immediately.” UNC Kenan-Flagler did an excellent job in selecting diverse students to participate in the program, she says. “Diversity is important. It is proven that a company that is highly diverse is more profitable and more successful. Dell makes a concerted effort to drive diversity and my management team always recruits with that in mind.” Reaves counts many benefits of the Executive MBA Program. “I got a set of skills from my classmates as well as the coursework that have really helped me be a better employee and a better entrepreneur for my business,” she says. “I’ve gotten more than my money’s worth earning my MBA at UNC Kenan-Flagler. It’s paid for itself many times over. Having that credential on my resume helps to get my foot in the door.” “I encourage those interested in leading, teaming and managing a business to look at Dell Technologies and a leader in driving opportunities that empower the individual to add value and make a difference.” |
|
|
||
Hi Generic [Bot],
Here are updates for you:
ANNOUNCEMENTS
 Wednesday, Apr 24, 2024 11:30am NY / 3:30pm London / 9pm Mumbai Watch earlier episodes of DI series below EP1: 6 Hardest Two-Part Analysis Questions EP2: 5 Hardest Graphical Interpretation Questions  ➡️ Sayali narrates her experience of succeeding on the GMAT after 4 attempts & 2 years of preparations with 32 percentile improvement on GMAT verbal.
Tuck at Dartmouth
AGSM at UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA RIVERSIDE
 |
close
