WHY MBA @ UCLA Anderson: Recent Episodes
UCLA Anderson
Giving you an inside look into what business school is really like. Stories from current students and successful grads combined into a behind the scenes look at the UCLA Anderson MBA experience. Hosted by 2017 grad Alex Grodnik.
Singapore-based Savita Iyer (’05) has worked in finance at the Walt Disney company for 15 years. But she’s had so many opportunities in different roles worldwide that she doesn’t feel like she’ll ever get stuck doing the same thing for long. Now CFO of Southeast Asia and Head of Finance APAC Media Networks at The Walt Disney Company, Iyer was the commencement speaker for her FEMBA class at Anderson, and worked as a consultant in Sweden following graduation. She recommends that MBAs who want an international career be rigid in their goals but open to the path they take, and make it known early to employers that they’re seeking assignments overseas.
Featuring: Jon Niermann (’95), Co-Founder and CEO, Loop Media Inc.
From a pivotal leadership role at Disney to hosting a late-night show in China to co-founding Loop Media, Jon Niermann’s (’95) professional journey transcends borders and defies convention. His unique and influential career is marked by cultural understanding and reciprocity.
Featuring: Melanie Auguste (MBA/J.D. ’13), VP of Global Brand Narrative, Purpose and Athlete Marketing, Nike
Melanie Auguste (MBA/J.D. ’13) harbors a deep-seated passion for sports and a gift for understanding people and trends. From aspiring pro athlete to influential leader in the sports marketing industry, she transformed her career goals into her dream job at Nike. Her secret? Shift from thinking about your work as a “job” to viewing it as mastering a craft. It also helped that she found, in UCLA Anderson, a graduate school that valued exactly what she wanted to do.
Featuring: Malik Ducard (’00), Chief Content Officer, Pinterest
Throughout his career, Malik Ducard (’00) has always stood at the forefront of storytelling and technology. He studied liberal arts in college and never thought he would warm to quantitative subjects. When he enrolled at UCLA Anderson, he put himself in the crosshairs of learning new things, fell in love with statistics and developed skills for his first job in entertainment.
Featuring: Blair Taylor (’90), Managing Director of Talent and Organization and North American Lead for Inclusion and Diversity, Accenture
Senior executive Blair Taylor (’90) has spent his career introducing principles of community engagement and inclusion into daily business practices — a professional journey that has put his service to others first. He discusses the three fundamental shifts in the market that have driven a new era for companies, and he describes an operating plan he wrote for his young self that guided the trajectory of his career.
John Carmichael (B.A. ’90, ’95) has enjoyed a 27-year career with Nestlé that is characterized by adventure and turning around struggling businesses. Working like an entrepreneur within a major corporation, Carmichael has found that attacking rather than avoiding the most daunting challenges leads to transformational opportunities. He implores executives trying to solve business problems to “run at the barking dog.”
Double Bruin Ginny Chien (B.A. ’98, ’10) began her career as a print journalist covering, among other topics, fashion, style and beauty. When she decided to earn her MBA at Anderson, she made the connections and gained the confidence and wherewithal to shift careers. Now she brings her interest in beauty full circle as SVP of brand, content and creative at Murad Skincare, a Unilever prestige brand.
UCLA Anderson alumnus Allen “Al” Chen (’07) is the entry, descent and landing lead for the Mars 2020 project at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. In describing his fascinating job, he explains how an MBA education fits into a deeply technical role.
Neesha Hathi (’00), chief digital officer and managing director at Charles Schwab, felt motivated to help people create better financial futures for themselves. But she never thought that would mean working in a large corporation, leading a team of 1,500 people focused on digital transformation.
Despite a “burning desire” to launch in the fitness space, Felicia Alexander (’05), co-founder and president of BoxUnion and chief revenue officer at TITLE Boxing Club, needed to overcome her risk aversion.
Deb Johnson ('99), Chief Learning Officer of Deloitte Consulting, tells us how a piece of advice her father gave her as a young girl has shaped her entire career and also the skills you should be developing for a career in consulting.
Katie Low Anderson, CFO at Guess? Walks us through her up and down journey to becoming the CFO of a multi-billion dollar company. How believing in herself, constantly learning and keeping good relationships were the keys to her success.
Constance Knight, Global Head of Video Curation at Instagram, talks about how not being afraid to make big changes in your career and trusting your gut can lead to life changing outcomes. Also, why it’s so important to have specific career goals and predictions for the future.
Reggie Panaligan (’10), walks us through the strategy for how he got his dream job at Google. We also discuss the role data plays in entertainment and the dichotomy between new and old media companies.
Hugh Chang (’90) walks us through his journey from a fast-paced tech job to the world of global health at the Gates Foundation. By focusing on innovation as a source of impact, Hugh was able to combine good luck and self-awareness to improve the lives of millions.
Aaron Hirschhorn (’05), founder, CEO and chairman of the disruptive startup DogVacay, tells us how timing was the crucial factor in growing his business from nothing to $100 million in revenue. Also, we discuss how to make the best decisions with the information you have.
Hear how two current students teamed up to create UCLA Anderson’s Crisis Response Corps, which pairs MBA student consultants with nonprofits and businesses to help them strategically respond to the effects COVID-19 and social injustice. We explore the role an MBA plays in our new world of socially responsible businesses.
Featuring: Bhavna Sivanand (’14), Executive Director, Impact@Anderson
with Darren Pleasance SVP of Global Strategy at Cisco
On this episode we talk with Darren Pleasance about incorporating passion into a busy life. We lay out a framework for how to make sure your getting what you want out of life and how to calibrate your self if things get out of alignment.
On episode 1, learn about why people come to business school – the actual reasons that drive people to make the investment. Also, what it’s like once you’re here. The paths you can take and an exercise to discover your authentic-self.
with Rosie O’Neill Co-founder of Sugarfina
Getting your dream job is at the core of the business school experience. In this episode we explore what it’s actually like once you achieve your dream and the risks that you have to accept along the path.
The entrepreneurial journey with John Tabis Co-founder & CEO of The Bouqs
Is an MBA helpful in starting a business or going to work for a startup? Hear from the co-founder of the disruptive flower company The Bouqs on what disruption really means. Also, the tactics a current student uses to get an internship and a job.