Chicago Booth Executive MBA Program

Join us virtually this Friday, November 1 for a Special Lecture from our James M. Kilts Distinguished Service Professor of Marketing, Jean-Pierre Dubé, as he discusses Marketing Analytics and AI. Register now: http://ms.spr.ly/6046WMXNG

Boost your Executive and Professional MBA candidacy at the Virtual Forté Foundation MBA Forum on Oct. 3! Meet reps from leading business schools including Chicago Booth and get insights from alumni who have been in your shoes. Join us from anywhere — no travel or business suit required. Register now: http://ms.spr.ly/6041mDC3Z #MoreWomenLeading

In a recent feature by the Financial Times, Booth’s Eugene Fama, economist and “father of modern finance,” discusses the wisdom of crowds and locking horns with the investment industry. Read more: http://ms.spr.ly/6044mD9RA

Abdulaziz Alayed, ’24 (EXP-29), a recent graduate of Booth’s Executive MBA Program in London, shares how he gained sponsorship from his company and offers tips for future students. Read more: http://ms.spr.ly/6043lInKN

Abdulaziz Alayed, ’24 (EXP-29), a recent graduate of Booth’s Executive MBA Program in London, shares how he gained sponsorship from his company and offers tips for future students. Read more: http://ms.spr.ly/6043lInKN

Congratulations to Booth students John Austin and Bingjie Li on being included in Poets & Quants’ Best & Brightest Executive MBAs of 2024! https://lnkd.in/g9_Sp3Jg

I don't usually do this but here goes! I'm halfway through my Executive MBA program at the The University of Chicago Booth School of Business, and reflecting back, this has been quite the year. I embarked on my MBA journey in March 2023 after attending an inspiring Women’s Weekend orchestrated by Melissa Patterson, Julie Morton, Nija Givens and Lara Herbolsheimer. During this event, I met some of the most impressive women: Erika Clark Jones, Yuki Chan, Laura Michel, Cheryl Ong, Chelsie Liu, and Toyin Aguda. I was captivated by their achievements and felt a strong urge to join them as peers. In May 2023, after being told that I would have a hard time conceiving a child, I discovered the joyful news that I was pregnant with my son, Rory. At that very moment, I thought I had to make a choice. Turning to my fiancé, I said, “I guess I’m going to postpone my MBA.” His response was, “WHY?” His confidence in me was enough for me to change my perspective. After that, I consulted many friends who had pursued similar paths. The consensus was, “Kaelen, it’s not easy, but it’s doable. You CAN do this!” Thank goodness I listened! This year has been the most challenging and rewarding year of my life. To my support system, to my team at Real ID, to my classmates and to the people rooting me on, thank you so much! I couldn’t do this without you! Special thanks to the other ladies who have inspired me throughout these past months and provided so many words of encouragement in the program: Crystal Clare Rampaul Brittany Williams Irina Petrakova-Otto Aruna Katakamsetti Sandra Sabbagh Najwa Abouhassan Chendi (Sandy) Wu, CPA Daria Grishina and Lucy Marquardt

Half-time in Hong Kong   Yes, that’s me and my group members returning to our hotels after a long day of negotiation and pricing. No, we weren’t just negotiating prices, those were two different courses that introduced us to concepts that challenged our beliefs and shifted our paradigms.   The significance of this picture taken by a fellow MBA candidate Wei-Chien (Wayne) Hung is that the week marked the midpoint of our executive MBA program with The University of Chicago Booth School of Business, so it did feel like signing out. Intense? Yes. Beyond what I bargained for? Probably. Would I have reconsidered my decision? No.   The program has been so intense yet rewarding that I had to take some time off posting on LinkedIn. It’s half-time, so let me share a few things: ***Managerial Psychology: How often do you fall into the Abilene paradox? Learn to make the right decisions, manage teams and influence others.  ***Statistics: Beyond understanding what 2 standard deviations from the mean represents, you must be able to test hypotheses and reject or fail to reject them. ***Microeconomics: Excellent introduction to demand curves, elasticity and price discrimination. A good understanding of this course will get you good deals from airlines and hotels. ***Financial Accounting: Accounting is a language. Deferred tax was considered a special field even in the Big 4 back then. Well, I’m ready to have a conversation with my CFO on it. ***Competitive Strategy: Ever heard of the prisoner’s dilemma where something individually rational is socially suboptimal? Provided good insights into the strategies of major companies based on the different case studies reviewed. ***Corporate Finance: In a perfect world (Modigliani-Miller world), capital structure does not affect the firm’s value; it is determined by real assets and growth opportunities. This is why share buy-back does not affect share price unless one of the rules is violated especially availability of symmetric information. I deserve a seat on your board. ***Marketing: It is no longer just magic but both magic and mathematics. Have you ever wondered if what you think you’re getting from advertising is wrong? Think about selection effect for example. ***Negotiation: Prepare ahead. Know your BATNA. Have a reservation price and respect your interest. Find credible ways to share information. ***Pricing: Never factor fixed cost into pricing, otherwise you will fall into average cost death spiral. Cost-plus pricing is wrong, think about the value you’re adding to the customer instead. As a consumer, I’ve always said that price is what you pay, value is what you get. Similarly, as a seller, value is what you give, price is what they pay; if you’re not balancing both, you’re wrong.   Next stop: Chicago, then London to continue a truly global program with an amazing cohort and wonderful professors in the business school with the highest number of Nobel Laureates in Economic Sciences. #MBA, #Education, #Success

After nine years at a Big Four accounting firm, Sev Gunes-Lasnet, ’24 felt herself pulled in a different professional direction that she wanted to explore. She turned to the Chicago Booth’s EMBA Program, which took her out of her comfort zone and opened the door to opportunity.

Endilo Lourens, ’20 (EXP-25), calls himself a “tech-driven diplomat.” It’s a fitting moniker, given that the Zurich-based Booth alumnus speaks five languages and has corporate experience in multiple countries.   After graduating from Booth’s London-based Executive MBA Program, Lourens shifted from the banking industry to technology. He currently serves as a senior customer solutions manager for Amazon Web Services. Learn how he leveraged the skills and connections he gained at Booth to pivot his career.   https://lnkd.in/g5DHddAT