ALUMNI NEWS
Dominican MBA Launched CEO Career: Heather Kernahan Heather Kernahan’s journey to recently being named the CEO of a global communications agency began about a decade ago as an MBA student at Dominican, when her finance professor in the Barowsky School of Business challenged her to think big. “One day my professor was talking me through a financial spreadsheet,” Kernahan recalls. “He said ‘If you were a CEO, here is what you would look for in this document.’”
“I felt inferior in terms of what was going on with U.S. business,” Kernahan said. “I knew that I needed to gain more marketing skills and to do that, I would need an MBA.” The key selling point for Kernahan choosing Dominican was its curriculum focused on practical skills that would prepare her to work in more strategic business areas.
“I replied, ‘What do you mean if I were a CEO? Do you think I could be a CEO?’” The professor’s reply became Kernahan’s ah-ha moment. “He said `Yes, of course you can be a CEO. Why else are you here?’ “This professor helped me set my sights on a CEO title.” That goal became a reality in December, when Kernahan was promoted from her three-year role as president of Hotwire North America and Australia to CEO, with some of the biggest names in the tech industry as clients. Kernahan enrolled in Dominican’s MBA program in 2006, shortly after moving to Marin from Canada with her husband and young daughter, when the Toronto firm she was working for was acquired by Autodesk. Autodesk hired Heather to join its global communications team in San Rafael.
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THE TORCH | SPRING 2020
Your education will serve you the rest of your life, and that every day you will use some of the tools you learned. It’s worth it. Raising a young family, working in a demanding industry, and studying for an MBA was challenging, she admits, but well worth the effort. “I always felt welcomed and supported with my decision to take some time off [to raise my family] and then come back at my own pace. I ended up taking one course per semester and Dominican made it work for me.” After several promotions at Autodesk, Kernahan joined Eastwick Communications in 2013 and moved to Hotwire in
2016 after it acquired Eastwick. Over the years Kernahan developed a reputation as a global marketing tech expert and business leader. She’s been featured in top business magazines and was named one of B2B News Network’s Top Influencers. Heather continues to draw on the skills she learned in her MBA course. “Dominican provided an understanding of different leadership frameworks to apply in different situations. I learned about the four styles of leadership to use in times of stress and crisis — and often make sure that I am responding in the way I need to respond.” Her advice for incoming MBA students? “Be very clear about what you want to get out of your degree and want you want in your career to make sure that earning a degree will help you meet your longterm career goals.” And, be realistic. “Whatever you think it will take in terms of time, double it. Be prepared to say no to a lot of things and to miss out on some things. But, also realize that your education will serve you the rest of your life, and that every day you will use some of the tools you learned. It’s worth it.”
