Strategy in Buenos Aires
The uniqueness of the GEMBA experience comes from the travel and immersion,
Georgetown University McDonough School of Business
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A Class of Global Citizens
but also, considerably, from the students national issues you struggle with every themselves. The 29 students in the class of day, it makes sense to depend on a class 2011 come from 12 countries and speak in which there is a significant representa14 languages, including English, which is tion from other countries. I’ve learned so much from my classmates.” After gradurequired for admission. “We had a student from Brazil working ation, they all joined a Google group, for a Canadian company in South Africa,” within which people introduce topics for Parada says. “While he was traveling from debate or seek information — from advice home to work, he’d pop in for GEMBA.” on changing jobs to finding business conParada — a Bolivian living in Spain and tacts in a different country. Every fall, all GEMBA alumni are invited teaching in Washington — says most of the participants are already world travel- to one of the program’s cities for a couple ers and global citizens. “GEMBA is just of days to gather with current students and informally talk about new another part of that.” business ventures and trends, Alumni of the program “This issues at work, and updates agree that one of the is the type of within the program. GEMBA gems is the cohort true-life business Parada says it’s a priviitself. The students come scenario that is lege to work with indifrom financial services, directly related to the viduals as accomplished government, technology, work as the GEMBA students. energy, health care, and I’m doing.” “They are businesspeople nonprofit sectors and work — Hanna Dust (GEMBA ’11) who are so good, they can for companies including build teams that survive withMicrosoft, Procter & Gamble, out them for two weeks,” he says. Boeing, Dubai International Capi“Getting this eclectic, well-trained, and tal, Royal Bank of Canada, and Booz Allen intelligent class that can play off each Hamilton. Almeida says it is easy to recruit 30 other is invaluable. One of the things I people; the challenge is building a great promise people when I recruit them is mixture of nationalities, personalities, and that the class will be part of their globalprofessional backgrounds. “We teach and ization experience forever.” w give feedback, but they bring the subWashington, D.C., freelance writer stance to the program,” he says. Gendron says anyone working in inter- Melanie D.G. Kaplan has written for The national business would covet the network Washington Post, USA Weekend,The Christian Science a GEMBA class creates. “If you have inter- Monitor, and Georgetown Law Magazine.
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mittee that focuses on the global pharmaceutical career framework. In preparation for the module in Bangalore — a vibrant IT market — she consulted for 3M India, which is growing at a rate of 40 percent per year. The challenge for 3M India, Dust says, is providing the tools to support their human capital structure and the talented leaders to meet the robust work demands. “This is the type of true-life business scenario that is directly related to the work I’m doing,” she says. While she was having conversations with 3M India’s vice president of human resources, she was sharing feedback in similar conversations with her leadership at Johnson & Johnson. “I shared the recommendations we’re making for 3M India on how to maintain the strong culture that’s well known at the company. It’s such a fast pace in India at the moment that there’s barely time to look up from your desk.” Dust would like to work abroad one day. This year, she says, Johnson & Johnson’s support has been imperative for her to succeed in the GEMBA program. Because students attend classes for 14 days every two months, employer support is a big part of the equation. For the class of 2011, 28 percent of employers offered a full financial scholarship for the program and 31 percent provided a partial scholarship.
Finance in New York 29