Alumni Summit 2014 Day 1 Hult Blog

London sets the scene More than 70 alumni from all over the world came to reconnect in London and continue their life-long learning with Hult. After a warm welcome from our Global Alumni Director, Shareena Hatta, and the London Hult Alumni Chapter, keynote speaker Carolina Arriagada Peters took to the stage. Carolina is the Head of EMEA and Latin America for London Partners who work with organizations across the globe to grow their businesses in London. Giving a fascinating insight in to London’s business and economic landscape, it was a great opportunity for alumni’s to see how their own organizations could benefit from being active in the London market. Numbers tell the story The picture Carolina painted confirmed why London is such an attractive city for global businesses and business students alike: 27,000 foreign companies are based in London. London has the most international students of any city in the world, welcoming more than 120,000 every year, more than double the next city closest to that number which is New York with 50,000 a year. 40% of London’s workforce was born abroad. There are more than 500,000 industry and networking events in London every year. Home to TechCity with more than 3,000 start-ups, London is the digital capital of Europe, second only to Silicon Valley. Finance continues to be London’s leading industry, employing more than  ½ million people in the city. Think global, act local Despite London’s standing as the most international city in the world, as these impressive stats illustrate, Carolina asserted the importance of local knowledge, local expertise, and a local network of commercial partners as being key to a businesses success. The cry of ‘network, network, network’ was heard as Carolina brought the truth of this home with â€Å"For every 100 business cards you give out, 1 person will contact you.† Carolina highlighted ‘ones to watch’ discussing the latest trends emerging across the global business landscape. The growing importance of gamification within the creative industries got the room talking about ways to hold consumers attention in crowded marketplace, and the rise of virtual reality in retail sparked discussions around the possibilities of this new technology across sectors. A recent surge in impact investment got the social entrepreneurs excited and pointed to a trend towards business been seen as key to solving large-scale social problems. The heavyweight new kid on the block? Biotech. Carolina called out the life sciences as extremely disruptive in the next few years dubbing biotech â€Å"the next internet.† Connect and reconnect With that bombshell, it was time for lunch and for the networking among students to continue. Among the buzz of new connections being made, was the heart-warming sight of old friends reconnecting. Boston’s MBA Class of 2008 was one group using the opportunity to catch up, seven years after graduating together. So how are they doing? Their conversation gives a snapshot into the diversity of our MBA graduates and the industries, regions, and roles they go on to: Meet Massi, Aiva, and Fernando who all earned their MBA together at Hult Boston back in 2008. Massi Maggi, from Spain, is now an investment banker in, where else, London. Aiva Svede is living in her home country of Latvia working for a consulting firm and lecturing in Risk Management. And Fernando Cabral recently sold his satirical political newspaper in Portugal for a tidy profit and was busy regaling his old classmates with his travel plans and his next investment options. Swapping personal and professional stories, it was clear to see the strength of life-long friendships that started here at Hult. Marketing masterclass Next was a masterclass in Strategic Marketing from our very own Marco Protano.   Professor of Marketing Strategy here at Hult, Marco brings 25 years of experience working with Fortune 500s like Nestle and Bristol-Meyers Squib, educating executives and students at, among others, Cambridge, University of Edinburgh, and Stockholm School of Economics, as well as successfully launching his own ecommerce ventures. Heralding â€Å"the age of the customer†, Marco placed elevated marketplace metrics above finance in terms of importance to the business and urged everyone to live and breathe the numbers: â€Å"Marketing is not a mystery. I crunched more numbers in marketing than I ever did in finance.† Marco’s extensive firsthand experience was evident from the very practical nature of the class, giving the delegates a wealth of tools they could use in their everyday work, from grids to effectively evaluate their value proposition and brand health, to formulas to calculate the net contribution of marketing to their organization. This formula was particularly well received by marketers in the room who were empowered to go back to work with the numbers they needed to demonstrate the value of their marketing in very concrete terms. Olga Ivanova said of Marco’s class â€Å"He was excellent. He went straight to the point and gave us practical tools that we can use at work. In any business, marketing has to fight for your share of the budget. You need to be armed with the numbers.† Look to yourself for leadership Putting their calculators away, our alums were ready to turn their attention to the Leadership and Management Development workshop with consultants from the Brathay Trust in preparation for the team-based competition the next day. Emotional intelligence and our impact on others was the theme, the goal was to reflect and identify areas in need of improvement. The relevance of this topic is clear from studies that show 80% of difficulty on work projects comes from managing team dynamics, with only 20% being down to the inherent difficulty of the task. Self-awareness, the ability to adapt behavior, and the ability to give and receive developmental feedback has been deemed as critical in the modern global workplace. This was confirmed by a report from our research division, Hult Labs, who interviewed 90 CEOs and executives from the world’s leading companies. Our MBA curriculum has been redesigned to integrate the development of these skills in to the program with a rigorous system in place to measure and evaluate success. This was an ideal opportunity for students who have already graduated from our school to benefit from this innovation in business education. Matching talent to opportunity Another new addition to Hult that we were excited to share with alums was the newly launched Talent Solutions. Jean de Villeneuve, our Senior Director of Corporate Relations in Asia, let alums know about the job opportunities available to them though a new approach that leverages our relationships with more than 2,000 employers around the globe to match vacancies and business needs with the world-class talent of our students and alumni. You can think of it like a highly targeted internal recruitment agency. Because we match candidates skill-set directly with job specifications, our success rate is much higher than regular headhunters. They have a conversion rate of around 20%; Talent Solutions’ is 50%. Jean also opened the door for alums to build on this service for the benefit of their own organizations, introducing the referral reward scheme. Delegates were excited at the potential of Talent Solutions and the possibilities it offers, taking our relationships with business to new levels, placing our students and alumni in trusted positions, and cementing our position as a business school for business people. Interested in what happened on Day Two? Read more about the London Alumni Summit 2014: Day Two. Kickstart your career in Europes biggest startup cluster by studying at Hults London business school. To find out more, take a look at our blog Hult Rotation offers you a chance to study in a truly global way. Our rotation program allows you to study and be immersed in some of the finest cities in the world. 📠¸: @jasminmanzano . Hult Rotation offers you a chance to study in a truly global way. Our rotation program allows you to study and be immersed in some of the finest cities in the world. 📠¸: @jasminmanzano . Each year, Hult seeks to enroll a talented and ambitious incoming class from all over the world. We look for diverse students with a wide range of experiences, perspectives, and interests—students who will thrive in our unique educational atmosphere. Are you ready for a truly global experience? 📠¸: @iambrunadiniz . Each year, Hult seeks to enroll a talented and ambitious incoming class from all over the world. We look for diverse students with a wide range of experiences, perspectives, and interests—students who will thrive in our unique educational atmosphere. Are you ready for a truly global experience? 📠¸: @iambrunadiniz . We’re excited to start 2020 on a ranking high! Hult is proud to have been placed #28 in Poets Quants 2020 rankings for Best Undergraduate Business Schools in the US. Taking a huge leap of 32 places from our 2019 position, we’re also very happy to have secured top positions in key categories like: life-changing experience, practicality of the degree, and global immersion. . With five global campuses, a student body of over 130 nationalities, and a learn-by-doing approach—Hult offers a student experience like no other. . We’re excited to start 2020 on a ranking high! Hult is proud to have been placed #28 in Poets Quants 2020 rankings for Best Undergraduate Business Schools in the US. Taking a huge leap of 32 places from our 2019 position, we’re also very happy to have secured top positions in key categories like: life-changing experience, practicality of the degree, and global immersion. . With five global campuses, a student body of over 130 nationalities, and a learn-by-doing approach—Hult offers a student experience like no other. . â€Å"I’m from an engineering background and needed a whole new skill set for the industry I wanted to switch to. I learned a lot about myself and how I deal with being out of my comfort zone. I learned both soft and hard skills, from how to work in very diverse teams to key accounting metrics and strategy. I was surprised by how weak I was at certain tasks in English or how strong I actually was in other areas. Hult gave me opportunities to try new things and meet people from places I never thought I would have friends. . My internship experiences gave me the chance to broaden my view of different cultures and different companies. I had the opportunity to work and live with people whose values differed from people in my home country. I thought that this would be difficult, but it gave me the chance to reflect on my own values and assess if they were a result of my home country environment or if they were intrinsically mine. . Diederick ter Kulve (@diederick.terkulve) Netherlands Masters in International Business . â€Å"I’m from an engineering background and needed a whole new skill set for the industry I wanted to switch to. I learned a lot about myself and how I deal with being out of my comfort zone. I learned both soft and hard skills, from how to work in very diverse teams to key accounting metrics and strategy. I was surprised by how weak I was at certain tasks in English or how strong I actually was in other areas. Hult gave me opportunities to try new things and meet people from places I never thought I would have friends. . My internship experiences gave me the chance to broaden my view of different cultures and different companies. I had the opportunity to work and live with people whose values differed from people in my home country. I thought that this would be difficult, but it gave me the chance to reflect on my own values and assess if they were a result of my home country environment or if they were intrinsically mine. . Diederick ter Kulve (@diederick.terkulve) Netherlands Masters in International Business . Say a big hello to our Bachelor of Business Administration program cover star, Elisa Orus Plana âÅ" ¨ . â€Å"I’m excited for the future—especially that I cant predict whats going to happen. Maybe Ill end up in Mexico working for a trading company or maybe in Africa, developing my own business. Everything is possible, and the options are constantly changing. I love the idea that Im never going to be stuck doing the same job until the end of my life if I dont want it to be like this. . Hult really supports me and my ambitions and truly believes that we deserve to be considered as professionals as well as students. Here, I get to express not just my opinions but all elements of myself. From my creative side with the Fashion Society to my finance and business sides in Trading Club and the Management Consulting Club. We get a different type of learning here. Not just essential knowledge and theory, but practical skills and mindset. The school is always evolving. We’re encouraged to innovate and to always look for new ways of doing traditional things. We learn how to be more confident and become aware of how we can impact our environment. The school aims to help you become a better version of yourself and to stand out from the crowd.â€Å" . Elisa Orus Plana French Bachelor of Business Administration Class of 2021 Say a big hello to our Bachelor of Business Administration program cover star, Elisa Orus Plana âÅ" ¨ . â€Å"I’m excited for the future—especially that I cant predict whats going to happen. Maybe Ill end up in Mexico working for a trading company or maybe in Africa, developing my own business. Everything is possible, and the options are constantly changing. I love the idea that Im never going to be stuck doing the same job until the end of my life if I dont want it to be like this. . Hult really supports me and my ambitions and truly believes that we deserve to be considered as professionals as well as students. Here, I get to express not just my opinions but all elements of myself. From my creative side with the Fashion Society to my finance and business sides in Trading Club and the Management Consulting Club. We get a different type of learning here. Not just essential knowledge and theory, but practical skills and mindset. The school is always evolving. We’re encouraged to innovate and to always look for new ways of doing traditional things. We learn how to be more confident and become aware of how we can impact our environment. The school aims to help you become a better version of yourself and to stand out from the crowd.â€Å" . Elisa Orus Plana French Bachelor of Business Administration Class of 2021"> During the final days of 2019, you probably reflected on what you’ve accomplished this year—and even this decade—and what you’d like to achieve in 2020. Let us know in the comments below. During the final days of 2019, you probably reflected on what you’ve accomplished this year—and even this decade—and what you’d like to achieve in 2020. Let us know in the comments below. â€Å"The first time we did group work on the program, I went head-to-head with a colleague. It taught me a lot about how I see people, how people see me, and how conflict can be resolved in a kind and productive way. The best feedback you get, when delivered constructively, is the most critical because it really feeds into how you lead. I’ve completely reversed my leadership style—the result is so much richer and more powerful when you lead from behind and lead with strength. . Studying in tandem with working, whilst challenging, gave me the perfect platform to directly apply learning concepts into my business environment, the competitive landscape, and the real-estate industry as a whole. When I started the program, I was very happy in my corporate role. But my courage and aspirations grew to the point that I took on a whole new direction. Having my career coach, Joanna, as a sounding board allowed me to really be strategic and get to know myself. She coached me thro ugh all the interviews, the research, and the questions. It went in parallel with what I was doing academically and after six months everything just clicked. . I went into the EMBA knowing I had nothing to lose and I’ve come out with everything. Great strength, global friends, amazing learning, mentors from professors, a job I love, and the knowledge that I can set my mind to achieve anything and with the right support and resources I’ll get there.† . Kashani Wijetunga British, New Zealand Sri Lankan Associate Director Senior Strategy Consultant CBRE EMBA Class of 2019 . â€Å"The first time we did group work on the program, I went head-to-head with a colleague. It taught me a lot about how I see people, how people see me, and how conflict can be resolved in a kind and productive way. The best feedback you get, when delivered constructively, is the most critical because it really feeds into how you lead. I’ve completely reversed my leadership style—the result is so much richer and more powerful when you lead from behind and lead with strength. . Studying in tandem with working, whilst challenging, gave me the perfect platform to directly apply learning concepts into my business environment, the competitive landscape, and the real-estate industry as a whole. When I started the program, I was very happy in my corporate role. But my courage and aspirations grew to the point that I took on a whole new direction. Having my career coach, Joanna, as a sounding board allowed me to really be strategic and get to know myself. She coached me thro ugh all the interviews, the research, and the questions. It went in parallel with what I was doing academically and after six months everything just clicked. . I went into the EMBA knowing I had nothing to lose and I’ve come out with everything. Great strength, global friends, amazing learning, mentors from professors, a job I love, and the knowledge that I can set my mind to achieve anything and with the right support and resources I’ll get there.† . Kashani Wijetunga British, New Zealand Sri Lankan Associate Director Senior Strategy Consultant CBRE EMBA Class of 2019 . â€Å"It was now or never. I knew that I’d have likely stayed in my neighborhood for years to come if I didn’t take this opportunity. I’d not lived or studied outside of the U.S. before. So I left my job as a global strategist at an advertising agency and moved halfway around the world. I’ve come back a more culturally aware, well-versed person. I’ve realized that everything is a learning experience and an opportunity for growth. Ill definitely carry this mindset with me into the future. Technology and social media allow us to be different people in several places at once. Im excited to see how I can establish myself in whatever city Ill be lucky enough to call home and still maintain deep connections with people all over the world. I’m inspired by my classmates every day. Hearing some of their life stories and how getting this degree fits into their greater mission has been very humbling. My biggest challenge has been finding the ‘right’ path for me. There have been rooms Ive felt like I shouldnt be in, but now Im proud to feel as though I truly belong, wherever I am.† . Dwayne Logan, Jnr. American MBA Class of 2019 . â€Å"It was now or never. I knew that I’d have likely stayed in my neighborhood for years to come if I didn’t take this opportunity. I’d not lived or studied outside of the U.S. before. So I left my job as a global strategist at an advertising agency and moved halfway around the world. I’ve come back a more culturally aware, well-versed person. I’ve realized that everything is a learning experience and an opportunity for growth. Ill definitely carry this mindset with me into the future. Technology and social media allow us to be different people in several places at once. Im excited to see how I can establish myself in whatever city Ill be lucky enough to call home and still maintain deep connections with people all over the world. I’m inspired by my classmates every day. Hearing some of their life stories and how getting this degree fits into their greater mission has been very humbling. My biggest challenge has been finding the ‘right’ path for me. There have been rooms Ive felt like I shouldnt be in, but now Im proud to feel as though I truly belong, wherever I am.† . Dwayne Logan, Jnr. American MBA Class of 2019 . Happy New Year, Hultians! . Happy New Year, Hultians! .