MBA 12s at Work: Chevron Technology Ventures

Feriante conducts a site inspection in Kona, HI.

Grad: Jarom Feriante, MBA 12

Working as: Business Development Analyst with Chevron Technology Ventures. “I champion the integration of new technologies into Chevron’s organization,” he says of his work analyzing  promising startups and developing utility scale solar projects to test their products.

Most excited to be working on: “Developing the most sustainable and cost effective energy resources of the future!”

Chevron Technology Ventures (CTV) because: “I sought the Berkeley MBA because I wanted to make a larger impact in the sustainable energy industry. Although I have an entrepreneurial background, transition to Chevron was welcoming. “I work on a small team and have a lot of flexibility in choosing how best to drive value for the organization. The role is very entrepreneurial and fits my work style.”

Inside CTV: “I’m based in Houston, but have managed projects in Argentina, where I led a team to identify strategic electrical enhancements for a Patagonia oil field, and in Hawaii, where I manage the engineering and development process for a utility scale solar R&D project.”

Networked: Feriante often encounters Haas alums while interacting with Bay Area clean energy startups. “This has helped to establish connections and more quickly reach a level of trust with new organizations.”

Job search strategy: Feriante participated in company presentations and conferences to network and learn about organizations, finding that he was able to focus on management consulting early in the recruiting season and energy companies in the late season. “Interestingly, I ended up in an internal energy consulting role.”

The BILD approach:  “I’ve been surprised by how often I use processes learned in Problem Finding, Problem Solving  and Haas@Work to understand and address business needs. Procedures I’ve learned at Chevron have added even more structure to identifying, framing, and analyzing opportunities.”

Living the Houston life:  Feriante is on the road a lot for work, but says that Houston’s airport access (and favorable weather) also work well for his passions–rock climbing and year-round motorcycle riding. “The best thing about Houston, though, he says, “is its people.”

Haas Achieves: A Video Year-in-Review

Congratulations to the full-time MBA classes of 2012 and 2013. In just one year you have accomplished an extraordinary amount, from organizing conferences and international treks to winning case competitions. We are so proud of all you achieve at Haas–and have captured what we could (i.e. some, certainly not all!) in this Haas Achieves video. We know you have many achievements yet to come and wish you the best.

Video produced by Tritone Media

MBA 11s at Work: McKinsey & Company

Welcome to MBA 11s at Work, a periodic series on the career launches—in consulting, finance, tech, entrepreneurship, and more—of the Berkeley MBA class of 2011.

Grad: Hrishika Vuppala, MBA 11

 Working as: Associate with McKinsey & Company, so far working with clients in healthcare, and consumer packaged goods.

Thrilled to be with McKinsey because:  She has the opportunity to work across a broad sector of industries and functions and to work alongside very senior clients, influencing and driving change.  “McKinsey has a stellar reputation in this regard, and hence this was a job that I really wanted.”

Most excited to be working on: Actively recruiting for McKinsey. “I am excited to come back to Berkeley-Haas to speak to students about a career in consulting.” On the work front, Vuppala says she is “keen to work on engagements involving regulation in the telecom sector – a niche area that is bound to have a far reaching impact globally.”

Inside McKinsey: “McKinsey is a great place for someone looking for diversity in work,” says Vuppala. “One of the most interesting features is that the company allows you to do one-year international rotations in any of the McKinsey offices across the globe.” She says several colleagues have worked in Asia and in Europe and have greatly benefited from their experiences in a different geography.

Networked: Vuppala interacts with Haas alums at McKinsey for events related to recruiting at Haas and connects with fellow alums at McKinsey offices worldwide as she travels for business. “I’ve often connected with my classmates in different cities to catch up over dinner and reminiscence about our time at Haas.”

Best career search strategies: Vuppala practiced “tons of case interviews” and ensured that she addressed the feedback she got. She also found fellow students to be instrumental in helping her prepare and build confidence to do well in interviews.

Defining Principles in action: Vuppala identifies strongly with the principle of Students Always. As a consultant, I don’t necessarily always have the most relevant industrial or functional expertise,” she says. “However, with the mindset and the willingness to learn, it is easy to overcome the lack of experience and win the confidence of your clients.”

Living the Atlanta life: “Living in the South gives you access to the best comfort food in the US. I try to explore as many restaurants as I can and, if anyone is down in Atlanta, I’d highly recommend the South City Kitchen for its awesome food. “

Clubbing

One official week in and full-time MBA students have already been clubbed: They’ve worked through a Zynga case with the Digital Media and Entertainment Club (DMEC),  attended an “Energy Boot Camp” held by the Berkeley Energy and Resources Collaborative (BERC), and heard Bain & Company perspective on the smartphone ecosystem, thanks to the Haas Consulting Club. Here is just a sampling of what’s happened in just a couple of weeks on the club scene–and what’s coming up:

A number of DMEC club officers, fresh off of summer internships at Zynga, came to Haas during O-Week to work through a Zynga Career Workshop with new students. Along with alumnus and Zynga Product Manager Matt Salazar, MBA 11, they gave an overview of the product management role and how games are designed. First-years then pitched game ideas for prizes. 

Zynga COO Marcus Segal addresses Digital Media club event

Those game industry contacts were leveraged once again the first week of school, when Zynga COO Marcus Segal addressed DMEC’s first speaker series class. Brain Guenther, MBA 12, serves as VP of Marketing for both DMEC and the Haas Technology Club (HTC) and says to watch for career treks to prominent digital media and technology companies, the annual DMEC >play conference, and a new case competition from HTC sponsored by VMWare.

BERC greeted students with an energy boot camp, where a crowd of people turned out to hear VC and legal perspectives on technology, policy, and business aspects of clean energy. BERC’s annual lecture on Sept. 1 features Samir Kaul of Khosla Ventures and UCB alternative energy Professor Chris Somerville, who will discuss a regulation, the role of large corporations in cleantech startups, and financing and deployment of clean technology.

The Haas Consulting Club welcomed some 80 people at each of their first two events: A management consulting primer and a discussion by Bain & Company consultants on the smartphone ecosystem wars. Watch for Consulting 101 on September 1, when a panel of 2nd-year students will discuss their internship job search and work experiences. “Interviews for management consulting start early and resume drop deadlines are coming up soon,” says Co-president Jarom Feriante. “The Haas Consulting Club has a lot of members who are serious about executing interviews successfully, and the time to start preparing is now.”

From Marketing to Latin American Business to Design and Innovation Strategy, if you’d like to go clubbing, visit the Berkeley MBA Campus Groups web page to learn more.