First-year MBA Students to Second-years: You are HAASome!

A wave of appreciation is sweeping through the full-time Berkeley MBA program; Some 80 small bears were given by first-year students to thank second-years who have had an impact on their time at Haas. Noa Elan, Jasen Bell, and Anthony Valente, all MBA 14, were behind the ursine appreciation campaign, which came with a “You are HAASome” tag.

“We really wanted to thank second-years and, at the same time, build their commitment to staying engaged with the school and our own commitment to being involved with the upcoming class,” says Elan. “They went beyond themselves to help us and we will do the same.”

Sarah Morra, MBA 13, received a bear from first-year student Ellen Vanderwilt. “At Haas, your work never goes unnoticed,” says Morra. “Your classmates make sure you feel appreciated: anything from a hug after class, to a nomination for a scholarship award, to receiving this Haasome Bear from Ellen.”

Robbie Lizares prepares to part with his bear

Robbie Lizares, MBA 14, gave a bear to Minnie Fong, MBA 13. “We were both the only ones from the Philippines in our classes, so it was natural for me to seek her out,” says Lizares.  “Meeting her was like finding a piece of home…someone who understood me well in a very different place.”

Says Elan, “I joined Haas because I saw the four Defining Principles in every aspect of the school and have only realized, now that I am here, that it’s a stronger force that I could have imagined. The culture and atmosphere have really made me flourish.”

Testing Limits in an Escape from Alcatraz

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On Saturday, April 27, 27 Berkeley MBA students tested their limits with a swim through cold bay waters from Alcatraz to San Francisco. Here’s what it was like to take the plunge:

By Guest Blogger Minnie Fong, MBA 13

It’s 7:00AM, and it’s a cold, foggy, San Francisco morning. We huddle at the Fisherman’s Wharf, with wetsuits up to half of our body, warm jackets to protect our torso, and loud dance music to pump up our spirits courtesy of Bri’s “jammy” pack. Today was D-day: a culmination of two months worth of hard work and training for many of us.

 We sign ourselves in, get numbers on our hands, and listen to a short briefing. We try to protect our skin from chafing with body glide, use wax as ear plugs to protect our inner ears from the cold water, and give each other hugs both to warm up and pass on encouragement. Before we know it, we are getting on the boat, and heading out to Alcatraz.

 At 8:00AM, we were ready. One last briefing – instructions to aim for Fort Mason and Ghirardelli Square – and then the big jump. One by one, we climbed up the steps, held on to our goggles, and jumped off the boat and into the icy water.

 Surprisingly, the water wasn’t as cold today. Perhaps it was because the weather outside was really cold, so the shock wasn’t too bad. Maybe it’s because this is actually my fourth time in the bay already, and my body has gotten used to the cold. Or maybe it’s the adrenaline keeping us pumped. Whatever it was, as soon as you get in the water, you just swim.

 One arm in front of the other, breathing in between: I begin to hit a rhythmic stride. At first I’m surrounded by my peers, then everyone begins drifting apart. Before I know it, it’s just me and my little head, bobbing up and down the bay. I know the support boats and kayaks are around, but there are moments when I look up, and don’t see anyone else beside me. I begin to feel so tiny in the middle of everything. The waves are strong, and I swallow a mouthful of salty water every once in a while. Then I start thinking of sea otters. And jellyfish. And sharks. So I keep going. Because I can. Because I need to. Because I am stronger than I think I am.

 As I keep swimming, I feel the skin on my neck start to sting. Chafing. #$%*. Lauren said this will look like a hickey afterwards.

 The next time I look up and stop to take a break, a voice on a boat provides me with a little reassurance. You’re doing great, sweetheart. Just a little bit longer. You’re almost there.

 I begin to see the walls to the Aquatic Park in the distance. Finally.

 And as I swim to shore on the last stretch, I see my classmates who finished ahead, huddled together and celebrating. As I get closer, I realize that the noise I hear is them cheering for me.

 I finally get close enough to stand up, run to shore, and get swept off my feet by my classmate to celebrate the fact that I finished.

 We all did.

 Despite all the fear and uncertainty we felt this morning mixed with our excitement, we realized today that we are stronger than we think we are.

 And this, once again, is a reminder of why I love Haas. Because two years ago, I would never have thought that I would have the strength and courage to swim across the freezing, shark-infested bay.

 Today, a month before graduation, I found myself swimming across the San Francisco Bay, truly embracing one of Haas’ defining principles: Question the Status Quo.  But pushing myself further than I would ever have imagined was only possible because I swam today with supportive classmates in front of me, ready to provide anything from swimming tips, encouragement, good cheer, warm hugs, and the occasional celebratory lift to make sure we all cross the finish line. Together.

Congratulations to: Alia Al Kasimi, Levent Besik, Ben Buchanan, Borja Carol, Samir Das, Minnie Fong, Suresh Krishnamoorthy, Gerald Matthe, Elsita Meyer-Brandt, Dominik Sanya, Carla Vazquez, and Andrew Wisnewski, all MBA 13, and to Caroline Bas, Gustavo Brandileone, Pablo Cuaron, Stephanie Curran, Yuval Gez, Chao Li, Luis Lopez Nieto, Bri Treece, Yoni Shiran, Christine Tringale, and Nikita Zhilin, all MBA 14, and to partners Marina Brandileone, Rudy Ramirez, and Sebastiaan Verhaar.

Pablo Molinero, MBA 13, Google Summer Intern Diarist

Pablo Molinero, MBA 13, is spending the summer as a product marketing intern with Google’s mobile ads team in Mountain View and will be keeping a diary of his experiences for Google. He’s looking forward to learning as much as he can about Google’s businesses (particularly mobile), enjoying the culture of fun and hard work, and working on complex problems in an ever-changing industry.

One thing he’s shared so far: Favorite past-times include time with his son (seen here at the Monterey Bay Aquarium).

In the coming weeks, Haas Achieves will keep you posted on Molinero as well as other Berkeley MBA interns.

Investment Fund Students Pitch Strategies to Distinguished Judges

By William Rindfuss, executive director of strategic programs, Haas Finance Group

It was a format familiar to many, but without any singing or dancing. And with much nicer judges.

On May 9, students in the Haas Investment Fund course — an experiential learning course in our Innovative Leader curriculum, competed against each other in pitching to judges the investment strategies they’d been developing over the past semester. The purpose was for the teams to benefit from feedback and advice from this panel of high-level investment professionals (who have a Berkeley MBA and two Haas PhD degrees among them), and for the judges to recommend allocation of the fund itself between the two competing teams, based on the market-beating promise of their innovative strategies — taken together with the degree of perceived risk.

Investment executive and Haas alum Minder Cheng (l.) with Haas Investment Fund students.

Judges included Minder Cheng, MBA 89, PhD 94, independent director with Investment Technology Group, Inc. Previously, Cheng served as chief investment officer for index equity and capital markets globally at BlackRock and as chief investment officer for the Equity and Capital Markets division of Barclay’s Global Investors worldwide.

Students in the course are encouraged to consider their own backgrounds and areas of expertise that would provide their teams with unique insights into the fundamental dynamics of particular industries or macro trends. They use skills learned in the Problem Finding Problem Solving course in “divergent thinking” to brainstorm multiple possible theses, and in “convergent thinking” to narrow and refine the list for further research and analysis. They are introduced to the particular financial instruments that might be used to implement a strategy (most students benefit from concurrently taking the Investments course), and they may then analyze their strategies with factor models and backtest them with historical data. Students received training on financial tools such as Bloomberg, FactSet, and BarraOne — as well as research tools and databases available from the Haas Library.

Team 1 had developed a “matched pair” strategy of long/short positions within multiple segments of the automotive components industry, with positions selected based on varying degrees of commitment to green technology. Team 2 had developed a screen for promising performance in the apparel retail space based in part on real-time trends in “Likes” of particular brands on Facebook.

Guidance was constructively delivered by the judges and was eye-opening to the students. A member of Team 1 felt the judges “provided extremely insightful feedback regarding our proposed investment strategy, including their suggestion to look more closely at current valuations and their recommendation to reconfigure our portfolio to a long-only one with risk analyzed through a factor model.”

A member of Team 2 added “The panelists’ questions were candid and thought-provoking.  It was reassuring to find that we had already discussed some of them in our team meetings — while there were others we hadn’t considered at all. To be able to present in front of such a distinguished panel was truly a phenomenal experience.  The panelists were respectful, kind, and generous with their compliments.”

In the end, the judges allocated the fund 60/40 between the two teams. After some adjustments based on the insights and suggestions of the judges, the teams will implement their strategies starting this June and will continue to implement, monitor, and manage their positions until December.

This one-year, three-unit course is cross-listed between the Full-time and Evening & Weekend MBA Programs and was led this year by Finance faculty members Christine Parlour and Bill Rindfuss.

With the pressure of pitching over…

…these investment fund teams will spend the next six months implementing their strategies.

Berkeley MBA Students Escape from Alcatraz

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By Guest Blogger Dennis Ducro, MBA 13

As happens so often in business school, an ordinary conversation can lead to great adventures and impact. When Federico Acabbi, MBA 12, mentioned he had heard stories of an Alcatraz Crossing swim,  I took the hint.

As co-president of Redwoods at Haas, I work to bring the natural beauty of California closer to our MBA students, and to challenge them. This event fit into Redwoods’ calendar, and the first edition of “Haas Escapes from Alcatraz” was born. It promised not become a walk in the park…the Bay is extremely cold, the currents are strong, and the island lays 1.5 miles out in the open water.

Eighteen MBA students immediately signed up for the challenge, and the team could be spotted regularly in the swimming pools on campus in the months preceding the event. Both amateur and former professional swimmers had made this their goal for the end of the academic year, before heading out to internships and full-time roles.

On Sunday April 29, at 6:45am, the time had come! The team boarded a boat that brought them to a deserted Alcatraz Island, and at 7:00am they jumped in the water! Classmates, a gorgeous sunrise, and views of the impressive Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco accompanied the students during their swim. Their white caps read: “No One escapes?! Challenge the Status Quo!” referring with a smile to one of the four principles that define Berkeley-Haas.

All of us made it to shore, and the supportive community that had showed up to cheer could read a great sense of achievement from the exhausted, but happy faces. Two students even swam without any wetsuit, which is truly unbelievable since the thermometer indicated 51F for the water. The shower, sauna, and brunch with friends were well deserved (as was the afternoon nap).

Top row left to right–Julie Miller, Sebastiaan Verhaar, Hans Lintermans, Dennis Ducro, Federico Acabbi, Mark Stolze, Brandon Piper, Bernie Murphy, Gene Boyle.; Two in the middle–Tycho Moencks and Ismael Ghozael;Bottom row left to right–Gustavo Ribeiro, Suresh Krishnamoorthy, Boris Kopinitsch, Jaime Szigethi, Dan Stotts, Ariel Dekovic

Look out for next year’s edition!

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

Vetted

Dan Kanivas (right), MBA 12, with Lt. Col. Eric Kail, his battalion commander in Korea

Joel Gutierrez, of the Berkeley-Columbia Executive MBA Program, says his military experience has given him the ability to “tolerate a lot of multiple tasks and prioritize,” as well as “a great sense of humor to lighten the atmosphere when things get tense.” Gutierrez, BCEMBA 12, is one of a group of veterans at Berkeley-Haas with not only combat training  in common, but an interest in rounding out leadership skills they’ve honed in the military with those they are gaining in Berkeley MBA programs.

Blake Coleman, of the Evening & Weekend MBA Program, just returned from a flying trip for the Navy, and says Haas has “greatly broadened my spectrum of experiences.”

“The business-school approach to problem-solving often comes from a very different angle than the rigid approach taken by the military,” explains Coleman, MBA 13. In his Equity Valuation and Negotiation classes, for example, he has learned a more flexible approach to problem-solving and, particularly from Negotiations, that many problems have multiple solutions. As a military aviation man, Coleman feels he brings a mindset of having a goal, being objective, and “attacking the complex questions posed in class.”

Dan Kanivas, MBA 12, is finding that his U.S. Army background, including the time he spent in Korea and Iraq, is helping him find his leadership style. “The most effective leaders in the Army did not rule with an iron fist and they were well liked,” Kanivas (pictured above) says. “Even in the Army, you would invite dissent. But then, once the decision was made, everyone had to march to that step and follow along.”

Kanivas was a summer intern for the Prudential Capital Group in San Francisco, and even though there is no direct connection between fixed-income investing and the military, Kanivas says, “the interpersonal skills I learned in the Army are huge. You have to convince the customers to trust us and our team.”

All appreciate the welcome they’ve found at Berkeley-Haas. “Veterans need to know that UC Berkeley, and especially Haas, are very receptive to veterans and the military,”says Gutierrez.

A number of the vets connect through the Haas Veteran’s Club, which recently participated in a panel with undergraduate veterans to discuss the graduate application process. The club hopes to soon bring its 30 members together in a mixer with Berkeley Law veterans.

As for what veterans bring to Berkeley-Haas, Dean Lyons reflects on how those who bring the military spirit of service to their studies align well with the school’s four defining principles: Question the Status Quo, Confidence Without Attitude, Beyond Yourself, and Students Always.

Diversity Boost at Berkeley Haas

The Consortium's entering Berkeley-Haas MBA class, along with staff from Admissions and Career Services

An even more diverse group of students will hone their leadership skills in the Full-time Berkeley MBA Program this year, thanks to the Haas School rejoining The Consortium for Graduate Study in Management.

This year’s entering full-time MBA class was the first to apply since Berkeley-Haas re-entered The Consortium in March 2010. Applications from under-represented minorities for the class of 2013 jumped 44 percent and the percentage of under-represented minorities enrolled nearly doubled to 9.6 percent of the class—the highest percentage in recent years.

The Consortium is an alliance of top U.S. business schools and corporations aimed at fostering diversity among graduate business students and corporate leaders. Berkeley-Haas re-gained membership after an expansion to The Consortium’s mission allowed the school to join and still be in compliance with California State Proposition 209.

Three members of the entering class are serving as liaisons to the Consortium: Amara Aigbedion, Samir Das, and Benny Du. Aigbedion says the strong network is just one of the benefits realized so far. “The opportunity to be a part of this network of talented, like-minded, and genuinely warm-hearted people has a value beyond measure,” she says.  As a liaison, Aigbedion will represent the Berkeley MBA Program to prospective students and hopes to bring awareness of Berkeley-Haas to more minorities by reaching out to other MBA organizations and networks.

Du learned of the Consortium while mentoring underprivileged high school students in Los Angeles as a Riordan Fellow, teaching them the importance of financial literacy and business leadership. “Being a member of the Consortium has been an amazing experience,” he says. “We got to work closely with advisers from the Career Management Group in preparing for the OP (summer orientation) in Minneapolis, where I met and networked with many of the corporate sponsors and even got a few interviews for internship opportunities next summer.”  Du looks forward to working with the different affinity student groups and the MBAA’s VP of diversity “in ensuring that the entire Haas community will play a key role in advancing the Consortium’s mission.”

MBA Internships: San Francisco Unified School District

(L. to R.) German Freiwald with Paul Perry, MPP 11, Moritz Plischke, and Bruce Dos Santos, both MBA 12. Together they took first place in the 2011 Haas Education Leadership Case Competition.

Student: German Freiwald, MBA 12

Interning with: San Francisco Unified School District, San Francisco, CA

Thrilled to be with SFUSD because: “I get to work on projects which have a direct impact on children.”

Can’t believe he’s getting the chance to: Use his data analysis skills to help SFUSD make strategic management decisions. “All of my work leads to the district utilizing their resources as efficiently as possible so that we are better able to close the opportunity gap for children.”

Already he’s learned: “How to ask the right questions, use data to drive decision making, and influence the strategy of the Early Education Department.”

Advancing career goals by: Learning how districts are run and getting access to all of the key decision makers. “It is a very resource constrained and complex environment that demands the best of me everyday. As someone that wants to work in education, this internship is providing me with invaluable perspective on the challenges urban school districts face.”

Who makes you proud to be Berkeley-Haas? Tell us in the comments below or share your stories with vgilbert@haas.berkeley.edu.

MBA Internships: Visa

Student: Amy Josephson, MBA 12

Interning with: Visa Inc, Foster City, CA

Thrilled to be with Visa because: It’s “a major global brand with tons of interesting areas to focus on as a marketer– from global brand strategy to Olympics sponsorship to innovative new payment solutions in the mobile and eCommerce space. “

Can’t believe she’s getting the chance to: Get exposure to the CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) through intern executive breakfasts and project presentations with her team.

Already she’s learned: “How to prep a building for painting!” (through a Visa Volunteers day at a local elementary school.) She’s also gained good strategic frameworks for product marketing.

Advancing career goals by: “Applying strategic thinking to marketing in a way I haven’t done before.”

Who makes you proud to be Berkeley-Haas? Tell us in the comments below or share your stories with vgilbert@haas.berkeley.edu.