The jump in both median base salary and median base salary plus signing bonus for the class of 2024 was impressive. For last year’s graduates, the median base salary rose to $175,000, with signing bonuses raising the median total compensation to $205,000, which is the highest median compensation in the school’s history. Notably, this class saw an impressive 175% increase in mean salary upon graduation compared to mean salary at the outset of the program.

“We are incredibly proud of the exceptional career success our MBA students have achieved once again this year,” says Brian Mitchell, associate dean of full-time MBA programs. “Their ability to secure some of the most coveted roles in dynamic and fast-growing sectors speaks volumes about the caliber of our highly engaged students, our remarkable faculty, and the dedication of our outstanding career services professionals. Even in a challenging year, these achievements highlight the value of Goizueta’s rigorous curriculum, expansive professional network, and the wealth of student-centered resources available to support our students.”

Diverse Career Paths Across Industries

Graduates from the Class of 2024 secured roles across a variety of functions, underscoring the program’s versatility in preparing graduates for success across industries. Employment by function includes:

• + 43% Consulting
• + 24% Finance
• + 14% Marketing/Sales
• + 13% General Management

Other fields, such as analytics, information technology, and real estate, also attracted Goizueta talent.

A Strong Network Drives Success

Goizueta’s collaborative culture and robust support systems continue to play a pivotal role in student success. Notably, 76% of accepted offers came from school-facilitated sources. The program’s continued success in facilitating internship and full-time employment offers reflects its dedication to providing resources and connections that empower students to secure meaningful roles aligned with their goals.

Mitchell is not alone in holding the Class of 2024 in high esteem. Maureen Manion-Leone, associate dean and executive director of the Graduate Career Management Center, shares her pride in the outgoing class.

“Our Goizueta students have demonstrated remarkable resiliency in the 2024 job market, securing diverse roles in various sectors,” says Manion-Leone. “We are pleased that job offers were strong for our students at the 3-month mark and jumped considerably at the 6-month mark. They have exhibited resilience in the face of market challenges, finding opportunities that align with their career goals. We are excited to interact with them as our newest alumni.”

Top Employers Recruiting Goizueta Talent

This year’s hiring companies represent a mix of global giants and industry leaders, including:

• + Amazon
• + American Express
• + Bain & Company
• + Bank of America
• + Boston Consulting Group (BCG)
• + Deloitte Consulting
• + Delta Air Lines
• + EY Consulting
• + JPMorgan Chase & Co
• + Lowe’s Companies
• + Microsoft Corporation
• + Morgan Stanley
• + PepsiCo
• + PwC
• + The Home Depot
• + TikTok
• + UPS
• + Walmart

These companies underscore the high caliber of Goizueta graduates and the value they bring to organizations worldwide.

Learn more about the only top-20 full-time MBA that delivers an intimate learning environment in a global U.S. city.

The post 2024 MBA Employment Report: The Future Remains Bright for Goizueta MBA Graduates appeared first on EmoryBusiness.com.

“I was just thinking to myself, ‘There’s nothing you can do to make me leave here,’” he says. “It was an out of body experience to watch that magic happen.”

Watching rehearsals is one of Kovac’s favorite perks of his job as the Recording Academy’s chief of staff. He says nothing compares to the unfiltered beauty of artists preparing to share their art with the world on music’s biggest night. “You see musicians who have been in this business for decades still fine tuning songs and playing around with things.”

It has, too, taken him years to perfect his craft as a business professional.

An Entrepreneurial Education and a Background in Business

Emory was the first university Kovac visited on his tour of colleges. He appreciated its fantastic facilities and the unlikelihood of snow. And, after meeting some students who offered to show him around, Emory quickly climbed to the top of his list.

It wasn’t just southern hospitality, it was Emory’s version of it. I left there thinking, ‘This place is incredible.’

Michael Kovac

Kovac pursued a business degree in entrepreneurship and decision information analysis while in the BBA program at Goizueta. He reflects that Goizueta was ahead of its time in offering such a program. Kovac says he has always been curious about what data exists and what story it tells. Now, many businesses strive toward data-driven decision making—a skill that has served him at every job in his career.

After graduating, Kovac worked in consulting for Deloitte and later Sony Pictures Entertainment. After a few years and lots of traveling, he decided he wanted a creative outlet. He was specifically looking for one that would allow him to tap into his love of photography. A gig with Getty Images allowed him to do just that. Kovac was a consultant by day, and an entertainment photographer by night.

After years of shooting various events, premieres, and red carpets in Los Angeles, Kovac developed a relationship with the Recording Academy. His knowledge of the Academy proved beneficial when he had the opportunity to meet then-Interim CEO Harvey Mason Jr.. He was looking to build a team to transform and level up the 65-year-old organization. Mason Jr. brought Kovac on board in March 2020, at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, to help him realize his vision.

Beyond the GRAMMYs: A Mission in Music

Kovac’s first order of business was to help marshal the Academy’s efforts to support its charitable arm, MusiCares. In just a few months, with the MusiCares chair, Steve Boom, the organization raised and distributed more than $37.5 million to music individuals in need.

“We’re best known for the GRAMMYs—three and a half hours a year—but during those other 364 days a year, the Recording Academy is a busy mission-driven organization,” Kovac says.

Since we arrived, in our DNA is a very strong bias for action. We support music and the people who make it because we know the value and power of music and what it means to the world. I don’t know if there’s a better job than that.

Michael Kovac

In addition to MusiCares, the Academy has an educational focus through the GRAMMY Museum and GRAMMY U, a program that helps develop the next generation of music creators and professionals. Through their advocacy department in Washington, Kovac says they are also actively working to restore artistic protection with the RAP Act, championing creators, and fighting for the well-being and lives of those in the industry.

Kovac says each day that he strives to amplify the power of music and that he and his team consider: How can we do more? How can we be better?

“The Recording Academy’s role is to be in service to the music community and to recognize excellence, and that’s what we get to do every day,” Kovac says. “I hope to help grow our mission and to be able to serve more people—a more diverse, global base of people. Music transcends borders, and it brings people together. It helps us understand each other better. Through music, we are doing the work to make this world a better place.”

Interested in pursuing a business degree? Learn more about the unique programs Goizueta has to offer.

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For some, thoughts of artificial intelligence, doom and gloom, or robots taking over the world might come to mind. After all, it’s the age of generative AI—a seemingly magical technology that can create artwork, write papers, or build code—all within seconds.

Where do humans fit in?

Goizueta Business School graduates fit in everywhere. The future of work is an exciting prospect, and they are ready for it. These workers of the future are embracing their passions and pursuing multiple careers, making business decisions for the betterment of society, leveraging technology to enhance their
skills, and learning how to lead dispersed, remote teams.

Goizueta graduates don’t fear the future. They embrace it.

The Value of High-Tech Skills

“Technology is what it is, and we have to keep up with it and be familiar with the latest tools, but at the end of the day, the theory is a theory. [We] know the underlying math that goes into AI and that enables us to make informed decisions that will eventually make an impact on whatever project we’re working on,” says Sebastian Peña 19BBA 20MSBA, a management consultant for Accenture.

Recently, Peña faced having to write JavaScript, a language he doesn’t know, for a client. He planned on taking a course, but with the popularity of generative AI (like ChatGPT), Peña decided to turn to tech. Armed with a basic understanding of how to write code, Peña leveraged AI to fill in the gaps. A task that would have taken Peña several weeks took an hour.

Being a worker of the future means utilizing available tools to amplify your existing skills, he says.

“It’s easy to imagine a dystopian future, where most jobs are automated and workers disappear, but I think our students today are equipped to imagine a future where technology instead enables more prosperity and sustainability,” says Wes Longhofer, associate professor of organization and management, associate professor of sociology (by courtesy), and executive academic director of Goizueta’s Business & Society Institute. “If they can imagine it, then they can create it.”

Gathering the Data Points of Your Career

Research shows that younger generations find job-hopping beneficial. Multiple careers are—and will continue to be—the norm. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics found that, in September 2022, employees stayed with their current jobs an average of four years. This is especially true for younger generations.

Urvi Bhandari 99BBA 06MBA has no problem admitting that many of her career choices were directly tied to what was going on in her personal life at the time. That’s not to say her decisions weren’t driven by her professional aspirations. But they were equally tied to what was best for her, whether it was working for AT&T, The Coca-Cola Company, IBM, or Walmart—or being a nomad while in her executive roles.

“I want people to understand that life matters,” says Urvi, executive career coach and co-founder of peppercorn.ai.

The premise of Peppercorn.ai is to remove resumes from the equation and focus on the candidate. Rather than having prospective employees mold their story to fit a job description, the platform revolves around supporting the candidate to have clarity and confidence in their journey.

“We make business decisions with data points. Why don’t we make decisions for ourselves based on data points?” argues Urvi. “The world is changing. There is no one way to approach a career.’”

“Workers of the future are no longer going to be doing things because ‘that’s what the path is.’ There is no path,” Urvi continues. “People are making their own paths by taking control of articulating who they are, knowing where they’re going, and marketing what they offer.”

Forward Facing: How Business and Society Can (and Should) Mingle

Longhofer has nothing but optimism for the workers of the future and what they can accomplish for businesses—and for society.

Generation Z values a business’s societal and cultural impact, sometimes over salary and benefits, according to research by Deloitte. A vast majority (77 percent) of respondents cited social activism, and the evidence of it, as a high priority when deciding whether to work for a company. Workers of the future want companies with good values and ethics and a commitment to confronting societal issues, such as sustainability, climate change, and hunger.

As technology and AI advance at an unprecedented pace, workers of the future will be the ones who remind us that human flourishing and planetary survival are still essential.

Wes Longhofer

Workers of the future will have to combine their analytical and technological skills with creative solutions to address business needs. “It’s not enough to optimize your supply chain for peak efficiency. You also need to embed human rights into it and report your scope 3 emissions,” says Longhofer.

As complex as these challenges might sound, students at Goizueta are already rising to the occasion. The Business & Society Institute embeds this system-thinking approach into classes, experiential learning, global modules, directed studies, clubs, conferences, and case competitions. Students are being introduced to climate change and inequality. They’re given ample opportunities—in a variety of formats—to put their skills to the test in safe, supported environments before bringing their knowledge and ideas to their future companies.

The Power of People Skills

Workers of the future need not only the technical skills learned in class, but also soft skills. Whether a company conducts business in person or operates remotely, leaders of today and tomorrow must know how to lead through a screen and across time zones.

“The human factor of leading becomes increasingly important in a complex, uncertain, and volatile world where you’re not just leading in person anymore,” says Lieutenant General USA (Ret.) Ken Keen, associate dean for leadership and associate professor in the practice of organization and management.

As technology continues to advance, managers and executives must also know how to lead those whose technical knowledge surpasses their own. Whether you’re the chief financial officer or chief operating officer, you must know how to lead a league of people with varying skill levels.

“Every business is a people business,” says Brian Mitchell, associate dean of the Full-Time MBA programs and Goizueta Global Strategy and Initiatives. “You have to be able to relate to people and be relatable. A great leader cannot lead one way and expect everyone else to conform. They have to be able to manage many different work styles and personalities.”

Adapting to the Shifting Landscape

In addition to learning how to manage across styles and personalities, growth is key. That’s where continued education comes into play, shares Nicola Barrett, Goizueta’s chief corporate learning officer. “Changes in both technology and societal expectations require anyone in business to adopt new skills, approaches, and mindsets. They must become digitally fluent and to re-create their playbook to see, design, and unlock new growth opportunities. Emory Executive Education works with organizations and their professionals to develop these critical capabilities to catalyze new growth possibilities.”

Goizueta’s leadership is also constantly reviewing and tweaking its programs. The undergraduate BBA program, led by Andrea Hershatter, senior associate dean of undergraduate education and associate professor in the practice of organization and management, launched adjustments following a deep review in order to remain relevant to the latest scholarly research, recruiter and business needs, and alumni feedback.

“The revised curriculum enhances our ability to equip our students for an increasingly data-driven world in which the outcomes of business decisions are multifaceted and far-reaching. It simultaneously helps us build our student competencies and address their desire to create individualized and customized academic experiences,” says Hershatter.

The school’s highly ranked MBA program is next. One of the focus areas of the review is enhancing the global nature of the program, more deeply weaving experiential learning into the curriculum, rather than treating such opportunities as optional additions to the standard MBA track. 

“So much of the work of the future is going to happen irrespective of borders,” shares Mitchell. “Workers of the future are going to be global by definition.”

Gaining Global Perspectives

For Evan Lyons 22MBA, being global is inherent. Lyons learned to walk in England, and played soccer in Brazil as a teenager. He participated in an exchange program, then internship in France, and met his wife in Mexico. He can speak English, French, and Spanish fluently and has a working knowledge of German and Portuguese.

Lyons found immense value from his global experiences when he owned his own consulting company. He now uses that experience in his job as an investment banker for Bank of America. Lyon tries to begin meetings in the language of the country he’s in. He always downloads the local holiday calendar to be aware of how the area’s cultural traditions might impact workflow.

MBA graduates and workers of the future have to understand the global perspective because most major companies are global. If you want to rise up in any organization in any industry, you have to be able to understand where the company is playing, how to build relationships across cultures, and develop strategies that can flex and work in other places.

Evan Lyons 22 MBA

This diverse perspective—and the willingness to meet people where they are—builds relationships and strengthens leadership skills. Both of these are critical skills for workers of the future.

“The future is now for all of these things. They’re incremental steps. They are small innovations that lead to big innovations and big changes,” says Lyons. “The workers of tomorrow, the leaders of the future, they are in the workplace today.”

Interested in pursuing a business degree? Learn more about the unique programs Goizueta has to offer.

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But she doesn’t play basketball: She’s the vice president of partner management and operations lead for the NBA’s global partnerships group.

Cohen credits two things with the stability and tenure she’s enjoyed at the NBA: the people she works with and her opportunities to change roles every few years.

“I’m somebody who likes a challenge. I never want to be complacent. As I’ve gotten to know my organization, I either ask for new responsibilities every couple of years or they’re given to me,” says Cohen. “I also work with fantastic, motivated, smart, passionate people who love what they do, love the company, and love to do good. It’s not always easy to find an organization where you love the people and you can keep your head up and say you’re proud to work there.”

Cohen was an athlete growing up; she even played soccer for Emory University during her freshman year. During her senior year in Goizueta Business School’s BBA program, the NBA came to campus to conduct interviews with potential hires. Cohen applied—and received a job offer just days after graduation.

“Never in a million years did I think I’d be sitting at the NBA 23 years after graduating from Emory and be vice president,” she says. “I’m proud of that. I don’t think it’s been an easy ride, but I’ve been very fortunate along the way.”

Cohen began her career at the NBA in retail marketing, before working in team marketing and business operations, then entering the global partnerships side of the business, where she’s been for the past decade. Cohen has traveled the world with the league, which she jokes has been the adult version of studying abroad.

Her career highlight and most challenging experience to date was while she worked abroad in London, as the director of global marketing partnerships. It was 2012, the year of the London Olympics, and Cohen and her team had to host a 10-day, free event creating an immersive NBA experience for patrons in addition to supporting a special VIP section for their global partners.

The planning and execution might have been grueling, but the result of her efforts—the NBA House—has since become a model the company has replicated at events like the 2016 Olympics in Rio and the FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain.

“It’s become a living, breathing brand that started with us in London,” says Cohen. “It was a rewarding experience to see something you worked on become a legacy that lives on.”

In her current role, Cohen relishes the unpredictability of her days. Though they usually all begin with meetings, she says that the rest of the day never goes according to plan—and she loves it.

“I’m a people-person, and I love to be a problem-solver. Now where I sit, being more of a strategic leader, I tend to get pulled in when we need to come up with an idea that’s going to satisfy a partner or we need to figure out a solution,” explains Cohen.

I really love that aspect of my job. I love being able to ideate with people about ways we can think differently, do differently, and try to have fun doing it.

Lauren Cohen

When she’s not in meetings or mediating to ensure her clients are happy, Cohen actively gives back to Goizueta Business School as a member of the alumni network. The piece of advice she shares most readily with job-seekers: Be in control of your career and life narrative. Networking can only go so far; it’s up to you to continue to reach out, to maintain that connection, and to ask for help, she says.

“As a hiring manager, when I look at a resume, I want to try to understand the person’s story, and then when I interview them, I want to see how they craft their story,” says Cohen. “I want to understand how someone can contribute and make an impact.”

Cohen fondly recalls her Entrepreneurship class with now Senior Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education Andrea Hershatter as well as the ever-critical skills of creating a profit-loss statement or working effectively in group projects.

“Goizueta definitely gives you a great foundation,” says Cohen. “I now appreciate the format of the program and the professors encouraging us to do semester-long team projects. So much of that model is what I do in my day-to-day job.”

Interested in pursuing a business degree? Learn more about the unique programs Goizueta has to offer.

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“I am ambitious,” Genie says. “I always want to know more.” 

Originally from Honduras, Genie sought out an undergraduate education at Georgetown University, diversifying her studies with majors in marketing and management and a minor in theology. She spent semesters abroad in Hong Kong and Barcelona. 

After traveling to Japan for a post-graduation trip, Genie worked at a cybersecurity firm in San Francisco. Then, after a year in California, she relocated to Mexico City to help build the company’s Mexico office. After six months in Mexico, Genie returned to her Honduran family business, Henie Farma, a pharmaceutical company founded by her father and grandfather that manufactures and distributes branded generic medications. 

Genie created and manages Henie’s marketing department, transforming the business from largely door-to-door sales by creating more focused marketing strategies and digitizing company processes. 

“I brought my knowledge of common U.S. business practices, technologies, and tools back home,” she says. 

A Small Class Packs a Big Punch

After Genie got married, she honeymooned in South Africa before moving to Atlanta—six minutes from Emory’s campus. She always imagined earning her MBA but didn’t know when she would return to school. After seeing Emory around town, she decided to apply. 

“I want to have bigger oversight of the family business,” Genie says. “I want to learn more about operation, strategy and management. Because I specialized in marketing, and that’s what I’ve practiced throughout my career, I became pigeonholed into marketing. I want to gain more experience in other mindsets.” 

Now several months into Goizueta’s One-year MBA, Genie reflects that the program is intense, but her 42-person class feels intimate. 

My class is half international, half American, so you can just imagine the difference in perspectives and cultures. It’s not only what you learn in the classroom, but what you learn from your classmates. 

Maria Fernanda Genie

“The professors know your name, where you’re from, what you want to do, so they tailor the information,” Genie says.

Global Ambitions

Genie says Henie Farma has a lot of opportunities for growth. One of her aspirations is to expand the company to include a skincare line. 

Genie will continue to work for the company remotely from Atlanta—taking any chance to travel back home or elsewhere. 

“I like to learn about different cultures, and the best way to do that is traveling—eating from different cultures, talking to people about their cultures,” Genie says.  

So far, Genie has visited 38 countries, and says India and Korea are next, after having met several Emory peers from the two countries. 

Her involvement with the family business alone will keep her moving. 

“Our medicines are manufactured in Honduras, but really the only part that’s Honduran is labor,” she says. “Pretty much everything else is from a different part of the world. Our supply chain is extremely global. There’s always traveling in business.” 

Whether you’re looking to accelerate your career or make a career pivot, our full-time One-Year MBA and Two-Year MBA programs and part-time Evening MBA and Executive MBA programs, prepare you to challenge business as usual and become the innovators who disrupt it. Learn more here. 

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While enrolled in Goizueta’s two-year MBA program, Rao says his motto was “I’ll sleep in May 2008”—the month he was set to his graduate. Rao sunk his teeth into anything he thought would give him a well-rounded experience, even if that meant staying up late to finish his coursework and readings. Looking back on his time, Rao recalls making it to all but one KEGS in the Courtyard, the Goizueta Advanced Leadership Academy sailing trip in the British Virgin Islands, and a trip to China where he and peers learned how business is conducted in the country.

His latest venture is Smart Studio, a software startup that streamlines business tools and processes used by the fitness and personal training industry. Rao says he hasn’t had one boring day since he conceived the company in 2020.

Taking a Different Path

Rao originally earned a Bachelor of Engineering degree from the University of Mumbai in 2000 and had plans to pursue a Master of Science degree, before a chance encounter set him down a different path entirely. While attending a trade fair, Rao met the CEO of the German company, SEMIKRON, who offered him a rotational management job. Interested in trying something different, Rao accepted. He spent a couple of years working in Germany and another three years in France. At the end of his time with the company, Rao realized business–rather than engineering—was the path for him.

Rao discovered Goizueta Business School while looking at two-year MBA programs at schools in the United States. He soon connected with Goizueta’s program office—which introduced him in turn to some of the school’s faculty, students, and alumni. He knew then it was the right fit.

“I came to Emory in 2006, and there’s been no looking back,” Rao says.

The professors helped me fundamentally change the way I think about solving problems. I learned a lot during those two years, which I still use 15 years later. It completely changed my career path.

Aditya Rao

After graduating, Rao worked on mergers and acquisitions consulting projects at Deloitte, until he found something that interested him enough to leave: BLAST, a startup that provides wellness and fitness services. Rao helped set up the company to scale, and during his time there, he noticed the technology used by many fitness businesses was antiquated and clunky—enter Smart Studio.

Rao says Smart Studio has had to pivot a few times since its founding almost four years ago, largely due to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the software has grown significantly across the country. Most recently, they partnered with the Atlanta BeltLine. Fitness trainers use Smart Studio to manage their classes along the BeltLine and collect attendance data, which allows the BeltLine to better understand attendee demographics.

“Seeing this come to fruition and have people use it and say, ‘This is making my life easier,’ is very satisfying to see,” Rao says. “It is helping people in the way we envisioned it would.”

He says they are in talks about expanding Smart Studio into a smart suite of general event management products that would cover non-fitness programming on the BeltLine, such as public meetings and art events.

Rao’s team plans to roll out new services, too, including a consolidated calendar, a peer benchmark function that shows how a business compares to the average of its kind in a given area, and a single sign-on that allows users to use one profile for all fitness studios that use Smart Studio.

It Takes a Village

While at Goizueta, Rao says he received guidance from generous alumni on topics ranging from how to navigate the job search to how to navigate friendships. He says  support from the Emory network has been just as strong since he graduated.

“At every step of the way, I’ve had someone associated with Emory helping me out,” Rao says.

Some of my professors are still my mentors today. I’ve had help from Emory alumni, current Emory students, friends, and advisors who are tied to the school. The Emory network is powerful.

Aditya Rao

Wanting to pay it forward, Rao joined the Goizueta Alumni Board in 2012, and served as its president from 2018-2020. He is an active supporter and mentor of the START:ME Accelerator and the current president of the Emory Entrepreneurship Network.

His favorite piece of advice is, “You’ve got to do things that excite you.” It’s a note he applies not just to his professional life, but his personal life, too.

In addition to his entrepreneurial endeavors, Rao is a hiking and camping enthusiast, certified scuba diver and sailor, and an aspiring mixologist. His signature smoky bourbon-soaked oak chip old fashioned serves as a testament to Rao’s knack for blending the perfect mix—whether it’s an innovative business solution or a cocktail behind the bar.

Interested in learning more? Find out how the Goizueta MBA takes students beyond business as usual. 

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Doshi grew up in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India, with an endless interest in sustainability. Her mother set a strong example early on. When shelearned how harmful silk production was to the environment, she immediately scrapped all silk products her company was developing and pivoted to khadi, a sustainable hand-spun and woven natural fiber, despite her clientele’s expectations.

Doshi learned an important tenet of entrepreneurship from her mother: “You need to take risks to do well.” Doshi continues, “Switching to sustainable materials was a big risk for my mother’s business, but afterward, her company grew at an exponential rate. I really admire that.”

In high school, Doshi accepted a position as a research intern with InnovateGreen Technologies, where she dove deeper into the world of sustainability. Daily tasks included researching sustainable technology solutions that could be implemented in day-to-day products and studying the harmful impacts of production processes on the environment. It wasn’t long before she decided she was ready to do more with her newfound knowledge.

Turning Trash into Treasure

Textile waste was the first thing that came to mind. Despite Doshi’s mother’s sustainable practices, there were still plenty of scraps from her fashion designs lying about. A conversation with an enthusiastic local mentor with experience in NGO management led Doshi to focus her efforts on developing a line of basic household products, and thus, The Unwanted was born. Today, The Unwanted produces everything from lamps and rugs to dusters and luggage tags using textile waste and biodegradable raw materials, as well as all sustainable practices.

Since its inception, The Unwanted has employed more than 100 underprivileged women living in impoverished areas in India. Many of these women are involuntarily unemployed due to a lack of opportunities, but The Unwanted meets them where they are by setting up operations in local recreation areas and providing complementary training.

Innovation is at the core of Doshi’s work. She’s accustomed to using what she has around her. A unique selling point of her company is the individuality of each product; textile waste, after all, is not uniform. Rather than seeing this as a weakness, Doshi rebranded it as a strength.

In 2022, Doshi made the Atlanta Inno 25 Under 25 list. When asked what the honor means to her, Doshi says, “It’s a big recognition, both for me and for the women I employ. Moments like this make me realize how no good act goes to waste. Even small-scale projects like mine make an impact.”

Interested in pursuing a business degree? Learn more about the unique programs Goizueta has to offer.

The post Meet Preity Doshi: From Fashion Inspiration to Sustainable Innovation appeared first on EmoryBusiness.com.

When Garcia arrived as executive director of Jardín Botánico de Medellín in 2020, the botanical garden was facing a financial crisis brought on by the pandemic. She knew she had to tell her staff they were in trouble.

The garden’s communications team suggested creating a video to send to employees, conducting a live stream from Garcia’s office, or holding a meeting that would not allow questions. She turned down all of these suggestions.

Garcia vowed to act authentically to preserve the trust of the garden’s employees. In return, 89 percent of them pledged to donate part of their salary to the botanical foundation.

I said ‘I want to meet with our people. I need to talk to our people and let them ask questions.’ And my team said, ‘What if you don’t know the answers?’ I said ‘I’m not going to know the answers, and I’m going to tell them that, because that’s the vulnerability of our leadership.’

Claudia Garcia

“We pay 25 percent above the legal minimum wage, and we had people saying I will donate 30 percent of my salary. We had to come out with a policy saying no one can donate more than 10 percent of their salary,” Garcia says. “We have such a clear purpose that people feel so proud about working at the botanical garden that they didn’t hesitate to donate their salaries.”

Jardín Botánico de Medellín is the second largest botanical garden in Colombia, with more than 500 employees. The garden is a scientific institution that conducts conservation research, educates stakeholders about Colombia’s biodiversity, and provides the city with forestry and landscaping needs.

Before she took on her current position, Garcia worked as human resources director of Grupo SURA while enrolled in Goizueta Business School’s Executive MBA program. She had learned of Emory University during one of her early jobs as the executive director of an insurance company in Colombia, where Garcia helped organize sponsorships for talented potential professionals to access master’s degrees abroad.

Garcia says Goizueta allowed her to grow personally and professionally through exposure to diverse cultures and points of view among her peers and professors. “The type of questions, the type of classes, the interaction that you have with your classmates is very, very rich at Emory.”

Blossoming Among Thorns

Even with the toolbox of skills she picked up from her previous positions and her Emory education, Garcia says her work at the botanical garden has been her biggest professional challenge to date.

In 2019, the garden had a contract with the municipality for around $5 million, which represented 80 percent of their income. In 2021, their contract was reduced to $1.5 million, leaving the garden financially strained. In addition to speaking with stockholders, bringing on more clients, and sourcing additonal grants, the garden had to eliminate 44 positions.

Garcia said this downsizing was the one of the darkest moments of her career, however, the way she dealt with it became one of her proudest triumphs.

“We parted with these employees with a lot of respect,” she says. “We gave each of the 44 people a letter of recommendation so they could apply to different jobs. One month after that, 90 percent of the people that we had laid off had a job—and we’re talking about 2020: in the middle of a pandemic. The next week, they were visiting the garden and having lunch with us.”

Recently, Medellín’s city council held a debate about the relationship between the city and the botanical garden. Garcia said they used the eight-hour meeting as an opportunity to amplify the garden’s impact and its purpose to conserve biodiversity and protect plant life. Following this meeting, they secured a $4 million contract.

“We’re not in a wealthy part of Colombia. My neighbors are not rich,” Garcia says. “Having this institution in this part of the city and interacting with my neighbors is a privilege that I cherish. I’m driven by the ability and opportunity to touch, teach, and learn from people.”

In Goizueta’s Executive MBA program, you’ll develop the leadership skills necessary to forge your own path. You’ll brush up on business foundations and go deep on business strategy concepts that apply to a broad range of industries, You’ll cultivate not only the knowledge needed to excel, but the confidence to put it into action. Learn more here.

The post Claudia Garcia’s Authentic Leadership Transforms Botanical Garden’s Fate appeared first on EmoryBusiness.com.

“Thirty years ago, people kept their pets outside,” Glattstein notes. Now, according to Bloomberg Intelligence, the global pet economy is projected to be worth $493 billion by 2030, up 54 percent from today’s number. With store aisles dedicated to pet treats, toys, clothing, and supplies, animal lovers increase household pet spending each year for pampering and medical care. 

“I didn’t come from the veterinary world, but I was fascinated by the industry,” Glattstein says. With professional experience in investment and private equity, a BBA from Goizueta, and an MBA from Wharton, he was ready to sit on the entrepreneur’s side of the table as a founder.

The way people treat their pets has dramatically changed in the last several decades. Pets now sleep in their human parents’ beds, eat organic food, and are treated like members of the family. But even with these shifting behaviors, how pets are treated at the vet, certainly at an emergency vet, hasn’t really changed.

David Glattstein 04BBA

Partnering with founder and CEO David Bessler, VMD, the team conceived a new holistic standard of veterinary emergency care. The model developed after implementation through a single hospital. As noted on the company website, “Pets would be treated like people and pet parents like human beings.” Glattstein explains, “We set out to create a completely different veterinary ER experience.”

Veterinary Emergency Group now owns 53 emergency veterinary hospitals across the country, open 24/7, 365 days a year, with more than 3,500 employees and medical personnel affectionately called VEGgies. The company earns more than $500 million in revenue and is backed by Sequoia Heritage. Glattstein sees extensive future growth for the VEG model of care, setting sights on 500 nationwide hospitals in just a few years. “We’re just getting started.”

The road to success began with extensive research. Glattstein recognized the need for innovation and entrepreneurship in the veterinary industry. “I envisioned a reimagined veterinary business model that created a new environment for the stressful situations that surround emergency medical care for beloved family pets. Our pets are family,” he says. “We know that emergencies are frightening, so we created a completely new, inclusive experience to offer comfort to family members and their animals.”

Veterinary Emergency Group facilities are revolutionary within the industry. Hospitals are open floor plan and families can choose to witness “healing-focused heroics” and participate in treatment. “We find a way to say yes to owner requests,” Glattstein explains, noting accommodations for families to bring comforts of home or stay overnight with their animals. “Our philosophy is to care for the person as much as the pet.”

Strong Brand Integrity Will Continue to Guide the VEGolution

While an undergrad student at Goizueta, Glattstein gained appreciation for the vital importance of critical branding, refined strategic goals, and powerful marketing.

Goizeuta laid the foundation for my desire to do something entrepreneurial. Everything I learned in the classroom, from marketing to finance to leadership, and everything I learned from my peers has made me a better executive.

David Glattstein

Success is reflected in the numbers, and penetrating a niche market has earned high praise for Veterinary Emergency Group. With an average Google score of 4.7 and a Net Promoter score of 91, customers consistently respond well to the company experience. In fact, more than 1 million pets and owners have been helped since inception.

David Schweidel, Rebecca Cheney McGreevy Endowed Chair and Professor of Marketing, notes that “From a marketing perspective, they are focused on pet owners who are the key decision makers for their pets. They’re putting it in terms that people can relate to. When you or I have an injury, we go to urgent care or to the ER. But where do you go for pets?” He adds, “You probably need to call around because you aren’t sure if your vet has emergency hours or the necessary equipment or facilities. VEG branding makes it crystal clear that if you have an emergency, you come to us.”

Reinforcing a strong brand comes as second nature to Glattstein. He reiterates the phrase that sums up the company business model. “Emergency is all we do, so we do it best.”

Immersion in entrepreneurship and innovation is central to Goizueta’s business education. The Roberto C. Goizueta Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation takes a multi-faceted approach to engage students and business owners through interaction with Entrepreneurs-in-Residence and ecosystem collaborators, Pitch the Professor events, the annual Emory Entrepreneurship Summit, focused coursework, a Startup Launch Accelerator, venture capital opportunities through the RAISE Forum and the Peachtree Minority Venture Fund, and other entrepreneurial programming. Learn more here.

Listen to more of the founders’ start-up story in the Authentically Successful podcast “Transparency Breeds Appreciation: David Glattstein & David Bessler.”

The post Meet David Glattstein: Changing the Game for Veterinary Emergency Care appeared first on EmoryBusiness.com.

Got some big options and a big, big noggin’

On the doorstep of where I wanna be, I’m knockin’

Fortune Favors the Bold

“Rapper” is probably not the first thing people think of when they imagine business school graduates, but then Isaac “4Point” Selby 21BBA—who is aware he doesn’t fit either mold of business graduate or rapper—is full of surprises. You’ll also notice that it’s difficult to speak to Selby without feeling inspired to strive for something bigger in your own life.

Selby’s journey began in high school in Seattle, after an injury derailed his routine high school baseball plans for the summer. With newfound time on his hands, he started experimenting with writing rap lyrics, an art form he’d always relished for its wit and lyricism.

When it comes to feeling out the right words, Selby lets his gut guide him: “you get some butterflies in your stomach. It’s exciting and it’s a little scary. It’s vulnerable and authentic. Like, ‘I know this is good, but I don’t know if I want to write this.’

The temptation is to erase it and go with something safer. But I’m learning that’s exactly the wrong way to interpret that. The universe is telling you this is where you need to be.

Isaac Selby

Fast forward a few years, and Selby has several singles on Spotify and performances under his belt, including opening for Latin Grammy-nominated rock band Making Movies in Seattle and a performance with Wanz, the Grammy-winning voice behind Macklemore’s “Thrift Shop.”

Change is Possible

Here’s another thing you’d never know about Selby from a first impression: Despite his finesse in the business sector and onstage, he battled social anxiety through high school and college.

“I was so insecure that looking at someone who I perceived as cooler than me, I would avert my eyes,” Selby confesses.

In his youth, Selby felt that the male role models occupying the cultural limelight presented a very narrow narrative of success and power. This didn’t leave a lot of room for authenticity, and left Selby feeling intimidated to be himself around others.

Though the public imagination conjures similarly stereotypical imagery of some of rap’s mainstream artists—muscle cars and massive yachts—a deeper dive into the genre reveals plenty of alternative storylines beyond “showboating” and Selby latched onto them.

There were rappers who were vulnerable…you could feel a piece of their soul through their music. It was important for me to discover these rappers, like, ‘this dude’s really himself, and he’s getting all the things that I want, it is possible, I can do this as me, I don’t have to become some stereotype of a successful person.

Isaac Selby

And yet, Selby still wanted to conquer that social fear.

Motivated by speakers like navy seal David Goggins, Selby decided it was time to lean into what terrified him, and he found an ideal environment to practice being somebody he wanted to become: a Goizueta sponsored study abroad trip to Spain. He made a pact with himself to challenge his anxiety head on, scaffolding the mission with baby steps. One night his goal was to make eye contact with strangers, and the next, he pushed himself to strike up conversation with them, progressively increasing the difficulty of his challenges until he felt the tenterhooks of anxiety slacken.

Naturally, one wonders how someone with any semblance of social anxiety can pour his soul into his words and let them loose before a live audience.

“I love performing, I always have,” says Selby, citing his childhood attraction to musicals and plays. Performing feels different; on stage, Selby says, you’re often a character, there’s “a layer between the judgment.” But it was harder to play the part of himself.

“The scariest thing is to share your art with your friends and your family…it’s way easier to do it with strangers.”

Selby is proud of the path he’s painstakingly forged to become the iteration of himself he yearned to be, yet he remains humble in acknowledging the privileges he’s enjoyed in his life that helped him get there. “I will never claim to have a crazy come up. I’m a very lucky guy. There are so many people who did much more impressive stuff, but this was my thing. I took action and overcame it, and it means a lot to me.” 

Business or Pleasure?

Business and art are frequently regarded as being at odds with one another, the former a pragmatic and material field entrenched in figures and quantifiable results, the latter a lofty and elusive pursuit that would never sully its hands with such clinical and corporate affairs.

Selby is not down with this dichotomy. “It sounds cheesy, but I really consider myself a life artist. That’s what I aspire to be. How does music relate to business? It’s all art, because life is art.

I think being an artist is an approach to life. Your process is to enhance the world in some way. If you’re a businessman, and you don’t care about the world, and you’re just copying what other people do to make a quick buck, you’re not an artist. If you’re an artist, and you don’t care about the world, and you’re just copying what other people do to make a quick buck, you’re not an artist. You might be singing or painting, but I don’t think you’re an artist.

Isaac Selby

Goizueta Graduate

Selby cites a music business course taught by Ben Yonas that was formative for him and expresses hope that the school continues to pour energy into this popular and evolving industry. He also credits his coursework in organization and management with Emily Bianchi for teaching him the psychology of how to be effective in teams, a field he finds fascinating and practically useful in both personal and professional arenas of life.

Charlie Goetz’s applied entrepreneurship course was another standout experience for Selby. In one memorable class, Goetz regaled the students with an episode from his days in the field. When meeting with a client over a meal, Goetz was trying to win her over for a sale when an especially dramatic gesticulation resulted in his drink spilling all over her. He gaped in horror at his dripping client. At this point, Goetz asked the class if they could guess what happened next.

“I don’t know how I knew, but I knew,” says Selby. “I raised my hand and I said, ‘you took her glass and you spilled it on yourself.’”

Selby was correct: Goetz grabbed her glass and he poured it over his head, a gesture that defeated the odds and saved both the day and his sale (if not his suit).

“That,” says Selby with reverence, “is a life artist. That’s some entrepreneurial spirit. That’s how I want to move in the business world.”

Make Art, Not Content: Authenticity is Required 

So what advice does Selby have for those of us who want to be out there on the literal or metaphorical stage? 

“Number one: Figure out what you’re doing it for, because it’s really hard,” says Selby, admitting he’d gotten the same advice and not believed it at the time. “It’s not just a cliche—it’s true. If you’re on a mission, you’ll be able to ride out the storms.”

Once you’ve figured out your mission, figure out who you’re trying to reach, and above all, “tell the truth, be authentic, especially when it’s scary,” says Selby. “Those people need to hear the truth. And for the people who are right for it, you could change their lives.

 “There’s the constant temptation to blend in and play it safe. But that’s not compelling. You’re not going to get any fans. You’re not even making art at that point, you’re making content.” This guy named Father Bronques, who’s a brilliant artist, says that all the time: “‘Make art, not content.’”

So what is Isaac Selby’s mission, and who is his audience?

“I want to be the role model that 17-year-old me wished he had,” says Selby.

“My success will be if I’m really reaching young people. And being living proof that you can—we can—create our world. We’re not stuck with what we’re born as, we can choose to transform, through courageous action and discipline and consistency, and voluntarily confronting the things that scare us.”

Selby adds, “what I’m trying to communicate in my music is a message of hope and practicality. My generation is famously lonely and anxious and cynical. It breaks my heart. ..I felt all these things, and I’ve discovered a very powerful antidote for myself. It’s possible—and practical —to become someone you’re proud of. A lot of people don’t even believe it’s worth it to try, because the world is messed up, but there is another path, and if you have the courage to face the hard things, you have a good chance of making it better.”

Probably took a dozen ‘L’s for every Dub I get

and that’s the struggle of someone who’s hungry

To hear Isaac “4Point” Selby’s music and learn more about upcoming performances, go to www.4pointmusic.com or follow him on Instagram.

Interested in pursuing a business degree? Learn more about the unique programs Goizueta has to offer. 

The post Alumnus Isaac Selby on Why ‘Artist’ is a Lifestyle, Not a Job Title  appeared first on EmoryBusiness.com.

From his personal collection to his career, King has dedicated his life to the sneaker industry. He spent about 13 years working for various brands, big and small, before starting his own—the first Asian American owned, designed, and inspired sneaker brand, 1587.

An Unconventional Path to a Dream Job

Determined to work in the industry straight out of college, King created a video introduction of himself and sent it to Reebok CEO Uli Becker’s home address every week.

After a few weeks, it caught Becker’s attention. He wrote King’s name and number on a piece of paper and slipped it to the person who would become King’s future boss during a meeting. “He called me up,” King says. “He’s like, ‘Who are you, and why am I talking to you?’ I said ‘Oh, I’m trying to get a job.’ That guy actually helped me get my first job.”

Over his tenure with Reebok, King worked in sales, product development, and product marketing, starting in Boston and later moving to Germany and Vietnam.

King says he eventually wanted to move into startups, but he wanted to build up his skills and resume to best position himself for the transition. He was first able to apply his factory experience to the Italian leather sneaker startup KOIO.

“My job at KOIO was the first time I had dreamed about starting a shoe company or doing a startup,” he says.

At KOIO, King says he realized there were several aspects of business he never had to think about before. Practicing those aspects gave him the confidence to start 1587 Sneakers.

Unapologetically Asian American

“After years of being in the industry, I saw how Asian Americans are undervalued and overlooked by the sneaker industry,” King says.

King thinks the sneaker industry is 20 years behind the rest of society in terms of marketing toward Asian Americans. Examples he lists include the lack of representation of Asian models, sneaker companies’ reluctance to use the term “Asian American” in marketing copy, and the rebranding of Asian culture with terms like “streetwear,” “skate,” and “hip hop.”

King consistently noticed how Asian Americans over index as customers, yet marketing money was not spent on them. When King asked why in meetings, he was told Asian Americans are “follower” consumers, meaning they don’t need to be marketed to because they will buy the products anyway, and Asian American culture is “not very aspirational.”

“Often Asian American culture tells you that you have to be quiet, you have to fit in, you have to assimilate,” he says.

At 1587, we want to empower all people to be unapologetically themselves.

Adam King

King says co-founder Sam Hyun, who he describes as “the heartbeat of the company,” exemplifies how they want people to feel when they wear 1587 sneakers: loud, energetic, assertive. King says co-founder Jerry Won, “the thought leader of the company,” exemplifies what 1587 stands for.

As for King himself, he says, “I’m just a sneakerhead who is so passionate about shoes.”

As CEO, King is involved with every aspect of the business. As such, he has made sure everything is executed with thought, starting with their name 1587, the year Asian Americans first arrived in America. “Every time people say go back to your own country, we say we’ve been here for 400 years.”

The company’s logo is meant to resemble Asian characters. The inside of their shoes are lined with messages like “Unapologetic for 100 years” and “Leave your shoes at the door.”

Their first collection is inspired by King’s favorite childhood festival, the August Moon Festival.

“That’s the DNA that runs in all our shoes,” he says. “We have traditional Asian American or Asian depictions of the moon. The fun part is to do it so it tells a story, but don’t do it so aggressively it scares people away.”

Each customer receives a handwritten note and an email that allows them to leave feedback. King says the response they’ve received has been humbling and rewarding, from selling 50% of their inventory within 30 days of their May 1 hard launch to customers’ long messages about the Asian American pride 1587 has ignited in them.

They only hope to grow this community by collaborating with other Asian American brands for upcoming collections and attending Asian events.

Unleashing Success

Personal. Unapologetic. Unconventional. These are words that mark King’s career, and the sentiments that make up his best advice.

“Just be super hungry, and take that shot,” he says. “Keep trying, keep knocking. The doors will open. That’s how I got my first two jobs.”

Whether you’re looking to accelerate your career or make a career pivot, our full-time One-Year MBA and Two-Year MBA programs prepare you to challenge business as usual and become the innovators who disrupt it. Learn more here.

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