Letter from MBA Career Center Director - DRS344543/... · Letter from MBA Career Center Director Northeastern’s MBA corporate residency offers you access to skilled, motivated professionals

Letter from MBA Career Center Director

Northeastern’s MBA corporate residency offers you access to skilled, motivated professionals for six-month assignments. Students work full-time for your organization during their residency June – December. Our corporate residency program offers students an opportunity to apply their classroom lessons while gaining valuable business experience in a real-world setting.

I encourage you to consider the benefits of recruiting our MBA students for residencies in your organization. Northeastern’s Corporate Residency Program presents an outstanding opportunity to obtain talented resources for your immediate projects while evaluating talent for future full-time hiring. Students accomplish a significant amount of work in their six-month assignments, resulting in a substantial return on your training investment.

As a partner in Northeastern’s Corporate Residency Program, you will join other leading companies who return every year to recruit highly skilled MBA students for corporate residency assignments in finance, marketing, and supply chain management/operations.

The six-month residency format allows students to spend more time working than training, resulting in increased productivity. Our students make immediate and important contributions to employers in a variety of industries, as you will see from their profiles. They represent a motivated, cost- effective, and flexible resource to assist you in meeting your business goals.

To learn more, please contact me in the MBA Career Center. Our Career Center team will work closely with you to ensure that your recruiting experience at Northeastern University is both efficient and productive. I look forward to having an opportunity to work with you.

Best regards,

Lynne A. SarikasMBA Career Center [email protected]

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Employment Profile – MBA Corporate ResidencyClass of 2010

Industry

18% Financial Services17% Health Care/ Pharmaceuticals

30% Manufacturing

10% Other 14% Technology

11% Consumer Products

Function

36% Finance

Compensation for Corporate Residency

Mean $27.50/hourHigh $38/hour

19% Supply Chain

1% Human Resources 29% Marketing

15% Project Management

Employers – MBA Corporate Residency Class of 2010 (partial list)

Conover Tuttle Pace

Eagle Investment Systems, LLC

EMC Corporation

General Electric Aviation

Genzyme Corporation

Hamilton Sundstrand, a UTC Company

Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Inc.

Hasbro, Inc.

IBM Corporation

InstallFree, Inc.

Institutional Asset Manager (name withheld)

Iron Mountain, Inc.

Massachusetts Convention Center Authority

Northeastern University Athletics

Pegasystems, Inc.

Raytheon Company

Sandoz

Staples, Inc.

State Street Corporation

Strega Marketing Group

LVMH/Tag Heuer

United Way of Massachusetts Bay

VFA, Inc.

W.R. Grace & Co.

Note: Residencies were completed in June 2009

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I worked as a Financial Analyst and Database Manager at Raytheon Company, where I was responsible for the financial support of a new component being built for the U.S. Navy. The experience I gained during my corporate residency has helped me better understand the role of a corporate finance professional in the highly audited defense contracting industry.

During my six-month tenure at Raytheon, I achieved a thorough understanding of Earned Value Management System policies and procedures required by the federal government’s Defense Contract Management Agency. This is the system by which all government contract work and acquisitions must be planned, awarded, executed, and managed. I attained this expertise by completing month-end closing activities, budget modification reviews, and work-planning exercises.

I played an integral part in creating the tracking book deliverable presented to the customer on a monthly basis to report program status. I also attained my Raytheon certification in Earned Value Management and Six Sigma. By examining and improving internal processes using these tools, I saved Raytheon an estimated $100,000 for the new component program.

My experience at Raytheon required extensive and advanced use of SAP software packages and Excel tools. I learned how to use available software applications to automate and simplify complex, time-consuming tasks to add value and remove labor waste. This skill will prove useful whether I own my own business or work for another organization in the future.

At Raytheon, I was able to apply the academic theory and lessons I learned in the first year of the MBA program. My corporate residency significantly increased my critical problem-solving skills and my ability to work in dynamic groups.

Raytheon CompanyGarrett BoeschConcentration Finance

Position Financial Analyst & Database Management

Undergraduate InstitutionSaint Joseph’s College of Maine

Undergraduate MajorCriminal Justice

I completed my corporate residency at Hasbro, Inc., a leader in child and family leisure products and services. My primary responsibility was to manage the global execution and launch of consumer promotions in seven countries, in addition to developing internal operational tools to support and streamline efforts for the Global Consumer Promotions group within Hasbro. Through this experience, I was exposed to the inner workings of the global consumer promotions industry as an important element of 360 degree marketing. I also helped to create visibility for the Global Consumer Promotions group both within Hasbro as a service group and externally with partners.

My six-month corporate residency at Hasbro created opportunities for a number of different projects. The first project was the global launch of a consumer promotion where I collaborated with global brand marketing teams, an online promotions agency, a translation agency, and global market contacts. I also created a system of metrics to analyze potential promotions and promotional partnerships to improve the project selection process and evaluate return on investment.

Additionally, I developed a Global Consumer Promotions intranet site to help Hasbro brand teams easily access information, requests, and forms for promotions, partner searches, and coupons. I also researched and brought in agencies for capabilities reviews, and created a master agency list to organize the core strengths and key capabilities of each agency.

Through my corporate residency at Hasbro, I was able to gain experience working in a large corporation. As I continue in my career, I want to strive for a position that allows me to work on a global level, in a diverse work environment, and in a role driven by both strategic and creative thinking.

Hasbro, Inc.Jewel AscanoConcentration Marketing

Position Global Consumer Promotions

Undergraduate InstitutionBoston University

Undergraduate MajorCommunication

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I worked as a Project Manager and Business Analyst Corporate Resident in the Corporate Information Management (CIM) Department at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care (HPHC), a health benefits company. I provided oversight for the CIM project portfolio, consisting of 28 CIM projects, such as data integration, system integration, information technology infrastructure, and strategic initiatives, with a total budget of $7 million.

As a project manager, I led projects such as the legacy system shutdown, data management, and documentation. I was responsible for setting and communicating the delivery targets for my team, with members working from different parts of the country. I organized and prioritized the product backlog, led daily stand-up team teleconferences, and tracked deliverables against commitments, while identifying and resolving any obstacles.

As part of my program management responsibilities, I reviewed the weekly project status reports for performance against deliverables, schedule and allocated capital, and operating budget from eight different project managers. I presented the overall project performance reports to Enterprise Data Warehouse (EDW) Delivery Team (EDT) Planning & Oversight Committee on a weekly basis.

My strong technical background helped me quickly learn and design a Project Resource Conflict Reporting Tool that is now used by the EDT project managers to resolve any project schedule conflicts for database objects. I designed the workflow for the analytical support team for an enterprise-wide issue-tracking tool called JIRA and developed an Access-based tool to integrate the CIM program release management with JIRA.

My corporate residency was an enriching experience that helped me master my managerial skills, strengthen my business analysis skills, and contribute to leadership goals and strategies.

Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Inc.Neeti Chavhan Concentration Finance

Position Project Manager/Business Analyst

Undergraduate InstitutionVisvesvaraya Technological University, India

Undergraduate MajorInstrumentation and Electronics Engineering

Institutional Asset Manager (name withheld)Maneet Kaur Brar Concentration Finance

Position Fixed Income Product Management

Undergraduate InstitutionPunjab University

Undergraduate MajorMathematics

I completed my corporate residency in Fixed Income Product Management at an institutional asset management firm. I was responsible for drafting publications on fixed income topics, supporting the Emerging Markets team, and addressing the ad-hoc queries of the Product Management group. Working with investment professionals in the Fixed Income group helped me immensely in gaining knowledge in the area of fixed income and developing adequate quantitative and qualitative skills to be successful in this field.

A large part of my role involved conducting research and drafting publications on fixed income topics that are of high importance and priority to the clients and the firm. When I started my residency, I was trained on the various systems used in fixed income so that I could conduct research and address the ad-hoc queries of the team. I performed correlation analysis, compared competitor returns for similar products, updated charts on monthly basis, and helped with the preparation of client presentations. I also supported the Emerging Markets team in addressing client queries, preparing fee memos, and creating guidelines for investors.

Through my corporate residency, I observed that investment management firms clearly place a premium on analytical skills and the ability to work as part of a team. After interacting with professionals from varied backgrounds, I realized the importance of obtaining my CFA in order to work in the field of investment management. I intend to work toward certification and to continue to broaden my understanding of this industry as I prepare myself for full-time employment upon graduation.

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After a unique six-month corporate residency as a Project Manager and Business Analyst at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care (HPHC), I decided to extend my stay throughout the year. In the first cycle, I worked extensively on projects that brought me close to healthcare business concepts, gave me a strong understanding of interpreting data that drives business decisions, and exposed me to project management.

In my second six-month cycle of corporate residency, I shouldered additional responsibilities, worked independently, and provided solutions to business and technical problems. In addition to assuming important technical tasks, I volunteered to work on sizing and scoping the impact of ICD-10 codes (international coding standard for diagnosis codes and procedure codes used to report medical and behavioral health claims) on the HPHC system.

My task was to analyze HPHC’s yearly claims data and create a report on code usage, volumes, frequency, and granularity of data received. I presented this report to a senior manager in the CTO’s office. I also put together an inventory list of all the internal and external vendor systems that will need remediation for ICD-10 codes in the coming three years.

I also worked as a project manager/business analyst for the extracts team in the corporate information management team. As a part of this task, I worked with diverse teams and coordinated between cross-functional departments. I managed several important projects and brought them to completion in less than two months. I was offered a full-time position by this team, and I currently work as a project manager/business analyst for the extracts team at HPHC.

Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Inc. Priyanka Dalvi Concentration Finance

Position Project Manager/ Business Analyst

Undergraduate InstitutionMumbai University

Undergraduate MajorChemical Engineering

I completed my corporate residency in Human Resources at W.R. Grace & Co., a premier specialty chemicals and materials company. I was responsible for coordinating logistics for all on-campus and off-campus recruitment, served as the liaison between W.R. Grace and Northeastern University, and conducted other general HR activities.

I was responsible for conducting research for various projects, such as exploring social networking recruiting methods, conducting salary comparisons, and researching labor laws and regulations. The salary analysis project resulted in a presentation to an HR Director, which was then used to deliver presentations to local plant managers. The social networking project resulted in a presentation to the entire department, and it was ultimately recommended that we allocate budget money for social networking for our recruiting efforts in 2010.

During my residency, I helped recruit for positions across different functional areas. I was responsible for working with the managers to secure and post job descriptions, screen resumes, coordinate recruitment logistics, and conduct phone or in-person interviews. Recruiting was a great way for me to gain exposure to other business leaders, learn about the company, and be a contributing member of the team.

Personally, I learned that I do have a passion for working in HR and that I am most interested in talent management and college recruiting. I learned how important it is for a company to have a strong HR team and how closely they work with different business units. I was exposed to many different areas associated with HR and know that this experience has helped me build a strong background that I will carry with me as I accept an offer to extend my residency part-time.

W.R. Grace & Co.Amy ClaffeyConcentration Marketing

Position Human Resources

Undergraduate InstitutionBoston College

Undergraduate MajorCommunications

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I served as a Credit Service Analyst at an institutional asset management firm. My main responsibility was to assist business managers and fellow credit service analysts in any way possible in order to lessen their daily workload. The tasks primarily consisted of completing client presentations and books, monthly and quarterly reporting, fact checking, and report preparation.

My first assignment was to create a booklet with all of the firm’s products (over 200) for the Consultant Relations Group (CRG). This booklet will be utilized by the CRG when seeking prospective clients or when discussing different portfolios with consultants. Another project was designing a one-page fact sheet for an account regarding the Asian Financial Intermediaries Group. The report consisted of relevant account information such as: performance, cash flows, investment styles, key indicators, product pipelines, and key contacts. Upon template approval, it will be incorporated as a quarterly fact sheet for the top three accounts in the Financial Intermediaries Group of Asia.

My corporate residency allowed me to work in the world’s largest market and opened the doors to experiences that I would have never touched upon in my home country. The fact that I worked for such a renowned institutional asset management firm in the United States will provide me with an incredible experience when seeking a full-time job after graduation. The network of people that I created and the knowledge I gained will serve me well when I join my next firm in the near future.

Institutional Asset Manager (name withheld)Leonardo Del Monte Concentration Finance

Position Credit Service Analyst

Undergraduate Institution Bryant College

Undergraduate MajorFinance & Management

I worked as an Intern/Business Analyst at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care (HPHC). HPHC is a full-service health benefits company in New England and has been ranked the Nation’s #1 Commercial Health plan for fourth year in a row. My area of focus was primarily IT-related projects, which has allowed me to become a more well-rounded professional.

My main responsibilities at HPHC included assisting the Accumulator Management System (AMS) project manager, working with other business analysts to foster the project’s progress, and to promote “Agile.” “Agile” is a project development methodology that can be applied in many other venues to improve the quality of projects and products. The overall IT strategy calls for changes and introductions of multiple related systems, among which is AMS. Working in a challenging environment with brilliant colleagues has allowed me to enhance my business analysis and problem solving abilities.

I have gradually gained extremely valuable knowledge about project management by participating in not only IT-related projects, but also marketing-related projects at HPHC. My experience in IT projects will give me an advantage working on similar projects or almost anywhere else where IT is an integral part of business processes.

The helpful and inspiring working environment at HPHC allowed me to strongly improve my communication, presentation, teamwork, and interpersonal skills. I learned to facilitate training sessions and had the opportunity to work with my colleagues in and out of the office. My experience working at HPHC has proved that the most important skill is the ability to apply my current knowledge to a new environment to learn and grow from each challenge. I believe the various skills that I learned from my corporate residency at HPHC will be extremely instrumental on my path to becoming a successful manager.

Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Inc.Linh Dau Concentration Finance

Position Business Analyst

Undergraduate InstitutionForeign Trade University, Vietnam

Undergraduate MajorEconomics

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I worked as a Supply Chain Analyst at W. R. Grace & Co., a leading global supplier of specialty chemicals and construction products. My daily responsibilities included sending and responding to Requests for Quotations (RFQs), negotiating pricing with suppliers, analyzing freight costs to our different plants, choosing the most economical choices for transportation, and establishing annual contracts for the year 2010. I also worked cross-functionally to gather information about new materials and to search for new suppliers when fulfilling requests from R&D, Project Management, Marketing, and other groups.

During my residency, I took on a leadership role in representing Supply Chain in a cross-functional project with Sales and Operations Planning to determine the future strategy for Packaging and Distribution of the Grace Microfiber™ branded products. This project included the development of a Request for Proposal (RFP) to be sent to prospective suppliers, responding to RFP-related questions, analyzing supplier quotations, and making a final recommendation of the optimal implementation action plan.

I also worked on a cross-functional project with marketing to plot price inflation statistics for a particular product line which helped the marketing team re-evaluate how they planned to price Grace’s products to our customers. I helped streamline the RFQ creation and analysis process by creating a standard RFQ Bid and Analysis Template to be used across all businesses.

I was offered the opportunity to extend my experience with Grace to be the lead on a Six Sigma project targeted at reducing costs by efficient inventory planning and management. During my residency, I learned a lot about how purchasing fits into the supply management cycle of an organization and would love to pursue a career working in any facet of operations and supply chain management.

W. R. Grace & Co.Chelsea Freda D’SouzaConcentration Operations & Supply Chain Management

Position Supply Chain Analyst

Undergraduate Institution St. Francis Institute of Technology, University of Mumbai, India

Undergraduate MajorEngineering: Information Technology

During my residency, I was the assistant to the Global Asset Manager at Hamilton Sundstrand, a division of United Technologies Corporation (UTC). Hamilton manufactures and repairs aerospace environmental control systems. I helped my mentor to effectively manage the Exchange Pool, an inventory of fixed assets located around the world.

My position included establishing metrics that help evaluate the Pool’s utilization; researching, identifying, and making arrangements to remove excess inventory; and coordinating with site managers to meet semiannual physical inventory deadlines. Additionally, the Global Asset Manager and I reviewed and amended processes affecting the Exchange Pool. We conducted training sessions to ensure the standardization of these processes.

I led the loan recovery project, which decreased the number of overdue loans by forty-six percent. The first phase improved the reporting methods, reiterated proper loan processing through additional training, and monitored processing accuracy. The second phase will evaluate and implement a continuous loan management process, resulting in a sustainable, low number of overdue loans.

I also created a proposal to automate the administrators’ exchange process and ensure standardization of the administrators’ exchange offering and shipment processes. Preliminary calculations show this automation will result in a savings in excess of two and a half years of labor hours and has the potential to increase the exchange fees by an additional fifty percent annually.

I plan to continue in the supply chain/operations field. I have had success at analyzing and improving processes, but I would like to expand my knowledge of process improvement by learning the ACE, LEAN, or Six Sigma techniques and applying them to day-to-day activities to improve overall efficiency.

Hamilton SundstrandChelsea Dowe Concentration Operations & Supply Chain Management

Position Assistant to the Global Asset Manager

Undergraduate InstitutionUniversity of Connecticut


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I completed my corporate residency at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care (HPHC), a leading firm in the health insurance market, as a Business/Data Analyst in the Corporate Information Management department. More specifically, I was part of HPHC’s Enterprise Data Warehouse (EDW) analytical support team.

As a business analyst, my first project dealt with understanding and documenting the IT requirements of the HPHC Institute, an HPHC subsidiary dedicated to longitudinal research studies. The project involved working closely with business users to understand their processes and needs. Once completed, my work was handed over to a development team for further use.

Another project that I undertook involved writing Semantic Wiki code to make SAS Macros available in the platform. One of the objectives of the EDW analytical support team was to make EDW nomenclature readily available and easy to use. My work helped expose useful information in a data dictionary to facilitate EDW’s penetration. The main challenge was to become proficient at using the Media Wiki language, while having a business background.

I also carried out user acceptance testing and quality assurance to the development of a metadata layer for a business intelligence tool. Working with the Agile methodology resulted in a highly valuable learning experience. Overall, my corporate residency helped me to develop my technical and decision-making skills, enhancing my ability as a manager.

Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Inc.Maria Etcheverry Concentration Finance

Position Business/Data Analyst

Undergraduate InstitutionUniversidad de Montevideo, Montevideo, Uruguay


I worked as a Business/Technical Analyst at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Inc. I was responsible for analyzing the current claims processing system that the company had been replacing, identifying defects, and supporting the architecture team to deliver the requirements efficiently. The experience that I gained during my corporate residency helped me work effectively in a cross-functional team and gain experience in the “Agile” development methodology. I learned to manage very complex and dynamic business processes.

The company had been replacing its outdated mainframe IT system with another system, “Agile,” that had different small components dedicated to accomplish separate tasks. The company chose a different development methodology and IT technology to implement the project. This project was very challenging for me; not only did I have to gain the domain knowledge, but I also needed to learn a new methodology and technology. Since our project was cross-functional, I needed to gather information from different departments. Furthermore, I took responsibilities in other projects, such as health engagement, in which the company planned to change its long-term value proposition.

I was able to collect information from different departments, synthesize the information, and develop unique and valuable ideas that hastened the project’s implementation. By leveraging my technical background, I also acted as a liaison between the business side and technical development side, which saved significant time on project milestones.

I would like to work in the investment industry in the future. My corporate residency experience taught me how to effectively work in cross-functional teams and in fast-paced environments where you need to be nimble and proactive. This experience will help me make sound decisions when I work in investments in the future.

Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Inc.Onur Ekinci Concentration Finance

Position Business/Technical Analyst

Undergraduate InstitutionIstanbul Technical University

Undergraduate MajorControl & Computer Engineering

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Massachusetts Convention Center Authority Michelle Helmstetter Concentration Finance

Position Financial Analyst

Undergraduate InstitutionLouisiana State University

Undergraduate MajorFinance

I worked as a Financial Analyst with the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority (MCCA) at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center (BCEC) in South Boston. The MCCA is a state-owned body that owns and controls the BCEC, the John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center, the MassMutual Center, and the Boston Common Garage. One of the unique features about financial matters with the MCCA is the focus on economic impact as opposed to profits.

I was responsible for demonstrating monthly and quarterly profit and loss statements, analyzing survey data on customer satisfaction, creating financial report templates, and analyzing economic impact and spending data along with other important metrics. I also collaborated with outside consultants to increase revenues from two of our largest service contracts and assisted in compiling presentations for the Board of Directors.

Coming into this position, I had no full-time work experience, but I was not treated as an intern. I was given real projects, which further motivated me to do my best, and I felt as though what I accomplished mattered to my supervisors. Through my corporate residency, I learned what executives expect in deliverables, as well as how important organizational behavior is to creating a successful work environment.

In the future, I plan to become a CPA, with a long-term goal of becoming the CFO of a socially responsible corporation. This residency taught me not only analysis skills, but also what characteristics are needed to become a successful CFO.

I worked as a Marketing Corporate Resident at W.R. Grace where I contributed to marketing strategy generation for new businesses, technologies, products, and growth opportunities. The experience that I gained during my corporate residency helped me to understand the nature of B-to-B marketing, communicate effectively in large organizations, and develop managerial skills.

I worked on high-value projects that required strategic and critical thinking. My first accomplishment was completing a market analysis for a new technology and recommending an appropriate market and partners for Grace to license the technology. I made a presentation to the business directors and the VP of the company. My recommendations were approved, and the company initiated the process.

I was also involved in generating a business strategy for a new growth opportunity in the concrete business unit. I put together an operational plan for the senior management and was involved in creating the marketing plan. In addition, I was part of a team that worked on launching a new business unit at Grace. I was primarily responsible for internal and external communication of the project. I created a consumer buying process, target market segmentation, and other related marketing frameworks.

The company really appreciated my willingness to learn, contribute, and take initiative. I delivered high value projects while meeting tight deadlines. I learned a lot about business and marketing strategy, creating value to the market and the organization, and analyzing business opportunities. I also further developed some soft skills, such as communicating within different levels of management, managing time effectively, and being flexible with business decisions. My future career plan is to work as a Marketing Executive at a global company where I can contribute and constantly develop my skills.

W. R. Grace & Co.Pinar Guvenc Concentration Marketing

Position Marketing Corporate Resident

Undergraduate Institution Ege University, Turkey


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I worked in Sales Operations at Pegasystems, Inc., an industry leader in business process management solutions. I was primarily responsible for assisting in the development of the content structure and navigation for the internal Sales Portal file sharing system, soliciting feedback from user groups, and collaborating with a marketing partner. I also solicited content for the monthly Pegasystems newsletter and assisted the Sales Operations team members with other projects and initiatives. The experiences that I gained during my corporate residency helped me develop my transferrable skills, gain relevant marketing/sales experience, and interact with highly successful executives.

During my residency, the main project I focused on was updating an outdated Sales Portal. The Sales Portal was a file sharing database that housed Pegasystem’s customer and company related documents. My responsibilities included meeting with partners to audit our current file inventory, suggesting possible searching enhancements, and managing our project plans and weekly status reports. Our team went live with our new Sales Portal, and we received positive feedback for its functionality and easily searchable files.

This experience taught me about the fast-paced nature of a sales team and how passionate every employee is toward achieving a common goal. For the first time, I had the opportunity to work on relevant projects that challenged me and forced me out of my comfort zone. I managed my own meetings, talked with influential business partners, and gained more confidence as the months progressed. The corporate residency was a unique opportunity to engage myself in a highly successful company while continuing to learn all the key skills needed to succeed. I learned to be a better leader, listener, and overall team player.

Pegasystems, Inc. Michael J. Jao

Concentration Marketing

Position Sales Operations

Undergraduate InstitutionUniversity of Massachusetts Amherst

Undergraduate MajorComputer Systems Engineering

I worked in the IT and Operations Department of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Inc. (HPHC), a role that was completely different from my prior experiences. I had the chance to work on different projects that gave me the opportunity to collaborate closely with people from different departments. Such interactions helped me strengthen my interpersonal skills and my ability to work with cross-functional teams.

I assisted project managers in the task of gathering teams’ requirements to develop the implementation package for each project. On several occasions, my role was that of a consultant trying to identify any obstacles that were stalling the project’s progress and to find viable solutions.

One of the projects that the team considered a valuable contribution was a glossary I developed as a Wiki so that co-workers involved in different projects had a centralized informational resource. This also stopped each team from having their own glossaries and instead increased collaboration amongst teams. I had no experience creating Wiki pages, so I had to do a lot of research for Wiki code that would generate a functional, user-friendly, and easy-to-navigate glossary. The glossary was such a success that I gave a demonstration to the Leadership Committee that was later implemented company-wide.

Although I’ve had work experience in big corporations, my corporate residency was in a new industry and functional area, which presented challenges of its own. This experience gave me the opportunity to explore a different area of a company. I also learned the importance of functional areas successfully communicating with the IT department to exploit the benefits of a well-designed and implemented IT strategy.

Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Inc.Muriel Herrera

Concentration Finance

Position Project Management

Undergraduate InstitutionAve Maria University

Undergraduate MajorManagement & Marketing

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Staples, Inc.Naomi Karanja


Position Logistics Strategy Team


Undergraduate MajorManufacturing Engineering

For my corporate residency, I worked with the Logistics Strategy team within Staples, Inc.’s Supply Chain Management group. The Logistics Strategy team is responsible for making strategic recommendations about infrastructural investments to achieve the optimal return on assets and the highest contribution to the bottom line.

My largest project was to determine the optimal logistics network design for the Pacific Northwest region of the country. I determined the optimal product offerings using an in-depth analysis of historical customer orders and coordinated with cross-functional partners within the supply chain. This ensured that data inputs were correct and completed a comprehensive financial scenario modeling analysis.

I also worked on analyzing the logistics network designs of other Staples lines of business, outside the core office products business. I conducted these analyses by modeling various financial scenarios and analyzing the quantitative and qualitative factors involved. I also presented the optimal recommendations on the go-forward strategy to the Senior Leadership Teams.

My corporate residency at Staples was a challenging and fulfilling experience that allowed me to apply many of the business concepts I’ve learned in my MBA classes. I was given opportunities to sharpen my analytical skills, derive solid business decisions from available data, and develop my leadership skills by managing my own projects.

For six months, I had the amazing opportunity to work with the Global Consumer Insights Department within Hasbro, a global toy and game manufacturer. Throughout this experience, I worked with numerous brands to provide consumer insights that helped guide strategic decisions.

The vast majority of my work concentrated on Playskool brands, where I was responsible for recommending, developing, implementing, and analyzing a variety of qualitative and quantitative studies (e.g. packaging, product/concept and TV advertising testing, ethnographies, focus groups, exploratory research, and surveys/questionnaires). I was in charge of writing numerous executive summaries about the research findings, which were then circulated to the CMO, COO, senior directors, and brand teams. Through these primary and secondary research projects, I was able to further develop my analytical, strategic, and critical thinking skills.

I was part of a team of fellow MBA interns charged with developing a brand/go-to-market strategy to re-imagine, re-invent, and re-ignite several of Hasbro’s heritage brands and deliver $50 million of revenue globally. The deliverables for this three-month project included a marketing plan and presentation to senior management. As one of the few interns to stay on for an additional three months beyond project completion, I was fortunate enough to see how our team’s strategic recommendations were received by the brand team and incorporated into its future development plans.

In the future, I hope to leverage my analytical experience at Hasbro to gain a position in brand management. During my residency, I felt Hasbro and the Global Consumer Insights team were invested and committed to my personal development and growth by exposing me to a wide variety of brands and functional departments within the company. In the six months I spent at Hasbro, I lived every child’s fantasy of working for a large toy company and had a truly unforgettable experience.

Hasbro, Inc. Devin Jones


Position Global Consumer Insights

Undergraduate InstitutionUniversity of Michigan

Undergraduate MajorPsychology

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I worked in General Electric’s Aviation Department as a corporate resident for an engine project team in the Military Systems Organization. This position gave me an opportunity to work on several high-impact and high-exposure projects in a variety of business areas. I worked closely with a variety of people, from manufacturing to finance, and from fellow corporate residents to the general manager of our department. The experience I gained helped me develop my professional skills in almost every area, including company-sponsored Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Training.

Some of my assigned projects and responsibilities had a major impact on the business. I developed a five-year engine test forecast, analyzed our facility capacity and limitations, and proposed a multi-million dollar upgrade that was presented to and adopted by the company’s vice presidents. I was also responsible for the 2009 warranty and concession review, where working closely with finance, I was able to identify an opportunity to reduce our risk reserves by over one million dollars. Finally, I became the owner of all government reporting for projects funded by stimulus money, which allowed me to work closely on projects with leading edge technology.

My experiences at General Electric taught me how to work in a high-tech, engineering- driven industry. Furthermore, I learned methods to navigate the inner-workings of a multinational company, including transforming reports to work with both high-detail engineers, as well as big picture department managers. I feel confident that my experiences at GE Aviation will greatly benefit me in my future career.

General Electric AviationJesse S. Kearns

Concentration Marketing & Supply Chain Certificate

Position Project Management Intern

Undergraduate InstitutionUniversity of New Hampshire

Undergraduate MajorEnglish & Psychology

I worked as a Financial Analyst for IBM Corporation, where I was responsible for two different projects. I was responsible for tracking the credit check process and evaluating the value realization based on added risk to IBM. I also reconciled with sellers who were submitting credit checks outside of the deal size clip levels.

The majority of my time was spent on the Multi-Brand (Solution) Pricing Initiative. I worked to create a methodology to fairly and equitably allocate revenue and profit across the four IBM brands. The previous process was cumbersome and required extensive time and brand negotiation. This initiative greatly reduced the need to negotiate prices internally at IBM. I was also responsible for contacting pricers in multiple countries to gather and analyze current multi-brand deals. I used the current deals to compare against the output from the new methodology and was also responsible for creating and communicating presentations to peers and management. This initiative was predicted to save IBM $23.6M in 2010.

The Multi-Brand (Solution) Pricing initiative was highly visible, and I attained professional exposure to very high-level management. I analyzed and positioned data in order to create presentations for upper-level management, including brand CFOs and the Controller.

Through the residency experience and working closely with executives, I learned effective ways of positioning projects. I learned about importance of building and maintaining relationships, as well as how to leverage those relationships when necessary to complete goals. I plan on utilizing the experience I gained working with a team and in project management to reach a management level within a reputable firm.

IBM CorporationJesse Keith


Position Analyst

Undergraduate InstitutionUniversity of Maine, Orono

Undergraduate MajorBusiness Administration

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I worked in Performance Metrics at Genzyme Corporation, one of the leading biotechnology companies, where I was responsible for developing and presenting the tools to measure the performance of various product/clinical development lifecycles within the organization. The experience that I gained during my corporate residency has helped me to appreciate matters from a macro perspective, furthering my understanding of managing a business.

As a corporate initiative, Genzyme is working towards standardization by means of putting benchmarks in place. My key responsibility was to identify and develop appropriate performance metrics that could be used to drive organizational change. In this highly analytical role, I was afforded the unique opportunity to gain exposure to an organization’s product pipeline.

I worked on developing a status summary report that was designed to give users insight about the current status of any clinical study in the organization. The audience of this report included the senior management team and the heads of clinical operations. I extended the capability of this report by incorporating a cycle time function that gave users the ability to reference the amount of involved in any process/stage in each clinical trial.

I also facilitated the alignment of clinical study statuses and milestones. This was an initiative to ensure appropriate clinical study data entry by the global clinical teams. I developed presentations that highlighted the issues/concerns based on lapses in data entry, and I proposed solutions that had the potential to streamline their processes and improve performance.

During this corporate residency experience, I developed great analytical skills and a holistic perspective of business that will help me to become an effective general manager within the healthcare industry.

Genzyme CorporationRumneet Singh Kharbanda


Position Performance Metrics

Undergraduate InstitutionNagpur College of Pharmacy

Undergraduate MajorPharmacy

I worked in Product Marketing at Iron Mountain Digital, the technology arm of Iron Mountain Incorporated. I was responsible for planning and driving marketing strategies to ensure successful product positioning and execution through the creation of collateral, such as white papers, technical briefs, and sales tools. My experience at Iron Mountain exposed me to the exciting and challenging role of product marketing where I was able to enhance my strategic thinking abilities, perform in a fast-paced environment, and collaborate across functions.

I worked with the Vice President of Global Marketing to drive the 2010 budget and strategy planning process by contributing to the development of integrated marketing plans to support product line revenue goals. I also analyzed the performance of current service offerings by performing win/loss customer analyses. The “customer win analysis” of a newly-launched product involved directing meetings with national sales teams. The “customer loss analysis” involved surveying lost customers and communicating results with product management and sales.

I contributed to a market research study of over 100 IT decision-makers and directed the creation of the resulting collateral. I also evaluated the performance of lead generation marketing campaigns and communicated the results and goals to senior leadership on a monthly basis.

At Iron Mountain, I learned the significance of effective communication and gained an understanding of the “bigger picture” from my role on cross-functional teams. I learned the value of working on a results-driven, talented team. The biggest lesson I learned was from my boss whose energy, passion, and exemplary leadership style empowered me to think big and take risks.

Upon graduation, I hope to further develop my marketing skills either in product marketing or as a brand manager. My experience at Iron Mountain has given me the skills and confidence to pursue these career aspirations.

Iron Mountain, Inc.Rachel Kiriakos


Position Product Marketing

Undergraduate InstitutionColorado State University

Undergraduate MajorNatural Resources

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VFA, Inc.Elizabeth Larson



Undergraduate InstitutionCollege of the Holy Cross

Undergraduate MajorPsychology

I worked in Product Marketing in the Marketing and Business Development Department at VFA, Inc., a provider of integrated software and services for facilities asset management and capital planning. I was primarily responsible for market research, specifically focusing on competitors and industry trends. Through this role, I gained new insight into and experience in both the information technology and facilities management industries.

My responsibilities included researching trends in various industries and regions, monitoring the activities and products of the company’s competitors, and supporting the department’s development and release of new products. This included researching the Integrated Workplace Management Systems market, creating profiles of competitors, reviewing sustainability legislation in the United Kingdom, and supporting initiatives such as the creation of online software demonstrations and a user preference survey. In addition, I researched and produced a competition report detailing the third quarter activities and news associated with VFA’s competitors.

I had worked for a non-profit organization prior to pursuing my MBA, and my corporate residency experience taught me the differences and similarities between the non-profit and business worlds. I learned that communication and the ability to adapt to change are skills that are vital to success in any industry.

I am pursuing my MBA to facilitate a career change into the marketing field, and my corporate residency provided valuable experience in this area. My future career plans include gaining further experience in various marketing roles, with the goal of ultimately leading the marketing department of an innovative company.

Hasbro, Inc.Rebecca Malladi


Position Art Buyer

Undergraduate InstitutionUniversity of Hartford

Undergraduate MajorMarketing

For my corporate residency, I worked at Hasbro, Inc., a global toy and game company. I was charged with the task of analyzing the business practices of the company regarding the purchase of external creative resources. Throughout my six months, I utilized crucial skills, such as teamwork and problem solving abilities. I also gained experience in contributing to a significant project for the company. My residency afforded me the opportunity to execute the ideas and skills learned in class in a professional business setting and to gain real-world experience to bring back to the classroom.

My responsibilities included reaching out to co-workers in my department and throughout the company to learn about their processes and financial practices when purchasing outside artwork. This opportunity allowed me to expand my network within the company and to gain a deeper understanding of business operations. I worked with a number of different executives and directors to compile my research, which included financial data that I organized to display trends and analyze efficiencies. At the end of my residency, I presented my detailed analysis to upper management and engaged in discussions regarding future improvements for the company.

Additionally, I worked with a group of fellow MBA corporate residents to create a brand strategy for Hasbro that included a marketing plan and go-to-market strategy. We worked as a team to conduct research throughout the company, and we presented our final proposal to a group of Hasbro executives. Because I remained at the company for several months beyond the presentation, I was given the chance to witness the implementation of our proposed strategies and ideas.

My residency allowed me the opportunity create a strong network within the company that may assist me in a future career in marketing. I will value my corporate residency throughout my career and will take with me many worthwhile experiences.

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I worked as a Repair Program Management Associate for Hamilton Sundstrand, an aviation design and manufacturing company. I was primarily responsible for improving the financial and operational performance of key customer contracts and for identifying and developing standard processes and process improvements.

I accomplished my financial and operational performance duties through leading monthly metrics reviews and developing strategic action plans to improve contract profitability. Each review consisted of cross-functional management and representatives from facilities throughout North America and included the analysis, performance, and improvement of multi-million dollar contracts.

I led the “Confidential Customer” program review which identified a cost-savings to generate an 8% overall gross margin improvement to the multi-million dollar contract and a combined 18% gross margin increase to the two main drivers of the contract’s financial performance. I also established numerous internal data models/tools to analyze performance, created the Exchange Fee Pricing Model, and implemented its escalation strategy worldwide to secure an incremental $1M in revenue. In addition, I developed sustainable and scalable processes for the monthly performance tracking of $15M business on customer/quote approval hold.

I worked extensively with all levels of management across all functions of the business. My experience allowed me to understand not only different managerial styles but also the focus of individuals with different responsibilities. Through working on a number of very high-level projects, I was able to become highly visible to senior management and developed a positive reputation within the company. I received a full-time offer from Hamilton, beginning January 2011, and anticipate continued career growth within the company.

Hamilton SundstrandMichael McCormack

Concentration Operations & Supply Chain Management

Position Repair Program Management Associate

Undergraduate InstitutionBabson College

Undergraduate MajorMarketing

Institutional Asset Manager (name withheld)Vahan Nahapetyan


Position Portfolio Communications

Undergraduate InstitutionAmerican University in Bulgaria

Undergraduate MajorBusiness Administration

I was recruited to work in the Portfolio Communication Group (PCG) at a premier institutional asset management company. During my residency, I assisted portfolio specialists in their day-to-day tasks and was also assigned number of individual tasks. I managed diverse ad-hoc projects that extended the breadth of my experience. This experience has proven to be instrumental in building strong fundamental knowledge of investment industry.

The group that I worked in is comprised of portfolio specialists, focused on portfolio content generation and leveraging the time and information of investment personnel. I worked closely with portfolio specialists to analyze and communicate fund performance and positioning across multiple equity products and asset classes. I also collaborated with product management and relationship management teams to generate investment content. I was responsible for writing monthly and quarterly performance reports for institutional clients. I also built a custom spreadsheet that was utilized by business developers and relationship managers for client and prospect presentations.

This was a valuable experience that I believe will serve as a cornerstone for my future career in investments. Working with a group of highly qualified and experienced professionals, I was able to deepen my knowledge of finance. The company had a highly collegial and supportive culture that significantly contributed to my development.

I plan to pursue a career in the investments field after I complete my MBA. Entering into a competitive job market requires candidates to apply extra efforts in order to differentiate themselves from the large pool of highly qualified candidates. I believe that the knowledge that I gained during my residency will greatly benefit me and will give me an advantage in my job search.

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I worked as a Financial Analyst at Raytheon Company where I was responsible for business metrics analysis for multiple business programs. The experience that I gained during my residency has provided me with a greater understanding of the various applications of finance within the corporate environment.

My responsibilities included assisting weekly and monthly analysis of business metrics for each program and providing directorate totals for management. I created an automated Excel file that produced the monthly business metrics analysis and forecast, reducing the process from several days to 15 minutes. This allowed more time to be devoted to interpreting the results.

One project involved coordinating with all program and business managers within my sector to compose an argumentative analysis in support of obtaining $4.9 million of capital to assist program operations. I was also directly responsible for weekly cost and labor analysis reporting for an international program.

I also had a key role as an analyst for a ROI analysis of a $214 million investment proposal. To improve the analysis, I constructed a comprehensive ROI model for enhanced situational analysis, which involved consideration of a 10-year forecast of development and manufacturing capabilities and limitations for anticipated future contracts. I further received Raytheon Six Sigma Specialist certification by identifying a need for and developing a department Data Collaboration System. The end result was a collaborative workspace that serves as a single source for all department data and analysis tools, which resulted in an average 2% increase in efficiency per employee.

During my residency, I learned about a variety of finance roles within the organization, which allowed me to recognize their individual contributions to the business as a whole. My corporate residency provided me with first-hand experience and insights into the finance environment, which created a basis to progress my career in corporate finance.

Raytheon CompanyPeter Panos



Undergraduate InstitutionUniversity of Utah

Undergraduate MajorBusiness Management

During the scope of my corporate residency at IBM Corporation, I worked as a worldwide Capital Coordinator and Financial Analyst for the Global Managed Business Process Services (MBPS) unit. My main responsibilities were to develop a worldwide capital process for the IBM Business Unit (MBPS), roll out the process, and concurrently drive the process as the worldwide process owner. During my six months, my global team and I were able to execute three multi-million dollar quarterly capital forecasts and one yearly capital plan for the worldwide business unit, which I presented to the Vice President of Finance of the MBPS unit before they were taken forward for corporate approval.

In order to accomplish my major capital management project, I needed to gain a deep understanding of the worldwide corporate capital process, including how it works and what tools are required to manage the process. This complex process contains its own set of unique terminology and has processes that are scheduled on monthly, quarterly, annual, and irregular intervals.

I also gained expertise in my understanding of capital in all respects because as the Worldwide Coordinator, each of the geographies turned to me for help when they needed support. Besides capital management, I helped out on a variety of other smaller financial analysis projects on rates, margins, and the Profit Attainment Model in response to the needs of my worldwide finance team.

Overall, my corporate residency at IBM was a challenging yet rewarding one in which I was able to broaden my perspectives in implementing global business process and execution. I was able to enhance my ability to act as a key member within a multicultural team. I was also able to expand my professional capabilities with tremendous positive feedback from my manager and my colleagues from the worldwide team. The experiences I had will surely benefit me in my future professional endeavors.

IBM CorporationAmy Chau Pham


Position Worldwide Capital Coordinator & Financial Analyst

Undergraduate InstitutionBrigham Young University

Undergraduate Major International Business Management

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During my corporate residency, I worked in the Materials Management department of Hamilton Sundstrand World Wide Repair. The location is home to the manufacture and repair of aerospace environmental control systems, electronic engine controls, and various other components. My department was responsible for maintaining a continuous and timely flow of material and inventory supplies into and out of our facility.

I communicated with internal and external suppliers located around the world to ensure that inventory levels adequately supported current repair contracts. My regular responsibilities included inventory tracking, materials usage evaluation, identification of supply issues, and inventory shortage resolution.

In addition to my daily activities, I was charged with the development of a database tool capable of linking materials usage more directly to forecasted supply. The database was capable of identifying parts in over 400,000 individual stocking locations held by our international network of suppliers. The database improved user interface by incorporating information from several existing systems. Bringing these different information sources together made it possible to analyze material usage more efficiently. Also, by identifying a number of components eligible for return to suppliers, I recovered roughly $250,000 in inventory costs.

In contrast to my previous work experience, the aerospace industry is subject to large amounts of regulation. To operate within regulation, attention to detail with respect to the supply chain is supremely important. The quality of information available within a highly regulated business is essential to performance. I gained a new appreciation for the capabilities of database tools, as well as cooperative co-workers. My experience at Hamilton Sundstrand has provided me with an opportunity to further my analytical capabilities in an operations environment.

Hamilton Sundstrand Bo Ralston

Concentration Finance & Supply Chain Certificate

Position Materials Manager

Undergraduate Institution California State University Long Beach

Undergraduate Major Business Management

IBM CorporationRushabh Raval



Undergraduate InstitutionUniversity of Mumbai

Undergraduate Major Engineering/Computer Science

I had a rewarding opportunity working as a Financial Analyst at IBM. My main focus was to conduct financial analyses on Integrated Supply Chain expenditure across the globe. I performed financial burden analysis to identify cost effective and productive operations centers. My analysis results aided business decision making and led to the restructure of centers, resulting in an estimated cost savings of $5M per year.

During my residency, I conducted impact analysis of various strategic country models. The analysis was applied to identify a growth country model with significant cost, talent, and stability advantages, which will be the focus of future expansion with an estimated savings of $14 billion. My efforts and support in this intense analysis were recognized with an IBM appreciation award.

I also assisted in streamlining the annual budget planning processes and implementing optimal forecast models that boosted financial analyst efficiency by 30% during recurring budget cycles. I received a second IBM appreciation award in recognition of the productivity impact of this latter contribution. I gained knowledge on conducting a thorough financial analysis, interacting with executives and understanding expectations, coping with challenges inherent in huge corporations, and working with remote teams with diverse cultures.

My residency at IBM helped me identify my interests and form a strong base to conduct quantitative analyses. I plan to pursue my interest in investment management and capital markets. My experience at IBM has helped me identify the financial focus of large corporations, which will aid me in investment analysis, identifying investment products, capital funding, and hedging techniques.

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I worked in the Program Management Office at State Street Corporation in the US Investor Services Division where I was responsible for managing seventeen project teams, implementing lean principles, and designing a governance structure for our office. The experience and skills that I gained during my corporate residency helped me to understand the dynamics of a large corporation and how to affect change across a 5,500+ employee division.

The Program Management Office was a newly created team, composed of four members, responsible for affecting all aspects of lean and organizational change for the division. Specifically, the office was charged with helping business teams meet and/or exceed targeted goals set by senior management. I played an integral role in this office by serving as the interaction point between operation leaders and our office.

During my tenure at State Street, I completed three tangible goals. First, I designed and implemented a governance model for the office to effectively oversee the project teams. Second, I redesigned the reporting process, which resulted in significant time savings, increased compliance, and increased data quality. Third, I created a monthly management report that focused on the activities of the office.

In addition, I participated in an extensive lean initiative where I was involved with time studies, current state analysis, value stream mapping, and target state design. I was also charged with tracking teams’ progress towards goals, ensuring project plans were updated, and challenging teams’ progress reports.

My corporate residency experience significantly broadened my view of the business world. With the bulk of my previous experience in a small business environment, exposure to a 5,500+ employee division was extremely beneficial. The experience cemented my passion for business process redesign, increasing efficiencies, and improving employee engagement. The skills I gained while at State Street will enable me to effectively engage in this activity in almost any industry.

State Street Corporation Anders Reinertsen


Position Associate, Program Management Office, US Investor Services

Undergraduate InstitutionBabson College

Undergraduate MajorEntrepreneurship

As a corporate resident at the Raytheon Company, I worked as a Small Business Advocate within the Small Business and Community Partnering division of the Netted Supply Integration (NSI) organization. I was responsible for data integrity and the development of a supplier tool that generates updated supplier information from a single data source. Over the course of my residency, I was able to develop many marketable skills that I can attribute solely to the experiences I had at Raytheon.

While I participated in the day-to-day activities of the Small Business Team—such as supplier visits, supplier evaluations, and various outreach events and conferences—my main focus was to develop a way to make the data contained within Raytheon databases accessible and usable to support small business goals.

I created an Excel database that not only supports small business initiatives, but is useful as a cross-functional tool that adds value across Raytheon. I also populated the information into a “clickable” map of the United States that points to all suppliers and congressional districts within a given state, making it possible visualize where the majority of suppliers are located. I was asked to present my project to the NSI Leadership Team and was awarded a Six Sigma Specialist Designation for my efforts.

One of my main takeaways from my residency was learning the importance of networking and visibility. I was able to meet many upper-level managers throughout my work experience and through the process of completing my project. In doing so, I was able to engrain myself within the NSI organization and have been offered a part-time position within my group while I finish my MBA. After finishing my degree, I will be able to transition into a full-time role.

Raytheon CompanyPaul D. Richardson


Position Small Business Advocate

Undergraduate InstitutionSaint Lawrence University

Undergraduate MajorGovernment

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I worked as a Marketing Manager for InstallFree, Inc., an application virtualization startup company based in Stamford, Connecticut. My primary responsibility was to spearhead and assist on projects that supported field marketing and internal sales activity. The experience that I gained during my residency has helped me better understand how to collaborate virtually, work out of my comfort zone, and assume a large role in a startup. I learned how marketing works in a startup and how to make a measurable difference at little to no company cost.

My major responsibilities first revolved around the company’s website, where I used self-taught search engine optimization techniques to increase the rank in targeted keywords. I moved on to researching and writing company collateral, including a datasheet on cloud computing, a lead generation training guide, and several posts on the company blog.

In addition, I coordinated the Windows 7 beta launch by creating the go-to-market messaging, implementing a centralized feedback mechanism between beta customers and engineering, and facilitating meetings remotely via conference calls and WebEx. InstallFree gained a fresh perspective on some of their marketing efforts, as well as someone to take the lead on several efforts vital to the company’s success, especially those revolving around lead generation/lead contacting.

Coming from a finance background with little marketing experience was a challenge. I gained confidence in my own marketing abilities when my opinion was respected and trusted enough to take ideas I had and move forward with them. Through my remaining marketing classes, it is my hope that I will be able to identify exactly which career path is right for me. The lessons I learned at InstallFree are invaluable and will help me in any career I choose.

InstallFree, Inc.Tyler Rotondo


Position Marketing Manager

Undergraduate InstitutionStonehill College


I worked as a Marketing Specialist at Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessey (LVMH), specifically for the TAG Heuer Swiss watch brand. I was primarily responsible for ensuring all marketing media was in place and that our brand message consistently reached our target consumer. My position was unique in that I shadowed and then took over a full-time employee’s position due to maternity leave. Due to this and the relatively small size of the staff, my responsibilities included much more than managing a multi-million dollar media budget.

Possessing a unique set of computer skills, I became the default PowerPoint, Excel, and image processor. As the team became more comfortable with what I could do, I began to create presentations and sales decks for not only my superior (Senior Director of Marketing), but also the NA CEO of LVMH Watches and Jewelry and the worldwide CEO of TAG Heuer in Switzerland.

The many experiences I had dealing with different aspects of a marketing position taught me valuable lessons about the fast-paced world of luxury goods. Often it was necessary to wear four or five “hats” in one day: I spoke to customers about promotion problems, used Microsoft Office to revamp a presentation, figured out a financial SAP reporting system to ensure all the different media agencies were invoiced and paid, and worked with our creative team to create a postcard for a TAG Heuer event at a retailer.

This corporate residency really opened my eyes and forced me to look at my combined skill set and background that is unique for the marketing field. I believe that I can bring value to any marketing team, while still helping operations, finance, and sales.

LVMH/Tag HeuerFrancisco Salcie

Concentration Marketing & Supply Chain Certificate

Position Marketing Specialist

Undergraduate InstitutionRensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Undergraduate MajorManagement Technology & Economics

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I worked as a Performance Analyst at a leading investment management firm, where I was responsible for performance returns for over 300 fixed income and equity benchmarks. I did not have any experience within an investment management firm prior to my residency, so starting in the Global Performance Services division allowed me to see how the company operated from top to bottom.

I spent a majority of my time trying to reconcile the returns of our index models with the official returns from index vendors. This was a challenging task because there is a wide array of issues that can cause these discrepancies. Over the course of six months, my team was able to bring the number of monthly discrepancies down ten percent, far exceeding our set goal. I devoted a portion of my time to streamlining and redesigning the corporate resident’s role within the Global Performance Division. By changing these processes, I was able to save the firm over twenty work hours per week, which allowed me to become involved in other projects I was interested in.

There were three main skill sets that I developed from my corporate residency: 1) development of quantitative and analytical knowledge by auditing benchmark models, 2) the ability to logically break down processes and systematically improve upon them, and 3) improving my Excel and database skills. From this experience, I realized that I would like to pursue a career within finance, and have made Finance my MBA concentration at Northeastern.

Institutional Asset Manager (name withheld) Dustin Semach


Position Performance Analyst

Undergraduate InstitutionClemson University

Undergraduate MajorComputer Science

General Electric AviationKat Stepasiuk

Concentration Operations & Supply Chain Management

Position International Military Customer Support

Undergraduate InstitutionUniversity of Massachusetts, Amherst


I worked as an International Military Customer Support corporate resident at General Electric Aviation, where I was responsible for export license management, business agreement fee tracking, budget tracking for a training program, as well as many other projects to improve administrative processes. The experience that I gained during my residency allowed me to lead a Six Sigma Green Belt Project and increase my knowledge of international business, customer satisfaction and support, and international trade regulations.

I had the opportunity to meet with several clients who are high-ranking officials in militaries around the world, as well as work on projects with cross-functional teams including general managers, engineers, customer support managers, and project managers.

My greatest achievement at GE Aviation was leading a Six Sigma Green Belt project with anticipated revenue collection of approximately $1.5 million. I also managed an engineering labor and expense budget of $160,000 for a training course in support of an international customer. In addition, I became my group’s point-person for international trade regulation compliance, as I authored compliance plans and monitored essential government export control documents for a team of eleven customer support managers.

My experience at GE Aviation was a fantastic learning opportunity. I returned to GE Aviation part-time in the Spring and Summer semesters while completing my MBA. This experience has given me a solid foundation in a technical field, exposed me to international business and international trade regulations, allowed me to network with many extremely intelligent and well-connected people at GE, and gave me the opportunity to work at a highly successful worldwide company.

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Staples, Inc.Christian Tan


Position Logistics Strategy Analyst


Undergraduate MajorEconomics & International Relations

Through the corporate residency program, I worked as a Logistics Strategy Analyst at Staples, Inc. I was responsible for supporting the Fulfillment Center and Delivery Operations with strategic projects. I created business case studies that reflected Staples’ operational business strategy, as well as back-end models that are used in daily analysis. The back-end models I created led to increased automation and accuracy of business data analyses. Not only did I increase the efficiency of the group by providing insight and automation on various calculations, I also created business cases for the fulfillment centers and a digital copy services line for Staples.

The experience I gained during my residency helped me to tie finance, strategy, and the actual supply chain together. I learned the various pick methods in different Fulfillment Centers and was also exposed to the delivery side of Staples. My office experience was paired with actual facility visits and “ride-alongs” with the delivery drivers. My Microsoft Access, Excel and MapPoint skills improved substantially.

My corporate residency helped me to advance my career because of the experience I have gained in seeing how elements of a supply chain network interlock together. I learned how to ask the right questions when problems arise and how to work effectively as part of a team.

Raytheon CompanyStephen Tharp


Position Taiwan Patriot Financial Analyst

Undergraduate InstitutionGettysburg College


I completed my corporate residency as a financial analyst on the Taiwan Patriot team for the Integrated Defense System (IDS) segment of Raytheon Company. Raytheon develops, manufactures, and supports technological solutions for governmental and commercial customers in the United States and international markets.

I was able to apply my academic training in finance to numerous projects that helped the Taiwan program exceed its annual strategic goals. A few of my weekly responsibilities included forecasting, reporting, and analyzing sales and staffing reports. I had the opportunity to present my work during weekly meetings with the Patriot team CFO. While at Raytheon, I also received my Earned Value Management System certification.

My other areas of responsibility included monthly financial forecasting for five Taiwan Patriot Program contracts, totaling over $130 million in annual sales; working directly with the Taiwan Defense Contractor Moderate Agency to bill monthly milestone performance based payments; and performing quarterly cost reports analyzing profit rate adjustments, performance indicators, and projected program costs. I also participated on a team charged with forecasting the upcoming year’s operating plan for a $1 billion+ program.

As part of my Raytheon Six Sigma certification, I developed a standardized process for obtaining and categorizing staffing full-time equivalents for weekly manpower reports, enabling greater efficiency and accuracy in the analysis of headcount data across current and future Patriot programs. It was estimated that this process improvement will translate into annual savings of $167,000.

Upon graduation, my initial career goal is to assume a financial analyst role. I believe that the experience and training gained during my residency at Raytheon, combined with my academic preparation and prior work experience, have provided the skills and confidence necessary to have a successful in a career in finance.

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Iron Mountain, Inc.Emmanuelle Turner



Undergraduate InstitutionEBP International – Bordeaux, France

Undergraduate MajorEuropean Business Studies

I worked as a product marketing corporate resident at Iron Mountain, a leading company in information management services. My primary responsibilities were aimed at marketing some of the company’s digital products or solutions to the sales force and/or the end users.

During my corporate residency, I ran sales enablement by regularly creating or updating marketing collateral assets and communicating marketing events through web alerts shared throughout the organization. In addition, I helped the sales team by bringing forward their sales success stories and leveraging this information in various internal assets, such as WebEx presentations.

I gained significant experience in marketing research. One of my greatest accomplishments was conducting a product loss analysis that was ultimately delivered to middle and upper management and used to pinpoint areas of product improvement. I also re-designed and drastically improved a Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) calculator in order for the sales team, in association with the engineering team, to optimize the conversion rate from opportunities to actual sales. This tool is currently being leveraged in various assets, such as a sales training presentation that is used throughout the country.

Working in the product marketing department provided me with a very broad and solid foundation of basic marketing functions: from marketing communications, to product research and management. The experience that I gained during my corporate residency allowed me to greatly improve my communication (technical writing and presentation) skills, to conduct a project from beginning to end, to refine my analytical abilities, and to develop my managerial skills. I was able to further develop practical marketing skills that will prepare me for my career as a marketing professional.

Raytheon CompanyJennifer Vincent



Undergraduate InstitutionUniversity of New Hampshire


I worked as a Financial Analyst on the UAE Patriot Program at Raytheon Company, a leader in the international defense market. UAE Patriot is Raytheon’s largest program, with $3.3 billion of expected revenues. One of my main responsibilities was management reporting for New Business Investment pursuits, funds that Raytheon invests in the development of new products/programs, technology, or the expansion of current product lines.

Another responsibility was developing a supplier financial assessment framework that will allow Raytheon to continuously monitor the viability of their suppliers. Working at Raytheon has provided me with experience using a variety of computer skills including SAP, Microsoft Excel, and Business Warehouse.

My other job responsibilities included preparing weekly detailed labor and overtime reports. These reports are used in the staffing report that is presented to management. By comparing actual staffing versus planned staffing, management can identify potential problems with program performance and take appropriate actions. I also completed 78 hours of training, including earned value management. Earned value management is an industry best practice for project management that coordinates work scope, schedule, and cost goals of a program or contract, and objectively measures progress toward these goals.

During my corporate residency, I received a Six Sigma Specialist certification upon completing the supplier financial assessment framework. I was also invited as the guest lecturer in Bryant University’s Business 101 class and judged the class’s business plan/final project.

My future career plans involve working in corporate finance. I would like to continue a career in the defense industry. Working for an industry leader such as Raytheon, I had the opportunity to utilize both my finance and supply chain education. My corporate residency has provided me with invaluable experience necessary for a successful career in the defense industry.

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Institutional Asset Manager (name withheld)Xiaoxiao Wang


Position Client Service Analyst

Undergraduate InstitutionSun Yat-Sen University

Undergraduate MajorRisk Management & Insurance

I worked as a Client Service Analyst at a trusted investment advisor and asset manager to institutions located around the world. During my residency, I was responsible for preparing reports to clients on a regular basis, preparing presentations for relationship managers and other analysts, and developing a headcount project. The experience that I gained during my residency helped me to gain a deeper knowledge of finance (especially fixed income products) and an understanding of how the client side of a money manager operates.

During my residency, I built numerous Excel models that summarized data used for client presentations. These models greatly enhanced the efficiency and accuracy of the client reporting process. I also participated in the inception of a client reporting matrix project, which has and will continue to greatly enhance internal resource utilization and client reporting efficiency. Additionally, I independently developed headcount spreadsheets to assist in global human resource allocation and analysis, a project that required strong communication skills. Finally, I prepared gain/loss, holdings summary, attribution, contribution, and statistical reports for clients on a weekly, monthly, and quarterly basis.

The key lessons learned during my residency relate to the relationship management of investment firms. The relationship and development managers must work closely with the research side of the firm. These departments must be in constant communication in order to achieve greater performance for their clients. I also learned more about the actual day-to-day activities that an asset manager engages in.

My future career plans involve becoming an analyst at an investment firm. I believe that my corporate residency experience assisted in attaining my goal. I gained some great real-world experience in my field of interest, and I gained an understanding of the management structure of a typical money management firm.

I worked in the benchmarking team within the performance group at a leading institutional asset management firm. My primary responsibility was maintaining more than 300 indices used for benchmarking client accounts and for internal reporting. I also created and maintained nearly 100 models used for research and analytics and helped the performance team complete account reconciliations. I established a strong relationship with index vendors, such as Standard and Poor’s, Dow Jones, Morgan Stanley, JP Morgan, FTSE, and numerous others, to perform my responsibilities.

I also performed a number of tasks designed to bring the team’s models as close as possible to the index that they represent. The most notable was the processing of all corporate actions that affected securities within the asset management firm’s models. This required an understanding of each vendor’s unique methodology and the process they use for dealing with corporate actions within their indices.

My greatest impact was in the area of corporate actions. I worked with one of the company’s main data providers, Fact Set, to create a new set of reports used in conjunction with our current corporate action process. These reports enhanced efficiency and greatly reduced the chance of error.

Working with the benchmark team was a wonderful experience. My technical skills were fair at best prior to this position, and I can now say that I am highly proficient with Excel, Bloomberg, and Fact Set. In addition, I learned a tremendous amount about financial institutions and the markets in which they interact. I was also able to branch out to a number of different teams and gain incredible perspective into the different opportunities that are available within the financial services industry.

Institutional Asset Manager (name withheld)Ben YoungdahlConcentration Finance

Position Benchmarking Team

Undergraduate InstitutionSyracuse University

Undergraduate MajorPolitical Science and Rhetoric

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About MBA Corporate ResidencyTake Advantage of Our Talent Pool

Corporate residency is a required, six-month, experiential learning component of Northeastern University’s Full-time MBA curriculum. Northeastern’s Corporate Residency Program presents an outstanding opportunity to obtain talented resources for your immediate projects while evaluating talent for future full-time hiring. As a leader in experiential education, Northeastern University has developed a strong program that allows you to bring promising, productive MBA students into your

workplace with ease and efficiency.

Experience the Benefits

As a partner in Northeastern’s Corporate Residency Program, you will join other leading companies who return every year to recruit highly skilled MBA students for corporate residency assignments in finance, marketing, and supply chain management/operations.

Here are just a few of the advantages of participating in Northeastern’s MBA Corporate Residency Program:

• Skilled, temporary labor for near-term projects

• Revolving source of skilled labor for long-term business needs

• Injection of fresh ideas, perspectives, and talent

• Professional assistance at a modest cost (salary only, no benefits)

• Recruitment and development of potential full-time employees

The six-month residency format allows students to spend more of their time working than training, resulting in increased productivity. Corporate residency also gives you the opportunity to work actively with our MBA students to evaluate their fit within your organization as you assess your future hiring needs.

Advantages of MBA Corporate ResidencyFlexible and Reliable

Participating in our Corporate Residency Program provides you with access to skilled, motivated professionals for short, six-month assignments. Students work full-time for your organization during their corporate residency, which takes place from July through December.

Cost Effective

MBA students are paid a salary commensurate with their skill level, the demands of the position, and the local economy, but there are no benefit requirements, such as health care. Current salary ranges can be obtained from the MBA Career Center.

Easy to Manage

If you are interested in hiring students for a corporate residency, the steps to participate are very simple:

• E-mail your job description(s) to us at [email protected], and we will post your jobs on our MBA Career Center employment website.

• Interested students will submit their resumes online, and we will forward a resume bundle to you for review. You can also search our online database of resumes to pre-screen potential candidates.

• Let us know which students you want to interview and when, and we will set up a schedule for you. You can interview students on campus in one of our interview rooms, or students can come to your location to interview.

• You interview the students, select the student(s) you want to hire, and extend the offer. The MBA Career Center will notify those students not selected.

Your organization makes the hiring decisions and provides the student with training to perform the corporate residency position. As with any employee, you would meet with your corporate residency student to set goals, track performance, and complete an evaluation at the end of the work period.

For more information, please contact:

Lynne A. SarikasDirector, MBA Career [email protected]

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“Northeastern’s Corporate Residency Program gives students an opportunity to put into practice concepts learned from their MBA curriculum. Additionally, the program has enabled our company to prospect talent while giving candidates responsibility to assist or lead important projects relevant to strategic business objectives.”

Clive Pinto Human Resources Manager

W. R. Grace & Co.

“The students we have hired have brought energy, enthusiasm, and new perspectives to one of the major development programs in our company. We have been very successful in putting Northeastern’s talent to good use, while providing students with the kind of experiences they need to build their careers.”

Ralph Miller Director, Corporate Information Management

Harvard Pilgrim Health Care

“Northeastern’s Corporate Residency Program provides CypressTree with intelligent, highly motivated individuals who satisfy our entry-level analytical needs. The program also provides us with an invaluable preview of students’ ability to succeed in our environment, which helps us when making future hiring decisions. Many of our

top investment professionals have been selected through this process.”

Damien Mount Portfolio ManagerCypressTree Investment Management Company, Inc.

What Employers are Saying About Corporate Residency...

Documents

Letter from MBA Career Center Director - DRS344543/... · Letter from MBA Career Center Director Northeastern’s MBA corporate residency offers you access to skilled, motivated professionals