The IMD MBA
North America: Participants and Alumni
“IMD’s MBA program offers a truly international perspective on business. In the
MBA class, 90 talented, seasoned students from 45 countries share their real
world business experiences, which makes for an amazing and enriching learning
environment. In addition to the global outlook studying in Europe offers, IMD’s
special focus on leadership and personal development really sets it apart from
other schools. The IMD MBA experience has opened up a world of opportunities
and is preparing me for success in my international business career."
Cody Taylor
American, MBA 2010
2011 Participants
Brian (YinJen) Chen, Canadian/Taiwanese, 28
Brian.chen@mba2011.imd.ch
Prior to IMD : 7 years int’l experience in project management and strategy planning in the hi-tech industry
Caroline Falciola, American/Swiss, 32
Caroline.falciola@MBA2011.imd.ch
Prior to IMD : 6 years in R&D, policy and market analysis in the bio-pharma industry
Joseph Godsey, American, 28
Joseph.godsey@MBA2011.imd.ch
Prior to IMD : 7 years int’l experience in IT project and program management in global retail and manufacturing industries
Fritz (Friedrich) Jaeger, American/German, 31
Fritz.jaeger@MBA2011.imd.ch
Prior to IMD : 7 years int’l experience in general management, business development and finance
Eoin Johnson, American/Irish, 26
Eoin.johnson@MBA2011.imd.ch
Prior to IMD : 4 years experience in entrepreneurship and general management in the leisure and sports sector
Alec McShane, American, 30
Alec.mcshane@MBA2011.imd.ch
Prior to IMD : 6.5 years sales experience in the global biotech/pharma Industry
Chris Scroggie, Canadian/UK, 33
Chris.scroggie@MBA2011.imd.ch
Prior to IMD : 7+ years of project management in healthcare, restructuring and media
Samson Yao, Canadian/Taiwanese, 30
Samson.yao@MBA2011.imd.ch
Prior to IMD : 8 years entrepreneurship, business/operation consulting and electrical engineering in the high-tech industry
Constanza Zalba, Canadian/Argentinean, 30
Constanza.zalba@MBA2011.imd.ch
Prior to IMD : 7 Years experience in strategy, marketing and communications in the hi-tech industry
Mar 08
A Selection of Recent Alumni
2010
Rosemary Meacham-Zittel, American – Patient Communication Manager, Celgene International, Switzerland
Prior to IMD: 5 years of sales & customer service experience in the printing / publishing industry
Colleen Nichol, Canadian – Management Development Program, Nike, The Netherlands
Prior to IMD: 10 years experience in sales & marketing in the technology & healthcare sectors
Kurt Rote, American – Marketing and Product Manager, Biognosys, Switzerland
Prior to IMD: 4 years of strategy, business development & operations management in manufacturing & industrial supply
Raymond Woo, Canadian/Chinese – Associate, McKinsey & Company Inc., Hong Kong
Prior to IMD: 10 years of int’l general management experience in the aviation & marketing services industries
2009
John Bradford Moldin, American – Investment Research Analyst, Fidelity International, UK
Prior to IMD: 4.5 years in business valuation & investment banking
Kristin Sherwood, American – Director, Corporate Executive Board, Australia
Prior to IMD: 6 years in strategic research, consulting & product management
Ruslana Zbagerska, Canadian – Senior Director, Expedia Inc., UK
Prior to IMD: 5.5 years in strategy, program management & business operations in e-commerce & travel
2008
Catherine Kulley, Canadian/American – Operations Finance Planning Manager, PepsiCo International, Germany
Prior to IMD: 7 years in accounting & finance
Matthew McKee, American – Associate, Booz & Company GMBH, The Netherlands
Prior to IMD: 3 years in operations, 1 year in consulting
Bryan Hassin, American – CEO, Smart Office Energy Solutions, USA
Prior to IMD: 6 years in executive management and entrepreneurship
2007
Philip Dao, American/Vietnamese – Country Director, Johnson & Johnson Medical SA, Vietnam
Prior to IMD: 8 years in R&D & project management
Paul Gabie, Canadian – Senior Vice President, R.F. Chandler, Singapore
Prior to IMD: 3+ years in project development & legal finance in energy & natural resource sectors
Brant Richards, American – Strategy & Business Development, Younicos AG, Germany
Prior to IMD: 9 years in marketing management, business development & consulting
2006
Marc Comer, American – Strategic Planning & Market Integration Manager, Lonza Group Ltd, Switzerland
Prior to IMD: 5.5 years in government policy, communications & print media
Kenneth Schultz, American – Consultant, McKinsey & Company Inc, Belgium
Prior to IMD: Board certified physician with 6 years in healthcare management
“When I selected IMD, one of my goals was to understand Canadian business in a global context.
The diverse, multicultural group of talented, experienced professionals in my class has expanded
my view of business, of my career and of myself. I believe that this, as well as IMD's special focus
on leadership and personal development, will help me make the most of my international business
career."
Craig Neable, Canadian, MBA 2006
Director of Product Management, Zattoo International, Switzerland
Mar 08
The IMD MBA
Alumni: Where are they now?
Lawrence Ganti, American, MBA 2003
2010: Commerical Director, Merck Serono Co Ltd., Japan
Published February 2007
Upon graduating from IMD’s MBA program in 2003, American Lawrence Ganti accepted a
position with Serono in Geneva. Within six months, he had already been offered his first
promotion and from there his career has continued on the fast track. Lawrence is currently responsible for the
project management of the integration of the Merck and Serono €1b International Commercial Operations which
includes Latin America, Canada, Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Japan. And it is in this role that he is really seeing
some of the benefits of his year at IMD, “IMD gave me a structured way of thinking, analysing, and presenting which
is crucial in a situation where people’s emotions are so prominent.”
Prior to IMD, Lawrence had six years of experience in sales, strategy and international business development, with
Johnson & Johnson, McKinsey and running his own company. As his experience developed, he felt a need not only
to focus on other aspects of business, but also to rethink his own leadership and management skills. “You can do
self-discovery anywhere, but only IMD seemed to offer a structured framework where I could reflect on and question
the different aspects of my leadership style.”
Lawrence was also attracted by the profiles of the participants – their maturity, experience and internationality. “It
was tough being broken down at the start of the program. We all came in on top of the world and were quickly made
to realize that we were no better than the person sitting next to us. We then began to grow together and quickly
evolved from dancing around issues to getting to the heart of the matter – secure that we were in a safe environment
to express ‘pure views’”.
During his year at IMD, Lawrence also shared his daily experiences of the class through the online MBA Diary,
“From a purely selfish point of view, it was an invaluable opportunity. It forced me to sit down at the end of each day,
reflect on everything that had happened and then put it down on paper.”
And now, Lawrence continues to share his learnings as participants and alumni contact him through the alumni
database. “It’s an easy database to use. When I’m looking for a perspective about business in different countries, I
can get it from the alumni network, and the incredible thing is that they typically get back with an answer surprisingly
quickly.”
February 2009 Update
Lawrence is now preparing for his next step with Merck Serono. In July 2009, he will be taking over the sales and
marketing activities for the company in Japan. As the Head of Commercial Operations for Merck Serono Japan,
Lawrence expects to fully put his IMD assets to the test. “In my new role in Japan, I expect that I will need to revisit
my personal leadership style and adapt it to the Japanese culture. In addition to reverting back to the frameworks
that I learned at IMD, I hope to tap the IMD Alumni Network for contacts to share in their learnings and insights”
Mar 08
Gord Ray, Canadian, MBA 2002
2010: Publishing Director, Wallpaper* Magazine, UK
Published 2008
Canadian-born Gord Ray came to IMD in 2002 with the aim of moving his career forward and
topping up his analytical tools. He had high expectations of the program and even higher hopes
of making a change to his career – his objective was to change industries, change his profession and also be
employed in a new country. Lofty goals some might say, but at graduation all three wishes were granted and his
career leapfrogged.
“I went from living in London employed in the advertising agency world to working for luxury goods firm Georg Jensen
based in Copenhagen - it was a pretty major leap!”
Gord is the first to admit that the lead for the job was a direct result of the MBA program as Georg Jensen was his
assigned company for the ICP (International Consulting Projects). “The CEO of the company was an MBA alumnus
from the early 1990s so he had a clear understanding of the project. Working closely with him gave me a chance to
prove myself and at the end of the year, I was offered my dream job as the company’s Global Marketing Director.”
The ICPs and resulting success were not the only highs of Gord’s year at IMD. “It was a fascinating time interacting
with people from remarkable backgrounds and being motivated by the Faculty to rise to their challenges. While we felt
a bit cut off from the rest of the world, the long hours were a necessity and I still feel it was one of the best years of my
life.”
Another important aspect of his year at IMD was his role as MBA Diary writer. “At the end of each day, I could reflect
on what had happened and share it with others.” Now, after five years with Georg Jensen, Gord has returned to the
larger world of publishing as Publishing Director for Wallpaper*, one of the world’s leading design magazines, owned
by Time Warner and distributed globally. “The leadership skills I learned at IMD are obviously a great help, but I am
now also applying much more of the financial skills I picked up along the way.”
“I came to IMD looking for a boost in my career and it completely changed my life. I’m living proof that the MBA
program works – I got all that I asked for and even more.”
More alumni stories are available at: http://www.imd.org/programs/mba/community/Alumni-Stories
Alumni Clubs
www.imd.ch/alumni/clubs
Our network of IMD alumni connects you with more than 55,000 executives from over 140 countries. The network is
structured into more than 40 alumni clubs as well as more focused groups.
In this region, we currently have the following clubs:
− Boston
− Houston
− North California
− New York Area
− Washington DC
− Montreal
− Toronto
− Vancouver
Tel: +41 21 618 02 98 Email: mbainfo@imd.ch
Fax: +41 21 618 06 15 IMD, Lausanne, Switzerland www.imd.ch/mba
Mar 08