MBA

'I knew I had to change': Senior NASA official pursues MBA as the space economy booms

Christopher.Sorensen — Tue, 09 Aug 2022 13:18:02 +0000

'I knew I had to change': Senior NASA official pursues MBA as the space economy booms

Christopher.Sorensen Tue, 08/09/2022 - 09:18

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David Mauro, deputy chief of the spaceflight division at NASA Ames Research Center, began work on his Rotman-SDA Bocconi Global Executive MBA program last year (photo courtesy of David Mauro)

Jessie Park

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Our Community

Creative Destruction Lab

Global

MBA

Rotman School of Management

Space

For David Mauro, deputy chief of the spaceflight division at NASA Ames Research Center, returning to school for an MBA was necessary to keep up with the booming demands in the space industry.

He began his MBA with the Rotman-SDA Bocconi Global Executive MBA (GEMBA) program last year – one month into his current role – in a bid grasp the business fundamentals that were needed more than ever in his career.

The program is offered jointly by the 91�Թ�’s Rotman School of Management and the SDA Bocconi School of Management at Italy’s Bocconi University.

“We’re going through a renaissance in the space economy, and I knew I had to change with it,” says Mauro, a 12-year industry veteran. “There’s a need for people who know both the technical side and the business side of space.

“I wanted to learn more about the business side, so I joined the GEMBA program to equip myself with that knowledge.”

Mauro has what many space enthusiasts would consider a dream job: He works on making space missions come to life with a team of scientists, system engineers and project managers. From missions beyond our atmosphere to measuring the wind on Mars, he works on complex projects with high stakes and budgets.

There have been huge investments into space in recent years, including Elon Musk’s ambitious SpaceX; Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic, the world’s first public commercial spaceflight company; and NASA’s cutting-edge James Webb telescope. Hundreds of smaller space-tech startups are also entering the arena, such as Milan-based D-Orbit, the first in-space logistics company to work on mitigating debris in space.

“Many startups and private sector companies continue to invest in space, and what’s now a US$400-billion industry is estimated to soar to about US$1 trillion by 2040,” says Mauro.

At Rotman, the Creative Destruction Lab has a bustling space stream to coach startup companies pursuing commercial opportunities related to space. Mentors in CDL Space include field experts such as Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield and academic experts like April Franco, a professor of economic analysis and policy at 91�Թ� Scarborough and Rotman.

It’s this rapid transformation that puts leaders like Mauro in a position to be more strategic than ever – from rethinking internal strategies to carefully allocating large budgets and navigating potential partnerships with startups.

“My experience in the GEMBA program is changing the way I think about problems,” says Mauro. “I started looking at things in new and creative ways when thinking about NASA Ames Research Center’s internal strategy or how we can improve certain processes.”

He adds that his strategy implementation course will be particularly relevant the next time his division undergoes an internal shift.

Over the course of the 18-month program, learners from around the world meet in Toronto, Milan, Mumbai, Copenhagen, San Francisco, Shanghai and San Paulo for immersive modules that cover the business fundamentals for leaders across industries.

Most recently, Mauro’s class returned from San Francisco, where they met with tech industry leaders to get a deeper look at mergers and acquisitions strategies. In other cities, participants delve into topics that range from managing innovation and corporate strategy to ethics and sustainability.

“It was like learning to read again,” Mauro says. “I’m building so many bridges in my understanding of how everything connects, and I’m bringing these reflections into my work.”

While the fun part of his new job is dealing with space missions, Mauro says managing different types of people makes up the bulk of his role.

“Machines are predictable, but humans are human – they have different skill sets, personalities and needs,” he says, noting the courses he has taken on leadership, leveraging diverse teams and strategic change have been instrumental to his confidence as a leader.

With the barriers slowly dissolving for non-astronauts to take part in spaceflight, Mauro says he's often taken aback by the huge shifts in the space landscape from just a decade ago.

“Before, spaceflight required intensive and very technical training and was largely only available to professional astronauts, but now it’s a matter of how much money you have,” he says. “It’s mind-blowing. It makes you realize how much the space industry will continue to transform as the private sector looks to make a return on its investments.”

Through his studies, Mauro says he hopes to set an example for his young kids, aged five and seven.

“I want to show them that you never have to stop learning,” he says. “I’m 47 and it doesn’t matter if this is your third or fourth degree – we’re never done.”

In MBA program, twin brothers set themselves up for success – and discovered what makes them unique

geoff.vendeville — Fri, 22 Jul 2022 15:28:01 +0000

In MBA program, twin brothers set themselves up for success – and discovered what makes them unique

geoff.vendeville Fri, 07/22/2022 - 11:28

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Nishul and Nakul Juneja, twins and graduates of the MBA program in the Rotman School of Management, took many of the same courses and both interned at Amazon – but also learned about what makes them different (photo by Eugene Grichko/Rotman)

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Rotman School of Management

In many ways, brothers Nakul and Nishul Juneja live up to the identical twin stereotype.

They wear similar rectangular glasses and often finish each other’s sentences. They completed the same undergraduate program at the Georgia Institute of Technology, then both went on to work at the Hershey Company’s corporate office as analysts. Now, they've checked off another major milestone together: graduating with master's of business administration degrees from the 91�Թ�'s Rotman School of Management.

While the Juneja brothers have a lot in common, they have strived to express their individuality. In their classes, they learned about a similar problem in the world of marketing: when an almost identical brand exists in the market, how do you set your own apart?

“People assume we have the same outlook on everything, but it’s very different at times,” Nishul says. “It was our experience at Rotman which helped us understand how to identify and leverage our personal strengths.”

The brothers planned to set off on different paths after graduation. Nakul was set to join the consulting firm McKinsey & Company as an associate, while Nishul was due to become a senior product manager on Amazon’s advertising team. Although they moved in lockstep at Rotman – taking nearly all the same courses, joining the same clubs and both interning at Amazon – they were also able to discover what made each of them unique.

Spending time with Nakul, it becomes obvious he loves experiencing new things, although he's more introverted than his brother.

While Nakul had never worked in consulting before, it was one of his long-held goals to give it a try. During the MBA program, Nakul learned his strengths lie in strategy and international management. One of the highlights of his time at Rotman was participating in a mental health case competition with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and the Rotman Management Consulting Association.

“I found an appreciation for consulting work across different sectors and discovered the impact I can have on people and organizations through my work,” he says.

Like his brother, Nakul also considered joining Amazon full-time after graduation. During his internship following his first year in the MBA program, he helped build an internal software product designed to track employee engagement. While he loved the stimulating environment there, he decided to pursue his goal of working in consulting.

“I’m excited for this new chapter in my career,” Nakul says. “McKinsey works with global companies on complex issues where I can really apply the learnings and frameworks from class, from negotiation to international business.”

Nishul also thrived during an internship at Amazon and accepted an offer to return there after graduation. He saw that the opportunities in the company aligned with his own long-term career goal: to manage diverse teams, and ultimately become a leader at a global company.

“Amazon is probably the most customer-obsessed company in the world, and it meshes well with my desire to become a customer-obsessed manager,” Nishul says.

Nishul pursued an executive position in the Rotman Marketing Association, where he served as the vice-president of industry relations and finance. When a series of case competitions didn't go the brothers' way, Nishul and Nakul promised themselves that they would step up their game.

“We signed up as a two-person team for the Brewery Case Competition, hosted by the Rotman Beer Association, where you partner with a local brewery and try to fix a business problem for them,” says Nishul. “We were with Lost Craft Brewery, and we spent three days working on their business problem... and trying a bunch of their products.”

Facing stiff competition, the brothers still managed to snag third place.

“Everyone wants to do everything. There are a hundred different things to try during an MBA program and it really is like drinking from a firehose,” says Nishul. “I tried to find the two or three things that really mattered to me.”

Nakul and Nishul say they learned many things at Rotman, including strict time management and sharp negotiation skills that will serve them well in their careers.

Nishul, who started the program with his brother in the fall of 2020 as the world adjusted to the COVID-19 pandemic, said going to school at such an unusual time was a “life-changing” experience.

“We’re now entering a world where everything has changed, and we have the right skillset to succeed in this new world,” he adds. “In business, we’re seeing new regulations and a big push towards e-commerce and international trade – all these things which we learned in-depth at Rotman.”

For Nakul, it's the warm and welcoming community he found in Toronto and at Rotman that made an impact on him as an international student.

“It’s the most familiar [and] unfamiliar place you’ll ever see. Your classmates are there for you. The school is there for you,” he says. “It might take some time to get used to things, especially for folks who are more reserved, but once you’re here, you’ll see that there are opportunities for everyone.”

Nakul and Nishul are now poised to embrace the world separately, together.

“We came to Rotman wanting to pivot our careers and meet interesting people, and we’re leaving with so much more than that,” Nakul says. “We now have the knowledge and experience to help us succeed in an ever-changing world.”

“Getting a refreshing perspective on the world, working with students and professors from diverse backgrounds – it makes you see the world differently than before,” adds Nishul.

“It changes the way you see problems, the way you behave and ultimately, who you are.”

Management, Rotman School of

sgupta — Thu, 07 Jan 2016 20:47:17 +0000

Management, Rotman School of sgupta Thu, 01/07/2016 - 15:47

URL

https://www.rotman.utoronto.ca

International Busines, Institute for (IIB)

sgupta — Thu, 07 Jan 2016 20:47:15 +0000

International Busines, Institute for (IIB) sgupta Thu, 01/07/2016 - 15:47

URL

https://www.rotman.utoronto.ca/faculty-and-research/research-centres/institute-for-international-business/

Startup accelerator Hult Prize comes to 91�Թ�

sgupta — Tue, 07 Oct 2014 12:17:10 +0000

Startup accelerator Hult Prize comes to 91�Թ� sgupta Tue, 10/07/2014 - 08:17

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Bill Clinton's Clinton Global Initiative sponsors the competition together with the Hult International Business School (photo by Tim Hamilton via Flickr)

Terry Lavender

Author legacy

Terry Lavender

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Encouraging social entrepreneurs to solve world's most pressing problems

Last year, six 91�Թ� teams made it to the regional finals of the Hult Prize – an annual competition where teams of university students develop innovative ideas to solve the world’s biggest social problems, such as non-communicable diseases and malnutrition.

Those regional finals took place in London, Dubai, Boston, Sao Paolo, San Francisco and Shanghai.

This year, 91�Թ� students won’t have to travel so far to compete in the world’s largest student competition.The Hult Prize is coming to campus.

Teams of three to five students – from any faculty or school and any year – are eligible to register for the contest, and submit a proposal for a viable start-up company focussing on early childhood education, says MBA student Jason Visscher, who is organizing the Hult Prize at 91�Թ� event.

More than 10,000 applicants from 150 countries entered the competition in 2013, tempted by a chance to win a prize of US$1 million as well as networking, mentorship and coaching opportunities and a meeting with former U.S. President Bill Clinton, whose Clinton Global Initiative cosponsors the competition together with the Hult International Business School.

”The Hult Prize is a start-up accelerator for social entrepreneurship which brings together the brightest college and university students from around the globe to solve the world’s most pressing issues,” says Visscher (pictured at right). “It’s the world’s largest crowdsourcing platform for social good and one of the planet’s leading forces for good.”

91�Թ� teams have to register before the end of October at www.hultprizeat.com/toronto in order to compete. The top 20 entries will have to make a pitch before a panel of judges at the Rotman School of Management on December 6, Visscher says.The winner of the 91�Թ� competition will be automatically entered in the regional semifinals.

“Not only will the top team secure a spot in the Hult Prize Regional Finals next March, they will also receive rounds of guidance from professors. This is our chance to show the world that Canada's top university – and an international leader in educational research – is dedicated to impact,” he says.

Visscher, who was a teacher in Japan, New Zealand, Italy and Thailand before enrolling in the MBA program, says he’s become involved in the competition because he believes businesses need to take on more responsibility for sustainability and social well-being.

“One of the biggest market failures of our lifetime is environmental degradation, and you still see a need to more directly address these market shortcomings in business schools such as Rotman – with the millennial generation, however, we are seeing a new cohort of social entrepreneurs who want to take on such challenges themselves.”

Visscher urges interested 91�Թ� students to register at www.hultprizeat.com/toronto.

To find out more information about the Hult Prize go to http://www.hultprize.org/.

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MBA

'I knew I had to change': Senior NASA official pursues MBA as the space economy booms

In MBA program, twin brothers set themselves up for success – and discovered what makes them unique

Read more about the Juneja brothers in Yahoo! News

Management, Rotman School of

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Startup accelerator Hult Prize comes to 91�Թ�