Sloanies Talking with Sloanies MIT Sloan Alumni

Join host Christopher Reichert, MSc ’04, in a candid conversation with Jawad Ahsan, MIT Sloan Executive MBA alum, as they discuss the transformative power of an MBA, Ahsan's career growth from GE to entrepreneurial ventures, and the role MIT Sloan played in shaping his path. Discover how System Dynamics and MIT Sloan's collaborative ethos inspired Ahsan to pursue a portfolio career, balancing corporate success with creative storytelling and societal impact.

Reichert and Ahsan talk about Ahsan's creative pursuits, including his book "What They Didn't Tell Me," which became an Amazon bestseller, and his involvement in producing books, movies, and investing in startups through his ventures Light Mountain Creative, Light Mountain Capital, and Light Mountain Craft.

Links:
LinkedIn Profile: www.linkedin.com/in/jawadahsanWebsite: http://www.jawadahsan.com/Support the show
Thanks for listening! Find more episodes on our website Sloanies Talking with Sloanies. Learn more about MIT Sloan Alumni on X (Formerly known as Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

To support this show or if you have an idea for a topic or a guest you think we should feature, drop us a note at sloanalumni@mit.edu

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On this episode of Sloanies Talking with Sloanies, host Christopher Reichert, MOT ’04, interviews Ian Barkin, MBA ’06, co-founder of 2BVentures. 

Barkin discusses his experience at MIT Sloan and how it influenced his career in consulting and outsourcing. He also talks about the concept of robotic process automation (RPA) and its role in intelligent automation. Barkin shares insights from his book Intelligent Automation and discusses the democratization of technology tools and the importance of harnessing grassroots automation within organizations. 

He emphasizes the need for IT departments to adapt to the changing landscape and support the creativity and innovation of non-IT professionals. Barkin also highlights the evolving role of AI and the availability of big data in driving advancements in automation. 

He concludes by discussing the importance of staying connected with the MIT Sloan community and offering advice for prospective students and alumni.

Links:
LinkedIn ProfileLinkedIn Learning courses on Digital TransformationMIT Sloan Management Review ArticleHarvard Business Review ArticleIntelligent AutomationSupport the show
Thanks for listening! Find more episodes on our website Sloanies Talking with Sloanies. Learn more about MIT Sloan Alumni on X (Formerly known as Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

To support this show or if you have an idea for a topic or a guest you think we should feature, drop us a note at sloanalumni@mit.edu

© MIT SLOAN SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT

A conversation with Yda Bouvier, MBA ’98, on her new book, Leading from the Right Brain, gleaned from her studies in applied physics, and years of coaching executives seeking to strengthen and transform their leadership style. Yda discusses how many leaders are especially capable in left-brain functioning, which serves them well in building strong strategic, problem solving, and goal-achievement track records. And yet, when left-brain functioning gets stuck, it can only be unlocked through bringing in the strengths of the right side of the brain. Yda posits that the right brain sees the whole, the proverbial forest from the trees; and it sees the new, bringing fresh ideas and perspectives for any problem. The right brain also has access to information about ourselves and others that the left brain doesn’t have.  


In the wide-ranging conversation Yda touches on the impact MIT Sloan had on her evolution from the physics cellars doing research, to gaining new found skills and confidence for her work before and after MIT Sloan at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG).  Since 2008, Yda Bouvier has worked with hundreds of individuals and many teams in periods of transition and professional challenges, across the United Kingdom and Continental Europe. 


Support the show
Thanks for listening! Find more episodes on our website Sloanies Talking with Sloanies. Learn more about MIT Sloan Alumni on X (Formerly known as Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

To support this show or if you have an idea for a topic or a guest you think we should feature, drop us a note at sloanalumni@mit.edu

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A conversation with Shawna Young, EMBA ’15, on her experiences from North Carolina to Cambridge, from teaching high school to reinvigorating the Scratch Foundation at MIT and advocating for her community.  A graduate of Howard University, Shawna tells us about being in a space where her classmates could be themselves, “unapologetically black and ambitious.” It set her on a path to focus on the access to advanced learning opportunities for children of color early in their educational journey.   


Shawna tells us about the challenges of navigating both parenting and a career guided by the principles of helping the underserved, whether in the high schools where she taught, or through the Duke Talent Identification Program, or at several positions that she has held at MIT. 


Shawna closes by talking about the diverse community she encountered at MIT Sloan, and how she and her classmates bonded over the challenges of juggling school, career, and personal lives.  


Support the show
Thanks for listening! Find more episodes on our website Sloanies Talking with Sloanies. Learn more about MIT Sloan Alumni on X (Formerly known as Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

To support this show or if you have an idea for a topic or a guest you think we should feature, drop us a note at sloanalumni@mit.edu

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A conversation with Alexander Borschow, SB ’06, MBA ’14, on his journey from Puerto Rico to MIT undergraduate studying chemical biological engineering in Course 10B, then on to New York as a banker at BNP Paribas. On a trip in 2011 to northern Argentina, Alexander had a life-changing realization that the global food system was not sustainable. He returned to MIT Sloan for its strong program in sustainability. While at MIT Sloan, Alexander was president of the Food and Agriculture Club. After graduation, Alexander worked in the food industry at Eataly, where he gained a lot of experience with the food supply ecosystem. He is the co-founder of Semillero Partners, a San Juan, Puerto Rico-based growth stage investment fund focused on companies in food and beverage, food tech, and wellness industries. Sustainability is central to Alex and Semillero's investment approach, as is a commitment to the evolution of the companies they support. 


Support the show
Thanks for listening! Find more episodes on our website Sloanies Talking with Sloanies. Learn more about MIT Sloan Alumni on X (Formerly known as Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

To support this show or if you have an idea for a topic or a guest you think we should feature, drop us a note at sloanalumni@mit.edu

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A conversation with Roberto Rigobon and Juan Pablo Armas, on the 10th Anniversary of the MIT Sloan Latin America Office.  Professor Rigobon and Juan Pablo share the experiences of creating and building the Latin American office, the first of its kind, the challenges of creating a unified and impactful venue for sharing ideas on such a large continent, with disparate economies, education systems, and politics.  They share how Andrónico Luksic pitched the idea to the Dean, and how local families and entrepreneurs kept it alive and vital. They also talk about recent challenges presented by COVID and the successes the office has achieved in the first decade.


Professor Rigobon talks about the unique South American connection, where despite great economic and political upheavals, involving things like 30% of the population of Venezuela scattered across the continent, there have never been refugee camps. They share that despite vigorous competition in things like soccer, when they meet as a council, they don't discuss the regular politics that concentrate on what you want to destroy, but rather they concentrate on what they want to build.  They acknowledge the same basic issues that are common across the continent, like poverty, access to technology, growth, development, and education.


They discuss the impact of giants like Arnoldo Hax and Rudi Dornbusch on recruiting students to MIT and how these students are now in positions of influence in major companies and positions of power in government. They talk about how the education those leaders received at MIT, the sparks that ignited while at MIT, and now continue to access through the MIT Sloan Latin American Office has and will continue to resonate in South America.


Finally, looking ahead, Professor Rigobon and Juan Pablo Armas explore South America's ongoing challenges in economies, industries, the environment, and education and how the MIT Sloan Latin American Office is positioned to contribute to the conversation at the highest levels of government and industry.


Support the show
Thanks for listening! Find more episodes on our website Sloanies Talking with Sloanies. Learn more about MIT Sloan Alumni on X (Formerly known as Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

To support this show or if you have an idea for a topic or a guest you think we should feature, drop us a note at sloanalumni@mit.edu

© MIT SLOAN SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT