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HULTAMBA Awards 2014Hult wins MBA Innovation AwardPage 3

3-Minute Webinar ReadsDigital Do’s and Don’ts Innovate or DiePages 12-15

Alumni SpotlightHult alumni talk consultingPages 20-21

hult.edu

Issue 9 January–March 2015

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CONTENTS / MESSA GE FRO M H ULT

Dear Hultians,

Welcome to a new, updated edition of your Hult Magazine. I am delighted to present to you another great issue packed with exciting alumni news, campus updates, faculty news, and a whole lot more.

Hult’s Innovation Award win at the 2014 Asso-ciation of MBAs’ (AMBA) Awards made major headlines in the world of business education.

We are proud to be recognized by such a prestigious body for our rede-signed One-year MBA curriculum. This, along with Hult’s debut at #21 in the Bloomberg Businessweek MBA rankings, cements Hult’s position as a pioneer of action learning.

A great new feature to debut in this issue is a section dedicated to updates from Hult’s five global home campuses, keeping you in-the-know about interesting new developments and events from London to Dubai, and beyond. Read about the lives of Hult alumni that have carved out a career in the consulting industry in Alumni Spotlight, and enjoy 3-minute reads from the interactive global webinars held with Hult professors Mike Grandinetti and Ben Hart as they discuss innovation and digital technology.

As 2014 comes to a close, we hope you enjoy this updated issue and catch up on all that has been happening at Hult. We look forward to sharing more with you in the New Year.

Here’s to a fantastic 2014, and an even better 2015!

Katharine BoshkoffVice President, Global Career Development and Alumni Relations

WELCOME TO I S S UE 9

Message from Hult

General School Updates

Campus Updates Global Webinars Overview

Faculty Insight

3-Minute Webinar Read: Innovate or Die

3-Minute Webinar Read: Digital Do’s & Don’ts

Other School Updates

CR Update: Virtual Career Fairs

Talent Solutions Ambassador Program

Alumni Spotl ight: Consult ing

Alumni Elecctives & Events Update

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In this issue...

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GENERAL S CHOOL UPDATES

HULT W I NS AS S O C IAT ION OF MBAS ’ 2014 MBA I NNO VAT ION AWARDHult recently beat over 100 other schools to become the recipient of the Association of MBAs’ (AMBA) 2014 MBA Innovation Award.

Hult wins AMBA’s 2014 MBA Innovation Award

Hult is proud to announce its most recent accomplishment: winning the Association of MBAs’ (AMBA) 2014 MBA Innovation Award for the rede-signed One-Year MBA Curriculum. Our new MBA curriculum beat over a hundred other educational institutions to win the acclaimed award.

Hult redesigned the One-Year MBA curriculum to fully integrate the teaching of critical soft skills and measure students’ development in a systematic and comprehensive way. Using five key competencies (Adap-tive Thinking, Communication, Building Relationships, Teamwork, and Execution) identified by employers as essential to success in the work-place, MBA students work on improving these competencies throughout the program through a blend of training, mentorship, and feedback from peers, faculty, and professional development specialists.

Andrew Main Wilson, AMBA Chief Executive, had this to say of Hult’s win: “The fact that Hult International Business School created an MBA program in close consultation with leading employers, designed to deliver performance-ready MBAs to make a major impact in their roles from day one, is both extremely impressive and much in tune with the needs of modern business.”

Bloomberg Businessweek ranks Hult #21

The latest addition to Hult’s rankings list is Bloomberg Businessweek’s 2014 rankings of the best full-time MBA programs. Hult International Business School debuted at #21 in the international category, which brings Hult’s global ranking count in 2014 to three, along with the Financial Times and The Economist. True to our mission to provide globally relevant business education, Hult also placed in the top ten for employer satisfaction.

On Hult’s latest ranking, President Stephen Hodges said, “We’re pleased to feature in these prestigious rankings as they are 90% determined by student and employer satisfaction. These are also the key criteria we use to judge how successful and effective we are as a school.”

Hult’s redesigned One-Year MBA wins big

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CAM PUS U PDATE : B O STO N

STUDENT L I FE : BOSTON CAMPUS

‘Boston’s Best’ on campus

As part of the ‘Boston’s Best’ speaker series, Hult Boston welcomed some of the biggest business names in the city on campus this semester. Guest speakers from Boston’s strongest industries – finance, consulting, marketing, and innovation – included Kevin Millsom, Vice President of Goldman Sachs; Brian Carty, Chief Marketing Officer at Steward Health Care System; David Bergers, Managing Director and General Counsel at LPL Financial; and Cathy Wissink, Senior Director of Technology and Civic Engagement at Microsoft. The events aim to give students a local perspective on job growth and career paths in Boston, as well as offering the chance to network with business leaders and hear their career stories, the lessons they learned, and what their job entails.

Networking l ike a Rockstar event with Jaymin Patel

Hult Boston’s Career Services team hosted professional trainer, coach, and author Jaymin Patel’s ‘Networking like a Rockstar’ talk on campus. Over 250 students attended to hear Jaymin provide practical tips on networking at career fairs, landing your dream job, and building effective relationships with influential individuals. Jaymin also provided an insight into what a recruiter is really thinking, and how they make decisions. The event was a great success with students, who enjoyed Jaymin’s entertaining presenting style and the applicable nature of his advice.

Networking like a Rockstar event with Jaymin Patel

Square One Challenge

On November 20, Hult Boston hosted the very first Square One Chal-lenge (S1C) for this academic year. The S1C allows competing student teams to provide creative and practical solutions to real-life, current, and strategic challenges posed by two companies located in the Boston area. This year, Danielle Remis Hackel, Managing Director of State Street Global Advisors (the investment management division of State Street Bank and Trust), and KD Waltner, Design Director at Reebok, set their challenge to 120 MIB and MIM students, giving them 40 minutes to develop a solution and just three minutes to present. Congratulations to the winning teams: Baltic Team 4 for the State Street Global Advisors challenge, and Caspian Team 4 for the KD Waltner challenge!

Square One Challenge

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CAMP US UPDATE : DUBA I

S TUDENT L I FE : DUBA I C AMPUS

A selection of top employers visited Hult Dubai this fal l to address both students and alumni:

• Procter & Gamble presented the CEO Challenge to students

• Jeroen Vincent, Chief Operating Office for Averda, addressed students on why they should join the company

• John Smith, Head of Supply Chain for Coca-Cola, delivered a speech to over 80 MIB and MBA students

• “Day in the life of” event with EMBA alumna Andreea Danila, Director at Al Masah Capital

• LinkedIn presentation for current students and alumni

Raghu Malhotra, President of MasterCard, Middle East, talks leadership behaviors and how to drive cultural change in organizations

In October, President of MasterCard Middle East Raghu Malhotra addressed EMBA students during the EMBA C-Suite Breakfast, to talk about how to create a culture within the organization while delivering positive business results. This topic was particularly relevant for Dubai, as the city is a highly multicultural metropolis, made up of an 85% expat population. He highlighted that the importance of being a good leader is not about being popular, but rather fair, professional, and efficient. EMBA C-Suite Breakfast is a series for our Executive MBA students, where top-level management professionals share their views on topics such as leadership and emotional intelligence.

U.S. Ambassador Michael Corbin Visits Hult Dubai

A full classroom welcomed the U.S. Ambassador to the U.A.E., Michael H. Corbin, on his second visit to the Hult Dubai campus, where he addressed our MBA, MIB, and EMBA students and alumni. Michael discussed economic and geo-political highlights in the MENA region, and the partnership between the U.S and the U.A.E. He also talked about entrepreneurship, and how the U.A.E. is a great place to set up a business and to network.

Procter & Gamble presenting the CEO Challenge to students

U.S. Ambassador Michael Corbin visits Hult Dubai

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CAM PUS U PDATE : SA N FRANC I SC O

S TUDENT L I FE : S AN F RANC ISC O C AMPUS

Start-up weekend: Hult Prize event, powered by Google

From October 17-19, students and guests at Hult San Francisco spent an entire weekend working on new business ideas around social inno-vation, to help promote imagination and productivity for the 2015 Hult Prize challenge. Start-up weekends provide hands-on experience, where entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs can find out if their start-up ideas are viable. Beginning with open mic pitches on Friday, attendees put forward their best ideas to inspire others to join their team. Over the weekend, the teams focused on customer development, validating their ideas, practicing lean start-up methodologies, and building a viable product. On Sunday evening, the teams presented their prototypes and received valuable feedback from a panel of experts. With around 100 attendees, the event was a sell-out success!

Career Discovery Series

This fall, as part of the Career Discovery Series, Hult San Francisco wel-comed panelists from top companies, including Accenture, Future State, Boston Consulting Group, Keystone Strategy, MapR Technologies, and Charles Schwab, to name a few. The ideal events for students figuring out which function and industry is right for them, the Career Discovery series gives students insights and answers from executives working in their field of interest. Featured speakers gave an overview to 150 stu-dents of what they could expect from careers in the finance, consulting, marketing, and tech industries, and shared their own professional experi-ences. The evening provided opportunities for students to ask questions and network directly with those already established in the fields they are considering.

Career Discovery Series consulting event

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CAMP US UPDATE : LONDON

S TUDENT L I FE : LONDON C AMPUS

Inspired Speaker Series events at Hult London:

Store Wars—The Changing Face of Retail event

Around 100 guests recently attended the Store Wars—The Changing Face of Retail event at Hult House. The event was presented by the Inspired Leaders Network, in partnership with Hult International Business School, and welcomed senior influencers from the world of retail, includ-ing Alan Giles, Former CEO of HMV Group PLC; Rebecca Singleton, Marketing Director at Morrisons; Chris Brady, Professor at Salford Busi-ness School; and Richard Cope, Senior Trends Consultant at Mintel. The event was opened by Chris Holmes, COO, Hult International Business School, and chaired by eminent broadcaster and entrepreneur René Carayol. The panelists delivered passionate insights and strong views on the topic of retailers facing tough challenges, and the decline of the high street. The event was an outstanding learning experience for both our students and invited corporate guests.

Phil ippe Maso, former CEO of AXA Insurance U.K., visits Hult

Hult London’s postgraduate campus recently welcomed Philippe Maso, former CEO of AXA Insurance U.K. A key figure in building the AXA Group for 15 years, culminating with two years as CEO of AXA Insurance U.K., his adaptability, flexibility, and ability to effortlessly resolve complex

Store Wars—The Changing Face of Retail talk

Philippe Maso in conversation with René Carayol

situations have helped Philippe to create an influential leadership legacy and a strong international reputation. Talking to postgraduate students about leading change and new thinking, he said, “You need to fuel your engine with new ideas, new thinking…the great thing about McKinsey is I meet a lot of young people. Very bright, probably much brighter than I am, very efficient young people. So this is something that fuels you. A lot.”

Phil Walker, COO, Capgemeni, talks consult ing

Phil Walker, Chief Operating Officer of Capgemini, the blue chip global consulting business, recently addressed postgraduate students at Hult London. It was an extremely informative and engaging evening, as stu-dents listened intently to Phil talk about the changing nature of work, and provide insights into why consulting will become even more important in the future.

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CAM PUS U PDATE : SHANGHA I

S TUDENT L I FE : SHANGHA I CAMP USHR and Recruitment Innovation Talks: outlook on China’s talent market

This fall has seen Hult Shanghai host HR and Recruitment Innovation Talks, which addressed the trends and challenges in China’s talent market. The latest talk invited speakers Simone Groeneveld, Director of Solution for ManPower Group, and Jacob Bonk, Recruitment Director for L’Oréal China, to discuss the challenges in the Chinese talent market, and to put forward new ideas to help tackle the issues employers face. The session provided students with a great insider view on how the job market operates in China, as well as an opportunity to network with recruiters and hiring managers in the region.

Robin Bew, Managing Director of The Economist Intel l igence Unit, visits campus

In November, Hult Shanghai kicked off ‘The Economist Series’ with Robin Bew, Managing Director of The Economist Intelligence Unit, as guest speaker. As the global economy is seeing a major shift in growth patterns, the BRIC economies faltering, Europe stagnating, and the U.S. economy slow, Robin discussed how this is affecting investment patterns and consumers’ confidence in major markets, and highlighted recent global economic trends. The event was a major success, attended by current students, alumni, and even prospective students.

International Cultural Festival

November 14 saw the International Cultural Festival come to Hult Shanghai. Now in its third year, over 35 countries were represented at the festival, as the entire campus was transformed into an airport where students could ‘travel the world’ in three hours! Students enjoyed tasting food and drink from around the world, while the national costume parade kept everyone entertained. A fantastic time was had by all our students, as they discovered more about their classmates’ homes countries.

International Cultural Festival

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CAMP US UP DATE : UNDERGRADUATE , LONDON AND SAN FRANC ISCO

U NDERGRADUATE STUDENT L I F E : LONDON & S AN FRANC ISC O C AMPUSWelcome Week at Hult San Francisco

We welcomed our first undergraduate class to San Francisco this term, with two weeks of arrival and Orientation activities. Welcome Week activities included: a welcome reception and group photo; San Francisco sightseeing tour; Giants baseball game; American sports day in the park; and outings to local neighborhoods and cities to get students acquainted with each other and the Bay Area. The week ended with a boat cruise on the Bay, and lots of dancing!

Flux business simulations

As part of Enterprise Week, around 40 Hult undergraduate students participated in FLUX business simulations. Students were presented with a case study for an ailing company and had just 25 minutes to deliver a business plan to help raise profitability and ensure long-term viability in a competitive marketplace. The student teams came up with some inter-esting suggestions for raising revenue—a promising start to the global competition, which takes place in April, with student teams from other universities also competing.

Career Discovery Series

In October, Hult San Francisco’s BBA students were invited to a panel as part of the Career Discovery Series, to help them start exploring different industries and thinking about career paths. Over 150 attendees showed up, including panelists from Accenture, Boston Consulting Group, and MapR Technologies, to name a few. A highly informative and engaging evening was enjoyed by all.

New accommodation opens for Hult London & San Francisco students

For the first time this fall, Hult London and San Francisco welcomed un-dergraduate students to brand-new accommodation. Hult Lodge at Lake Merritt in San Francisco underwent a USD 10 million renovation, while the campus accommodation at Hult House East, Hult Tower & Studios, puts students at the heart of London, minutes from their classrooms.

Welcome Week at Hult San Francisco

Dragon’s Den campus battle

Several Bachelor of Business Administration student teams went head-to-head at our London campus to compete in a Dragon’s Den-style competition. Students had limited time to come up with a winning busi-ness idea and pitch it to a panel of judges that included: David Woods, Editorial Director at LID Publishing; Lazo Freeman, a successful fitness entrepreneur-turned-lifestyle entrepreneur; and Dr. Melissa Willby, Dean of our undergraduate London campus. The fun, high-powered event saw the Ecuadorian BBA student duo behind the Expo-Prawn team crowned winners.

Head of Talent from Enterprise Rent-a-Car visits Hult London

Corporate Relations Europe recently welcomed the Head of Talent from Enterprise Rent-a-Car to Hult House East. The event featured a presentation on their International and European Management trainee programs and internship opportunities, and the BBA student turnout was great. The presentation was followed by a great networking session, filled with lots of pizza!

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GLOBAL W EB INA RS O VERV I EW

G LOBAL WEB I NARS

Join our global webinar series to interact with members of Hult faculty on a range of hot business topics and trends Engage with Hult faculty during these interactive webinars to gain an insight into a range of important business topics and trends, such as digital marketing, entrepreneurship, and innovation.

Upcoming webinars:

Carlos S. Baradello Succeeding as an entrepreneur

Listen in, as Carlos addresses what is key to success in starting a new business, how this differs around the world, and how to position your business on a local and global platform, as well as discussing key market trends.

Dr. Baradello is a professor of Social Innovation & Global Entrepreneur-ship at Hult. With extensive experience in the telecommunications and computer industry – holding senior executive roles at ITT, NYNEX, and Digital Equipment Corporation, among others – Carlos has authored over 50 technical and management papers and has received U.S./E.U. patents for six of his inventions.

Cari E. Guittard Women in leadership

Tune in to hear Cari discuss how global organizations are being impacted by the rise of female leaders, and how companies can encourage young women to take up leadership positions and rewrite the boardroom rules.

Cari Guittard is a professor of Women’s Leadership, International Negoti-ations, and Corporate Diplomacy at Hult. In 2012, she was awarded the Women’s Leadership Hall of Heroes Award by MBA Women Interna-tional. She regularly writes for the Huffington Post, and leads executive education seminars on a variety of global issues for corporate clients in the U.S. and abroad.

Sign up for a webinar, or listen

again and download the summaries at:

hult.edu/globalwebinar

F E B MAR

Month Topic Speaker

April Hult Prize Ahmad Ashkar, CEO, Hult Prize

June Life In (campus series) Various

July Entrepreneurship Professor Patrick Guerra

Other webinars:

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FACULTY INS IGHT

HOW CRM S K I LLS C AN MAKE YOU A M ARKET I NG HEROIndividuals with CRM skills can rapidly scale the marketing career ladder, says Felix Velarde, Adjunct Professor of Digital Customer Engagement at Hult.

CRM (Customer Relationship Marketing) or eCRM (the digital version, although the terms are interchangeable) is founded on a deep understanding of customers.

The skills required include the ability to interpret data, extract customer insight, and act on it, alongside the ability to plan ahead based on customer be-havior over the span of several years (think: buying a car).

CRM skil ls mark you out as a winner

Over the past dozen years that I have been working in CRM, my team has delivered global strategies for major brands like Virgin, News Interna-tional, and McCain, while I teach marketers CRM skills at the Institute of Direct & Digital Marketing and Hult Business School, as well as running master classes for marketing bosses at the Groucho Club. During this time, I have noticed something remarkable about people who have these skills: they make unusually rapid progress up the career ladder.

While the average marketer tends to get caught up in the day-to-day delivery of campaigns, CRM people manage to do this while understand-ing the overarching context of the campaigns. Usually, a campaign within a CRM program will not drive instant revenue, but will increase the value of the brand to the customer over the course of several campaigns—something that requires a long-term vision. Even though the inevitable daily pressures (get a campaign out, check copy, chivvy along an agency, test an app) do get in the way of thinking big, how does a savvy marketer make it work?

Steady measure of success

It all comes down to measurement and markers. CRM requires an un-derstanding of the lifecycle a customer is on, from the initial consideration of a brand to loyal consumption and recommendation. Using data skills to help map this out provides several fantastic tools at once: a long-term view of the customer relationship; a sequence of stages in the lifecycle, from engagement to conversion to retention; and a series of timed steps along the journey.

Think ahead and reap the rewards

This customer journey map is wonderful, because it allows us to think long-term while giving us sight of the next few steps. By applying some numbers to each step – let’s say, one percent fewer customers who stop engaging at the end of the step – when they get added up over ten steps, that may lead to a significant increase in revenue. In other words, you can focus on the next immediate improvement, and will find after a while, that a significant change has been achieved. It is a really simple principle. And that same principle is why some of those who started out in the ‘geeky’ bit of marketing, CRM, are now superstars leading their organizations’ growth. At each step they set a target and saw what happened. Their success was measured. They proved their value to their employers, and in return, rose rapidly. Many of today’s superstar market-ers have CRM skills to thank for it.

About Felix Velarde

Felix Velarde is chairman of CRM consultancy Underwired and teaches at Hult International Business School and the IDM. Follow him on Twitter: @felixv

“Those that started out in the ‘geeky’ bit of marketing, CRM, are now superstars leading their organizations’ growth.”

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3-M INUTE WEB INA R READ

3 -M INUTE READ : I N NOVATE OR D I E

In order to grow, all industries must undergo significant disruption—the business world’s equivalent of a wake-up call. Business professor Clay-ton Christensen first used the term ‘disruptive innovation’ back in 1995, to describe the process by which a product or service starts out in its simplest form at the bottom of the market, before moving up to eventual-ly displace established competitors.

Creative disruption: i t ’s unavoidable

The waves of creative disruption – technological or digital – have caused the acceleration of change across industries. For example, 3D printing has revolutionized the manufacturing and healthcare industries, and companies such as Netflix have changed the way we consume on- demand media. Leading disruptive innovators recognize the need to move away from the beaten path of success and security, in order to connect with the engaged and empowered consumer: Apple’s take-over of the mobile phone industry, after starting out with computers, and Google’s expansion into ads, causing advertising giants to sit up and take note, are just some examples of the direction innovation has taken over the last decade alone.

How to become a leading innovator: collaboration and continual reinvention

As creative disruption continues to blur the lines between industries, and organizational leaders come to realize that they cannot continue business as usual – a concept referred to as the Innovator’s Dilemma – innovation is affecting the way many organizations operate. The life expectancy

of companies has been compressed by 80% since the 1920s, and by 2021, 40% of Fortune 500 companies will simply have disappeared.

The threat of death at the hands of tradition and custom is pushing companies to collaborate in order to stay relevant, and forcing the CEOs of leading companies to ask: do we have innovation in our bones? After selling off its low-end server business to Lenovo, tech giant IBM entered into a partnership with Apple, distributing iPads offering industry-specific enterprise mobile solutions—a smart move by IBM to exploit the power of one of the world’s most powerful brands.

Another method of innovation being employed by companies is one of continual reinvention, explained by the Three Horizons model:

Horizon one: extend and defend products

Horizon two: drive emerging products

Horizon three: create new, viable opportunities

The unwillingness to let go of the old and look beyond past and current successes is something Bill Gates summed up perfectly, when he said, “Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they can’t lose.” Past success doesn’t guarantee it in the future, so we all have to be lifelong learners, beginning with the CEO.

Be brave, innovate

When it comes to innovation, courage yields the best results—and the pay-offs have been huge. Consumer goods giant Procter & Gamble’s open innovation initiative, Connect + Develop, reaches out to external

The outcome

Global giants such as Nike, IBM, and Apple have all reaped the rewards of shaking up the business-as-usual model—better products, a bigger market share, and successfully pioneering tech-nologies for a consumer-powered globe.

The solution

To avoid the Innovator’s Dilemma, some organ-izations are pushing forward through continual reinvention and collaboration, while others adopt a lean start-up approach to doing business. In these times of uncertainty, faster, smarter, and bolder decisions provide a lifeline.

The objective

In order to thrive in a competitive business climate, creative disrup-tion is an absolute must—leading disruptive innovators are recog-nizing this need, and exchanging success for reinvention.

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Mike GrandinettiProfessor of Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Management, and Marketing MBA, Yale School of Management

Professor Grandinetti is an award-winning faculty member, having received four Global Teaching Excellence Awards from Hult and been named Professor of the Week by the Financial Times in 2013. He is a serial entrepreneur with extensive experience working with global start-ups and venture capitalist firms.

talent in order to innovate and improve. The lean start-up approach adopted by General Electric allows the company to act like a start-up, by “unlearning perfection” in order to manage new product develop-ment—effectively disrupting the market with faster, smarter decisions. Digital innovation is another area Nike has influenced for some time now. Collaborating with Apple to create the Nike+ Fuelband allowed Nike to merge fitness with smart mobile technology—a bold move in uncertain times, and something competitor Adidas has been slow to adopt.

“The unwillingness to let go of the old and look beyond past and current successes is something Bill Gates summed up perfectly, when he said:

“Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they can’t lose.”

Past success doesn’t guarantee it in the future, so we all have to be lifelong learners, beginning with the CEO.”

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3-M INUTE WEB INA R READ

3 -M INUTE READ : 10 D IG I TAL DO ’S & D ON ’TS FO R BUS I NESSES

1. Do think big, but don’t neglect to start smallIn the words of IBM CEO Mark Rolfe, “Be bold, but be realistic.” Starting out with a small vision allows for expansion in a more organic, consum-er-led way. The rapid pace of consumption means businesses need to act fast, and not get lost trying to put together the bigger picture. Instagram started out with just 13 employees and 17 image filters, before being acquired by Facebook for an astonishing USD1 billion.

2. Do gather a great team, but don’t gather a sum of egosThe famed ‘geek’ is responsible for making the digital world relevant today. These so-called tech nerds are interested in exploring the idea of businesses digitally connecting with customers, so invest in these people. Gathering a great team opens up the doors for collaboration, too, allowing businesses to give back to the community—something that coders’ forum Stack Overflow and Starbucks have benefited from.

3. Do focus on customers’ needs, but don’t try to fulf i l l al l their demandsDelivering solutions in a simple way is the key to business success: make it easy and rewarding, then turn it into the norm. Ridesharing service Uber, valued at USD18 billion in June 2014, has based its business model on this principle. Uber understands its customers’ basic needs (trackable transport and a sense of urgency), but doesn’t necessarily deliver on their every demand.

4. Do have a plan, but don’t forget to actA reactive business will survive in a competitive and saturated market. Endless hours spent drafting complex strategies in the boardroom are pointless when considering ever-evolving consumer habits. Growth depends on how fast businesses react to the customer, not the other way around.

5. Do l isten to your customers, but don’t keep them away from new ideasUser experience can only improve with time, which means businesses need to become more agile. Social media management tool Hootsuite’s initial design was met with criticism from users, even though the idea was a winning one. This feedback paved the way for new ideas, which led to substantial improvement, and ultimately a better user experience.

6. Do fai l , but don’t neglect to understand whyLearning from previous mistakes can help companies to create an adap-tive business model. Using digital technology to correct past failures, and to avoid potential future issues, will not only allow businesses to build and retain a strong consumer base, but also to exploit opportunities that did not appear obvious at first sight.

The outcome

From small-team start-ups to corpo-rate giants, the effective use of digital technology has boosted both revenue and user experience, leading to increased customer attention and retention.

The solution

Digital platforms provide endless opportunities for businesses to meaningfully connect with consumers. Aligning their operations with these digital do’s and don’ts will enable any company to leverage digital technology with strong returns.

The objective

In an increasingly connected world, customer attention is in short supply. How can businesses use digital technology to engage their target audience?

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7. Do integrate activity, but don’t complicate thingsIncreased consumer engagement creates chatter, leading to higher customer involvement and a better return on investment. British high street retailer Marks & Spencer beautifully illustrated this point with their Follow the Fairies Christmas campaign for 2014: the retailer used the social media hashtag #followthefairies to create goodwill awareness for the festive period, resulting in 28,000 new social media followers.

8. Do amplify your assets, but don’t share lolcats Businesses are ultimately defined by what they put out into the social media landscape, so it is crucial that content is not just meaningful, but appeals to consumers in the way it is intended to. Successfully leverage digital business by creating value exchange that consumers want.

9. Do measure, but don’t forget to changeA recent survey revealed that 56% of companies rate data analytics as extremely important to their annual strategy, and rightly so. But even though these data pockets are crucial to business improvement, flexibility in the face of major change or adversity should always be a top priority for any company.

Ben HartProfessor of Marketing BSc, University of Auckland

Professor Hart is a digital thought leader with a track record of helping brands and organizations realize the potential available to them from lever-aging digital opportunity. Alongside running a successful consultancy, Atmosphere, Ben has worked with high-profile clients including AMEX, Adidas, and Procter & Gamble, and produced the first interactive com-mercial broadcast in the U.K.

10. Do protect from disruption, but don’t complicate your model

Disruptors in the form of start-ups are potential threats to major corpo-rate structures in today’s business world. Preparing for and adapting to challenges in the digital space through involvement, evolution, and improvement will ensure businesses don’t meet the same tragic fate as former video rental giant Blockbuster—overthrown by Netflix’s simple idea to improve a service.

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Hult Boston campus doubles campus capacity

Hult Boston’s renovation is now complete, and we have a great new space for our students! The capacity of the Boston campus has been doubled to accommodate the ever-increasing number of students choosing Boston as their preferred campus. The spacious and high-spec facilities have been redesigned with our students’ needs in mind, including new furnishings and extremely useful charging stations, among other features.

Faculty summit at Hult House East

On September 15-16, the undergraduate faculty in London attended the faculty summit at Hult’s undergraduate campus. The summit consisted of discussions and workshops on topics such as effective teaching in larger classes and managing the 21st-century classroom. Led by instructor Theocharis Papadopoulos, our faculty enjoyed the informative two-day event, and highlights included a group exercise to build a Kit Kat-supporting structure from marshmallows and spaghetti, as well as Alan Hertz’s guided tour of the area, ending in dinner at Bundu Khan, near Brick Lane.

Dates for Hult’s 2015 global faculty summit have also been announced, which will take place from June 29, 2015 to July 1, 2015.

OTHER SC HO O L U PDATES

O THER HULT UP DATES

Faculty summit at Hult House East

Hult Boston campus doubles campus capacity

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2015 Hult Prize challenge: Early Childhood Education in the Urban Slum

The internal competitions for the 2015 Hult Prize, an intiative founded by Hult 2010 alumnus Ahmad Ashkar, kicked off in December, and this year’s challenge will be Early Childhood Education in the Urban Slum, as selected by former U.S. President Bill Clinton at last year’s Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Annual Meeting, in New York City. The challenge specifi-cally asks teams to build sustainable and accessible social enterprises to address the early childhood education gap in kids aged zero to six years old. Key highlights associated with this year’s education challenge:

• Almost 70 million children across the world are prevented from going to school each day—53% are girls.

• Less than one percent of what the world spends every year on weapons is needed to put every child into school.

• By the age of three, there is a 30 million-word gap between children from the wealthiest and poorest families.

• One of the most significant economic impacts of attending an early childhood program is the long-term reduction of crime costs.

• Global achievement gaps of five- and six-year-olds can be eliminated through an intensive two-year early childhood program, targeted at one- to three-year-olds.

• The U.S. lags behind almost every other country when it comes to preschool, including Mexico, Chile, and Russia.

• 112 million children from age zero to six live in slums and do not get a proper education.

The Hult Prize initiative is the world’s largest crowdsourcing platform for social good, and the winner receives USD 1 million in seed capital to realize their social enterprise. For more information on the 2015 challenge, and the timeline, visit: hultprize.org

OTHER S CHOOL UPDATES

Previous Hult Prize winners cheer their success

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton Ahmad Askhar, CEO & Founder of Hult Prize

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CORPORATE RELAT IO NS UPDATE : V I RTUAL C AREER FA I RS

V I RTUAL CAREER FA IRS AT HULT: CO NNECT I NG STUDENTS A ND GLOBAL EMP L OYERS

As an international business school with students across five campuses in different regions of the world, we are always looking for new ways to connect students and employers. And now – we’ve taken our search into the cloud with our first virtual career fair. More than 30 online events recently saw over 1,300 students connect with top global employers including Accenture, Bloomberg, Walmart, Johnson & Johnson, Mars, and Henkel, to name a few. The reach and scope of virtual fairs means that the same opportunities are open to all students, regardless of location. The fairs’ format allows students and employers to network, connect, and exchange information across the globe in a very direct way.

During the various events students uploaded their résumés, which are now stored in the companies’ databases. These online events, organized by our Corporate Services team, are all part of our continuing mission to find new, better ways to match the right talent, with the right opportunity, at the right time.

Over 1,000 student registrations at North America’s f irst virtual career fair

Our Corporate Relations team in North America held their first annual virtual career fair in October—the first truly global recruiting event where students from any Hult campus could interact with corporate executives and recruiters from all over the world. The event logged over 1,000 student and 41 company registrations, with around 30 live chat sessions and eight pre-recorded videos about leadership development programs and other job opportunities being shown. Consulting giant Accenture took the prize for highest interaction, with nearly 100 live participants. Other popular sessions included Bloomberg, Infosys, and Salesforce, to name a few.

Latin America’s Corporate Relations team hosts f irst virtual career fair

In November, the LatAm Corporate Relations team hosted their first virtual career fair. The e-event was a great success, with 19 companies participating, including Coca-Cola, Schneider Electric, Estée Lauder, Hilti, and Mastercard, among others. The virtual career fair was tailored to suit recent Hult graduates looking for work opportunities in Latin America or the southern U.S. states, and saw a solid turnout of 200 students. In the hours after the fair, the team shared over 50 résumés with clients for 18 different vacancies.

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The Talent Solutions Ambassador Program (TSAP) allows Hult alumni to assist the school by recruiting top Hult talent for positions in their organization or corporate network. Hult has over 10,000 alumni and students with access to Hult Career Point (HCP), which allows them to apply for positions with multinational corporations, SMEs, and promising start-ups. The TSAP allows Hult alumni to play an integral part in shaping Hult’s global network, while benefiting current students and fellow Hult alumni.

Once alumni share a position, Hult’s Talent Solutions department will search and select key candidates for the shortlist. If a Hult student or alumnus accepts a full-time employment offer with the suggested com-pany, the ambassador will be rewarded with a USD 300 prize. Previously, the top regional winners of the Talent Solution Ambassador Program won a free trip to the Hult Prize finals in New York City.

For more information, please contact: corporaterelations@hult.edu

A selection of top employers of Hult graduates

TALENT S OLUT IONS AMBAS S ADOR PROGRAM

TALENT S O LUT I O N S A MBASSADO R P ROGRAM

“Since the launch of the Talent Solutions Ambassador Program in June 2014, we have received over 400 job opportunities from alumni across the world. All these opportunities were promoted on the Hult Career Point jobs board, and led to many interviews and job offers for our students and alumni. The Corporate Relations team would like to thank all the alumni involved in the program for taking a proactive role in the expansion of Hult’s Corporate Network, and for positively impacting the career of our students and alumni. Thanks to the success of this first initiative, more opportunities for alumni to support the Corporate Relations team will be implemented in 2015.”

Jean de Vil leneuveSenior Director, Global Corporate Relations & Deputy Vice President

“Hult is a trusted corporate partner. Graduates bring with them a wealth of cutting-edge business knowledge, but most importantly, the practical business know-how. Thanks to Hult’s hands-on curriculum, Hult graduates are job-ready from day one.”

Ania JakubowskiCommercial Group Director, Coca-Cola

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ALUMN I S PO TL IGHT: CO NSU LT I NG

C LASSMATES , CAR EER PATH S , AND CONS ULT I NGToni Horn (MFin, 2013) and Julian Marquardt-Baladurage (MIB, 2013) met while studying at Hult in London. Together, they run consulting company MBJ Integrated Technologies. We caught up with one half of MBJ, manag-ing partner Julian Marquardt-Baladurage, on how a Hult friendship turned into a successful business partnership.

What made the two of you decide to go into business together?

We both had a professional relationship that grew into a friendship. We were both focused, had a strong work ethic, and knew what we wanted to get out of running our own business.

Did you always envision having your own business?

My family has an entrepreneurial background, while Toni’s parents come from a corporate background, working in the telecommunications and pharmaceutical industries. Both Toni and I had the ambition to pave our own path, and we highly valued the idea of being able to make our own decisions, as well as allowing ourselves to grow creatively.

How did MBJ Integrated Technologies come about?

I started MBJ in 2011, while pursuing my undergraduate studies at European Business School. At the time, MBJ was focused on supporting student entrepreneurs through providing marketing and media advice for their companies. After Toni and I realized we shared a similar vision, we re-launched MBJ with a new direction, in October 2012.

What exactly does MBJ do?

MBJ’s core product evolves around web and mobile (app) design and development. Additionally, we are focusing on expanding our support for start-ups, offering a well-rounded approach to ensure that fledgling businesses can access consultancy assistance at a reasonable price. Furthermore, we provide everything from essential strategy and market-ing advice to legal and accounting support, to give start-ups everything they need to get off the ground.

What sets MBJ apart from other consultancies?

I think this can be narrowed down to MBJ’s three pillars, which define its methodology: Knowl-edge, Creativity, and Innovation (KCI). We keep costs low for our clients, and focus on mentor-ship beyond money. We work by combining senior level consultants with younger associates, and explain to our clients the realities of the business and market landscape. We also work with VCs and angel investors to provide equity

for worthy and innovative start-ups—another unique selling point MBJ prides itself on.

How has your company evolved over the past two years?

We have developed a strong consulting practice around web and mobile development, but also strategy and marketing. The most impressive growth is within our team—we now have 12 full-time employees in design, development, and project management positions.

How has being a Hult alumnus helped your company?

I feel that our ongoing relationship with the school has certainly helped our business to grow. We have sought advice from high level profession-als and professors at Hult in order to help differentiate our business, as well as making the most of the international network of contacts that Hult has given us, spanning not just continents but a range of industries, too.

You have previously hired other Hult alumni to work for your company. What made you want to do this?

We studied alongside such talented and intelligent individuals, so we already knew what type of employees we were looking for. The interna-tional and innovative mentality that Hult graduates possess is difficult to find, so we have been very lucky in that sense.

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A LUMN I S P OTL IGHT: CONSULT ING

F ROM B US I NES S STRATEGY TO BOARD ING PLANES : L I F E O F A C ONSULTANT

Starting off his career working for consulting powerhouses such as Oracle and Capgemeni, Rajat tells us about the challenges faced by the industry, and what he finds most rewarding about his job.

What attracted you to a career in consult ing?

I started out in my consulting career working for Oracle and Capgem-ini Consulting. Working for these internationally renowned companies gave me great exposure to doing business in a global arena, and I have remained a management consultant.

What does your daily job entail?

As a member of the strategy team in the financial services advisory practice, I assist our clients in translating strategy into action, and advise clients on everything from business strategy to large transformations and strategic program execution.

What challenges do you think the consult ing industry faces at present?

Clients are looking for one trusted partner that can help them not only develop strategies, but also stand beside them in executing said strate-gies. The industry is moving toward consolidations, and the consulting arms of the ‘Big 4’ accounting firms are taking over traditional strategy houses. PwC’s acquisition of Booz & Co. and Deloitte’s acquisition of Monitor group are great examples of this.

What is the most challenging, and also the most enjoyable, aspect of your job?

Traveling is the most enjoyable, yet also very challenging, part of being a consultant. Until now, I think I have taken almost every mode of transport to work—including a private helicopter! The pace and challenge that comes with a global role is exciting, but sometimes, extensive traveling-with a growing family can prove tough.

How did your time at Hult help prepare you both professionally and personally?

A large part of being a management consultant is being analytical, dynamic, versatile, and willing to take the lead as and when a situation demands it. The positive, ‘pressure cooker’ environment at Hult certainly prepared me to face some of the toughest challenges at work. I practice the skills I acquired during my time at Hult, mostly the lessons I learned around strategy, innovation, and leadership, on a daily basis.

What advice would you offer someone looking to make a career in consult ing?

The changing face of the consulting industry requires management consultants to have a broad understanding of business that goes beyond just strategy—such as operations, technology, risk, etc. My advice would be to remain open-minded, and to be versatile. Also, acquire as much global experience as possible, such as the Global Rotation at Hult; or learn a foreign language, if you can.

Rajat Saxena (MBA, 2011) tells us how the fast-paced environment at Hult and a global outlook helped him to prepare for a demanding career in consulting, as Senior Associate for professional services giant PwC.

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Hult offers alumni the opportunity to take one free elective per year, choosing from a wide range of electives adapted to the current job market. Each alumnus can take one elective at any one of Hult’s global locations in Boston, San Francisco, London, Dubai, Shanghai, and New York, during modules D and E (June to August 2015).*

Hult offers a wide range of electives adapted to the current job market—our professors bring valuable industry experience and relevance to the subject matter. Alumni can take an elective to learn about an area of interest, keep up with industry trends, and specialize their skills and knowledge base.

To participate in the Summer 2015 elective intake, the Hult Alumni Asso-ciation requires up-to-date contact information for each alumnus inter-ested in taking an elective. You will receive a list of electives in late spring 2015, with detailed instructions on how to register. If you have not yet updated your contact details, please do so by visiting: hult.edu/alumni

*Please note that a small course material fee of USD 100 is mandatory to reserve your spot.

ALUMN I ELECT I VES

SUMMER 2 0 1 5 ELEC T I VES

Boston Customer Relationship Marketing

International Negotiations

Social Networks in Organizations

Stakeholder Engagement and Strategic Communication

San Francisco Supply Chain and Logistics Management

Mergers and Acquisitions

Digital Marketing and Social Media

Adding Value Through Sustainability

London Global Trading Seminar

Applied Business Modeling and Prediction

Strategic Brand Management

Business Analytics for Managerial Decision-Making

Dubai Leadership in Emerging Markets

Global Political Economy

Entrepreneurship

Project Management

Shanghai Crisis Communications & Crisis Management

Doing Business in China

Change Management

Scenario Planning

New York Leadership in the Global Village

Implementing Global Strategies

Modern Investment Banking

New Product Development

Some of the electives that were offered in Summer 2014

Boston

London

Shanghai

San Francisco

Dubai

New York (Rotation Center)

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A LUMN I EVENTS UPDATE

COCA-C O LA CEO TEL L S H ULT IANS TO CELEBRATE FA I LURE , NOT JUST SUC C ESSThanks to Hult Corporate Relations’ strong links with The Coca-Cola Company, Chairman and CEO Muhtar Kent recently addressed Hult alumni in London. Delivering an engaging talk to 150 Hult alumni attendees at a networking event in London, Muhtar advised Hultians to “celebrate failure,” instead of always focusing on attaining success.

“If I would do anything different in my 36-year career, then it would be to create an atmosphere which allows mistakes, as you learn so much from mistakes. We are not bold enough to take enough risks, and risk is critical for success. We don’t make enough mistakes. Don’t be afraid of making mistakes; just don’t repeat them,” he said.

The event was a fantastic insight into Muhtar’s vision of long-term success for Coca-Cola, which is one of the top five private employers in the world.

Watch Muhtar Kent’s complete speech here: http://bit.ly/1yVNrpd

Global alumni summit 2015 announced!

Hult is proud to announce that the 2015 global alumni summit will be held in Boston. The summit will take place on the first weekend of June 2015. More details on the event will be released next year, so keep your eyes peeled!

“Celebrate failure, not just success—makes a great organization, makes a great family.” – Muhtar Kent

2014 global alumni summit

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The Americas

San Francisco 1355 Sansome Street San Francisco, CA 94111, U.S. Tel: +1 415 869 2900

Boston 1 Education Street Cambridge, MA 02141, U.S. Tel: +1 617 746 1990

Miami 3390 Mary Street Suite 250, Coconut Grove Miami, FL 33133, U.S. Tel: +1 305 648 9746

São Paulo Av. Brig. Luis Antonio 4701 - Jardim Paulista São Paulo, Brazil 01401-002 Tel: +55 11 2122 9066

Asia-Pacific

Shanghai 4F, 666 Fuzhou Road Jinling Haixin Building Shanghai, China 200001 Tel: +852 2111 2399 (Hong Kong)

Hong Kong 2301 Tower Two Times Square, Hong Kong Tel: +852 2111 2399

Europe

London 37-38 John Street London, WC1N 2AT, U.K. Tel: +44 207 341 8555

Lucerne Haldenstrasse 4 Lucerne, 6006, Switzerland Tel: +41 41 417 45 75

Middle East, Africa, South Asia

Dubai Internet City Injaz Building P.O. Box 502988 Dubai, U.A.E. Tel: +971 4 427 5800

Mumbai Regus–Office 1027 Level 1, Trade Centre Bandra Kurla Complex Bandra (East) Mumbai, 400 051, India Tel: +91 22 616 23424

Contact Information hult.edu

Rankings Accreditations

Hult International Business School is ranked 1st for international exchange opportunities, as well as 32nd best business school in North America, and 55th in the world by The Economist (2014).

Hult International Business School is ranked 61st in the world by the Financial Times (2014). Hult also ranks in the Financial Times Top 5 for International Experience and International Business.

Hult International Business School’s worldwide operations are accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC).

Hult International Business School’s MBA program is accredited by the Association of MBAs (AMBA).

Hult International Business School is accredited by the British Accred-itation Council for Independent Further and Higher Education as a U.K. Higher Education Institution.

In Bloomberg Businessweek’s 2014 MBA rankings, Hult International Business School placed 21st in the international category, as well as 10th for employer satisfaction.