Create. Iterate. Immerse. Learn. Challenge. Reflect. Share. Grow.
Stanford MSx Program Master of Science in Management for Experienced Leaders
Create.
Iterate.
“The greatest real thrill that life offers is to create, to construct, to develop something useful. Too often we fail to recognize and pay tribute to the creative spirit. It is that spirit that creates our jobs.” Alfred P. Sloan, Jr. Former President and CEO, General Motors Corporation
Since its creation in 1957 with just 12 Sloan Fellows, the Stanford MSx Program has rigorously practiced iteration. The format and curriculum have significantly evolved leading to growth in the program’s offering and its enrollment. The Stanford MSx Program plays a central role at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. It is one of two general management degree options at Stanford GSB and is uniquely designed for professionals with at least eight years of experience who are seeking to further challenge themselves. Its flexible curriculum is designed to ensure that accomplished leaders leverage the University’s many resources to strengthen their core business knowledge and explore emerging issues and trends. The program offers a unique value proposition. It brings together a globally diverse cohort of remarkable leaders in a one-year, full-time immersive experience. Sloan Fellows in the Stanford MSx Program develop meaningful relationships within their cohort while being able to tailor their academic program.
Steven Cesar Acosta, Class of 2015 United States
Immerse. The Stanford MSx Program is a oneyear, full-time general management degree program. At the Stanford GSB we believe that a small, diverse cohort of business, public, and social sector leaders, brought together and immersed in shared academic and social experience, will leave better prepared to further change lives, change organizations, and change the world. Within the Class of 2018 there are managers of regional and global organizations, investment professionals, entrepreneurs, chief executives, engineering project leaders, senior marketing professionals, strategy consultants, lawyers, medical doctors, active duty military commanders, and a chef. Sloan Fellows in the 2018 cohort come from over 28 different countries and 35 sub-industries. The diversity of professional experiences, world-views, and individual passions is what makes the Stanford MSx Program special. To gain the most out of your year as a Sloan Fellow, you will have to immerse yourself.
Commander Acosta, an active military officer with the U.S. Coast Guard, was an organizational force manager for over 400 personnel and had managed over a billion dollars in projects. He says of his Stanford MSx experience, “I wanted open-minded people. I wanted experienced professionals. I wanted a strong rigorous academic setting. I wanted opportunities to explore the unknown—my unknown.”
Stanford MSx Program Class of 2018 Demographic Data • 104 Sloan Fellows • 35 sub-industries • 28 countries • 12.7 years average work experience
3%
Government
9%
Non-Profit Private Equity and Venture Capital
4% Technology
12%
Financial Services
Consulting
23%
11%
Clean Tech, Energy, and Environmental
8%
3%
9%
Biotech and Healthcare
76%
3%
11%
5%
Other
Manufacturing
24%
Male
U.S. and U.S. Residents
Entertainment and Media
Consumer Products and Services
Military
38%
3%
Female
62% International
Catherine Chien, Class of 2016 Singapore Catherine was a portfolio manager at global equities hedge fund Judico Capital. “One of my favorite classes was New Business Models in Emerging Markets. It was powerful to learn how investors and businesses can do well while doing good, and I gained practical, valuable frameworks. The guest speakers were inspiring in their passion, innovativeness, humility, and in their ability to achieve financial success and impact goals simultaneously.
“I am not going to give you a recipe for a particular negotiation. Rather, what I want to do is give you the structure of a negotiation so that you can be successful regardless of what you face.” Margaret Neale Adams Distinguished Professor of Management Matthew Bereman, Class of 2015 United States Matt spent most of his career in investment banking before becoming the director of business development for Juilliard Global Ventures. “Developing emotional intelligence is what really makes a great leader—truly understanding the motivations and desired outcomes of your colleagues, customers, and counterparties; reading the subtleties of a situation and dynamically adjusting your response; and knowing when you should look for more data, seek better insights, or simply ask for advice. When you can adjust your approach for every context, only then can you truly conquer every challenge.”
Learn. Your Year at Stanford Summer Economics Data & Decisions Accounting*
Finance*
Spring
Operations
Elective
Marketing*
Elective
Strategy
Elective
Elective
Elective
Elective
Elective
Negotiations
Elective
Elective
Elective
Elective
Elective
Elective
Career Planning and Executive Coaching
Career Planning and Executive Coaching
Career Planning and Executive Coaching
360º Assessment and Executive Coaching
Onsu worked for 13 years in the energy sector before attending Stanford. Professor David Bradford challenged her to rethink the meaning of leadership. “He challenged the concept of the heroic leader and suggested that, instead, we each be aware of and publicly acknowledge our limitations, so that we can work within our teams to compensate for weaknesses and build a stronger unit.”
Strategy Beyond Markets
Winter
Organizational Design
Ethics
Osunyameye “Onsu” Wegner, Class of 2016 Nigeria
Fall
Class Study Trip: New York, NY and Washington, DC
Optional Global Study Trips
The curriculum in the Stanford MSx Program includes an accelerated core and the opportunity to customize your academic experience.
*Sloan Fellows are able to place into an advanced section or select a higher level course based on their previous knowledge or by passing a placement examination.
The Stanford MSx Program’s core curriculum is grounded in business fundamentals, providing an introduction to accounting, finance, marketing, and operations for some and accelerated coursework for others who have years of work in those fields. The Stanford GSB offers over 150 electives that further stretch Fellows beyond their past experiences and knowledge, helping them learn new frameworks and theories that drive sound practices and fuel innovation. To enhance their academic experience, Sloan Fellows are encouraged to think deeply about their own beliefs, values, and skills and further develop the interpersonal and leadership skills necessary to be successful. Working together in study groups, participating in executive skillbuilding exercises, and engaging with industry, public, and social sector leaders, Fellows learn from members of their class, MBA students, faculty, and the broader Stanford University and Silicon Valley communities. As a Sloan Fellow in the Stanford MSx Program, you will learn more than you expected both inside and outside the classroom.
“Very few people arrive at our doorstep fully developed. [Giving them feedback is one of the best ways to help them develop and] be even more efficient and better at what they do.” Carole Robin Dorothy J. King Lecturer in Leadership Jazmín Gustale Gill, Class of 2017 Paraguay
Challenge. At the Stanford GSB, feedback is a gift! At every turn—in classes, study groups, clubs, on global study trips, and during company visits—Sloan Fellows have a chance to receive and share feedback with members of their cohort, challenging themselves and others to improve. During the first quarter Fellows share their personal and professional stories during informal brown bag lunches. The culmination of the quarter is a study trip to New York City and Washington D.C., which allows them to make both formal and informal connections. During this period Fellows build trust and forge strong bonds, laying the foundation needed for feedback to have its desired impact. Sloan Fellows challenge each other and grow wiser together over the course of their year at Stanford. Additional support comes from executive coaches, communications specialists, Career Management Center advisors, and alumni mentors selected by the Center for Social Innovation and the Center for Entrepreneurial Studies.
Your Leadership Development
(Self-awareness +
Frameworks + Skills )
X
Continuous Learning
Use tools for critical reflection.
Build conceptual knowledge.
Practice and experiment.
Internalize the learning process.
Assessments, feedback, and reflection exercises can help you identify your own strengths and areas for development.
Well-grounded theoretical models and frameworks can provide a rationale and coherency for your actions.
Using time with your classmates to try different behaviors will help you develop a broader set of skills.
Each new experience provides a leadership learning opportunity if you draw the right lessons.
Jazmín has dedicated most of her career to the public sector having worked for the Central Bank of Paraguay and the World Bank. “I believe that government policies can have a long-lasting impact on people’s lives. As a mother, I also wanted to expose my family to a rich academic and cultural community. At Stanford, I discovered a community and learned that being authentic, honest, and vulnerable is a much richer way to live and lead.”
= Results The Stanford MSx Program will help you further develop as a leader by providing you with frameworks, opportunities to practice, and constant feedback from faculty, advisors, and peers.
Ken Cai, Class of 2015 China Ken cofounded and sold ShanghaiNing.com, once ranked the No. 1 social network in Shanghai. He was also the head of IT at Norges Bank Investment Management in Asia. “After taking Professor Rohan’s class, Creating a New Venture, I have a clearer picture of how to apply my experience in technology to form a new business and create something that will have an impact.”
“There are moments in our lives and careers when we should pause and reflect, not only about who we want to be and what kind of impact we want to have, but what this will take. It is through this process that you can become the leader that you’d choose to follow.” Korin Crawford, Class of 2015 United States As managing partner of Ekology Infrastructure, Korin worked with investors, utilities, and governments to build innovative portfolios of sustainable infrastructure and critical services for local communities. “The innovation cycle— prototype, learn, and iterate—instinctually resonates with a lot of people. But it wasn’t until somebody at the Stanford d.school modeled the processes, showing how business and experimentation can be woven together, that it clicked. That was powerful stuff!”
Julie Oberweis, Class of 2015 United States Julie was not only the cofounder and CFO of a digital analytics company, she was also raising five children with her husband when she came to Stanford. The Stanford experience broadened her views of the world, gave her a greater understanding of cultural differences, a greater understanding of others’ perceptions of her leadership, and an understanding of the venture capital industry. “Throughout the year, I focused a lot on gaining those insights.”
Mike Hochleutner Director, Stanford MSx Program
Reflect. The State of California is the 6th largest economy in the world.* The San Francisco Bay Area and Silicon Valley include the cities of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose. Stanford University is located at the heart of Silicon Valley. • Opened in 1891 • 16,437 students • 8,180 contiguous acres • 2,180 faculty • 32 Nobel Laureates • 7 schools • 4:1 faculty ratio
Stanford University’s graduate schools and institutes including law, medicine, education, engineering, and the design school provide Sloan Fellows the opportunity to broaden their experience.
*According to the California Department of Finance based on Gross Domestic Product
The Stanford MSx Program asks leaders to reflect on their past experience and consider where they want to go, what they want to do, and who they want to be. As a Sloan Fellow, you will have access to courses at the d.school (Hasso Plattner Institute for Design), all six graduate schools (the Stanford Engineering School, Medical School, Law School, Graduate School of Education, School of Earth, Energy and Environmental Sciences, and School of Humanities and Sciences), as well as other institutes. This allows you to customize your experience at Stanford, fill gaps in your own knowledge, and satisfy an intellectual curiosity. Breakthroughs, professional and personal, happen when people see opportunities to make a lasting impact on an industry, within an organization, or in solving a critical social need. By taking advantage of what Stanford has to offer and tapping into the experiences of the cohort, faculty, and the broader community, Sloan Fellows can achieve both their career and personal goals. Self-reflection is also a critical part of the Stanford MSx Program experience.
“Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that in one short year I would be calculating unleveraged betas and grappling with game theory as seamlessly as I could run meetings and set budgets.” William Shaw, Class of 2008 Founder and CEO, VivaColombia Swetha Ganeg Basavaraj, Class of 2016 India
Comparing Programs
Share. You may wonder why the Stanford MSx Program asks prospective candidates to share their professional and personal stories during the application process. The answer is that we aim to build a community of people that will develop deep, lifelong relationships with each other through their experience at Stanford. Your academic and professional accomplishments matter a great deal to us—and your passions and interests are equally important. Use the application to give the admissions committee a 360-degree picture of yourself. Share with the committee what you hope to learn and what you want to do next in your career. Each Sloan Fellow brings their unique perspective on the world to the program. The Stanford MSx Program looks for people who are seeking intellectual challenges, have a desire to lead lives of meaning and impact, and, at this stage in their careers, have clarity of purpose as to what they want to achieve. If you are interested in an immersive experience where you will be challenged and have the opportunity to reflect, we encourage you to apply.
Stanford MSx Program Program Length
1 year (4 quarters)
Class Size
~100 Sloan Fellows (mid-career managers/executives)
Experience
12.7 years, average; minimum 8 years
International
Degree
Delivery Mode
Stanford MBA Program
Average Executive MBA
21 months (6 quarters)
2–3 years
~410 students
Varies
4 years, average
13.9 years*
40%**
Varies: local, regional or online
MBA
EMBA
On-campus
Varies
Swetha was the CEO of Sapling Software Solutions before she attended Stanford. “It has been incredibly inspiring to be at Stanford and learn from high achievers of diverse backgrounds and experiences, be it my classmates, faculty, guest speakers, or alumni. It is in this myriad diversity I realized that the world presents a much larger canvas of opportunities and experiences for us to make our own unique impressions.”
62%
MS in Management
Ricardo Netto, Class of 2015 Brazil
On-campus • Part-time, commuter • Adjunct faculty • Full-time, immersive, residential • Tenured faculty • Access to hundreds of Stanford University courses and GSB electives • Stanford GSB and University alumni networks
*2014 Member Program Survey of Executive MBA Council (EMBAC) **Includes registered U.S. permanent residents
• Limited elective options • Business courses only
Ricardo had years of experience leading teams and business units at Itaú Bank in Brazil. At Stanford he gained a great appreciation for leadership. “It’s all about the people and even though this is a business school, I became more people-orientated than when I came in. I think the major takeaway from this year is be even more user-centric, more human-centric as a business leader.”
One year at Stanford can change everything. It has for so many of our distinguished alumni, whether they were looking to disrupt established sectors or significantly improve a business or social enterprise.
“Stanford GSB is devoted to transforming lives by preparing
William Amelio Class of 1989 President & CEO Lenovo Group China Scott Brady Class of 2000 Founder & CEO Fiber Tower and Slice United States Lord John Browne Class of 1981 Member of the British House of Lords United Kingdom Lars Daalgard Class of 1999 General Partner Andreessen Horowitz VC United States Sir Howard Davies Class of 1980 Director London School of Economics & Deputy Governor Bank of England United Kingdom Paul Deneve Class of 2010 CEO Yves Saint Laurent France Jean-Pierre Dupret Class of 1980 Chairman ROVA Belgium
William Easter III Class of 1991 Chairman, President & CEO Duke Energy Field Services United States Teresa Elder Class of 1997 CEO Vodafone Ireland Thomas Falk Class of 1989 Chairman, President & CEO Kimberly-Clark Corp. United States Farhad Forbes Class of 1991 Director Forbes Marshall Companies India Dr. Chris Gibson-Smith Class of 1985 Chairman London Stock Exchange United Kingdom Alan Giles Class of 1988 CEO HMV Media Group United Kingdom Charles Griffith Class of 1984 Managing Director Arcapita United States
future leaders to change
Kirk Hawkins Class of 2005 Founder & CEO ICON Aircraft United States Brigadier General Lee Hsien Yang Class of 1989 Chairman Civil Aviation Authority Singapore Katsumi Ihara Class of 1989 Executive Deputy President, GSO, & CFO Sony Corp. Japan The Honorable Regina Ip Lau Suk Yee Class of 1987 Secretary for Security Hong Kong Robert Joss Class of 1966 CEO Westpac Bank Australia & Dean Emeritus Stanford GSB United States Sebastien Lepinard Class of 2007 Founder & Managing Partner Next World Group United States & Belgium Lim Swee Say Class of 1991 Minister of Manpower Singapore
organizations and change the world.�
Grow.
Jonathan Levin Philip H. Knight Professor and Dean Stanford Graduate School of Business
Apply.
Deadline
Notification
Round 1
Tuesday, September 19, 2017
December 2017
Round 2
Wednesday, January 10, 2018
March 2018
Round 3
Wednesday, March 14, 2018
April 2018
Visit.
Learn More. Connect. Plan.
Stanford Graduate School of Business 655 Knight Way Stanford, CA 94305-7298 USA
www.gsb.stanford.edu/MSx stanfordmsx@stanford.edu +1.650.723.2149
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Design: Foug Design, fougdesign.com Photography: Toni Bird, Stacy Gelkin, Linda McCulloch, Ricardo Netto (Class of 2015), Kenny Tan (Class of 2015), Andrew Wan (Class of 2015), and Elena Zhukova Writing and Editing: Jennifer DiGrande, Mike Hochleutner, Allison Rouse, and Janet Zich Printing: Almaden Press, almadenpress.com Printed with soy-based inks on New Leaf Reincarnation Silk Cover made with 100% post-consumer fiber, processed chlorine free, and manufactured using renewable green energy.