Advertise on podcast: WHY MBA @ UCLA Anderson

Featuring: Hans Yang (’05), Vice President, Microsoft for Startups While Hans Yang (’05) was an MBA student at Anderson, his mantra was “Why wouldn’t I?” Now vice president of Microsoft for Startups and head of the Microsoft Learn team, Yang learned through experiences at major companies like Yahoo, Taco Bell and BCG to go where his skills created the most value. Based on the principles that have guided his career and accelerated his growth across engineering, marketing, consulting, startups and big tech, he shares practical advice for students and professionals navigating career transitions and advancement.

Featuring: Haley Ludwigson ('09), CEO, Cravings by Chrissy Teigen With a long track record as a CFO, Haley Ludwigson ('09) took her career from investment banking to building a major lifestyle brand. She reflects on professional pivots, lessons in leadership and how embracing uncertainty has influenced her choices. From launching a rebrand to working alongside a celebrity entrepreneur, Ludwigson offers insights on staying curious, saying yes to challenges and growing through change.

Hulu's Jenna Cavelle ('23) and McKinney's Anita Schillhorn van Veen ('23) compare notes on how their Anderson MBA has influenced the way they work in Hollywood and Advertising

Featuring: Courtney Taira ('18), President, IFG Restaurant Group Courtney Taira ('18) leads the King's Hawaiian food empire, where she steers preservation of her family's legacy and drives innovation. A veteran of the industry, Taira combines hands-on culinary experience with strategic vision to expand the brand her grandfather established in 1950. She discusses the challenges and opportunities of leading an international, multigenerational company, the importance of building the right team and how fostering diversity influences stronger decision-making.

Featuring: Muhammad "Mo" Shahzad ('09), President and CFO of Relativity Space With no prior experience, Muhammad "Mo" Shahzad ('09) immersed himself in the rocket industry and secured a top role in the field. An immigrant to the U.S., he embraces the mentality of openness, curiosity and results-driven leadership. Lessons from Anderson fueled his mission to pioneer reusable rockets and make life interplanetary.

Singapore-based Savita Iyer ('05) has worked in finance at the Walt Disney company for 15 years. But she's had so many opportunities in different roles worldwide that she doesn't feel like she'll ever get stuck doing the same thing for long. Now CFO of Southeast Asia and Head of Finance APAC Media Networks at The Walt Disney Company, Iyer was the commencement speaker for her FEMBA class at Anderson, and worked as a consultant in Sweden following graduation. She recommends that MBAs who want an international career be rigid in their goals but open to the path they take, and make it known early to employers that they're seeking assignments overseas.

Featuring: Jon Niermann ('95), Co-Founder and CEO, Loop Media Inc. From a pivotal leadership role at Disney to hosting a late-night show in China to co-founding Loop Media, Jon Niermann's ('95) professional journey transcends borders and defies convention. His unique and influential career is marked by cultural understanding and reciprocity.

Featuring: Melanie Auguste (MBA/J.D. '13), VP of Global Brand Narrative, Purpose and Athlete Marketing, Nike Melanie Auguste (MBA/J.D. '13) harbors a deep-seated passion for sports and a gift for understanding people and trends. From aspiring pro athlete to influential leader in the sports marketing industry, she transformed her career goals into her dream job at Nike. Her secret? Shift from thinking about your work as a "job" to viewing it as mastering a craft. It also helped that she found, in UCLA Anderson, a graduate school that valued exactly what she wanted to do.

Featuring: Malik Ducard ('00), Chief Content Officer, Pinterest Throughout his career, Malik Ducard ('00) has always stood at the forefront of storytelling and technology. He studied liberal arts in college and never thought he would warm to quantitative subjects. When he enrolled at UCLA Anderson, he put himself in the crosshairs of learning new things, fell in love with statistics and developed skills for his first job in entertainment.

Featuring: Blair Taylor ('90), Managing Director of Talent and Organization and North American Lead for Inclusion and Diversity, Accenture Senior executive Blair Taylor ('90) has spent his career introducing principles of community engagement and inclusion into daily business practices — a professional journey that has put his service to others first. He discusses the three fundamental shifts in the market that have driven a new era for companies, and he describes an operating plan he wrote for his young self that guided the trajectory of his career.

John Carmichael (B.A. '90, '95) has enjoyed a 27-year career with Nestlé that is characterized by adventure and turning around struggling businesses. Working like an entrepreneur within a major corporation, Carmichael has found that attacking rather than avoiding the most daunting challenges leads to transformational opportunities. He implores executives trying to solve business problems to "run at the barking dog."

Double Bruin Ginny Chien (B.A. '98, '10) began her career as a print journalist covering, among other topics, fashion, style and beauty. When she decided to earn her MBA at Anderson, she made the connections and gained the confidence and wherewithal to shift careers. Now she brings her interest in beauty full circle as SVP of brand, content and creative at Murad Skincare, a Unilever prestige brand.

UCLA Anderson alumnus Allen "Al" Chen ('07) is the entry, descent and landing lead for the Mars 2020 project at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. In describing his fascinating job, he explains how an MBA education fits into a deeply technical role.

Neesha Hathi ('00), chief digital officer and managing director at Charles Schwab, felt motivated to help people create better financial futures for themselves. But she never thought that would mean working in a large corporation, leading a team of 1,500 people focused on digital transformation.