The 2017 International Business Development (IBD) Program Holds its Final Event of the Year, Celebrating the Teamwork of Berkeley-Haas MBAs
The International Business Development (IBD) program yearly cycle officially came to a close on September 15, 2017, with the final event of year, the IBD Conference, held at the Haas School of Business. IBD student teams, both from the Full-Time (FTMBA) and Evening and Weekend (EWMBA) MBA programs, were tasked with creating posters that showcased their international consulting journey. Berkeley-Haas faculty, guests and fellow classmates mixed and mingled among the 20 posters as teams shared their projects, final recommendations and in-country experiences. The IBD Conference represented the first time IBD student teams came back together after the conclusion of their MBA summer internships in order to talk about the exciting project work they did in-country.
It was a great time for reflection for many students, as well as an opportunity to speak publicly about the accomplishments of their IBD projects and the impact on the organizations and individuals they served. Said EWMBA candidate Joe Layton about the Conference experience: “It was nice seeing that people wanted to hear about our project that much, since we love talking about it.” Frank Schultz, an IBD Faculty Mentor and Instructor for both FTMBA and EWMBA programs, observed, “it is great to see students from both the Evening-Weekend and Full-Time MBA programs coming together, interacting, and sharing their projects. You could clearly see why both programs are ranked so highly!”
The IBD Conference was also a great opportunity for Berkeley-Haas faculty and staff to engage with MBA’s in their element. EWMBA Director of Academics, Mark Gorenflo, attending the Conference for the first
time, said,
“I attended the IBD Conference to get a sense of the scope of IBD opportunities and the depth of each team’s consulting experience. I was amazed at the number of very different opportunities, with huge variety in geography, culture, and types of customers (private companies, public companies, non-profits, and government entities). I was also deeply impressed with the enthusiasm, rigor, and imagination that the IBD teams brought to their engagements.”
All the Conference posters, teams, and projects as presented were impressive. Ultimately a vote was held to select the two best IBD teams to make a presentation to the general Conference audience. IBD Faculty Mentors and students voted separately, picking EWMBA Team Samai and FTMBA Team Agripacific Holdings, as the two winners. Click here to read more about their respective presentations.
Following the two IBD team presentations came the announcement of the annual project
photo and blog award winners. Upon returning home from their in-country journeys, students were asked to write blogs about their experiences working and living in a new country. IBD student team blogs were posted weekly on the IBD Haas in the World Blog site. IBD students are also asked to submit their “best team photo” and “aesthetic or art photo” to be judged by the IBD Staff. Winners of the IBD photo contest will have their photos featured later in the IBD Hall of Fame in the Faculty Building at Berkeley-Haas. Click here for the Winners of the Blog and Photo Contest.
After all the IBD team presentations and awards were handed out, and the last group photo was taken, it was time to say goodbye to the 2017 IBD program. As Executive Director and Faculty Mentor Kristi Raube concluded, “I’ve left the IBD Conference on a high, and although it is sad to see this all come to an end, we are ready to do it all over again.” All of us in the IBD program look forward to another year of IBD in 2018. To view the photos from the Conference, click here.
