The Center for Strategy, Execution and Valuation

Comments from Students


SEVAA (Strategy, Execution, and Valuation Alumni Association) 

The Center for Strategy, Execution, and Valuation serves as a platform to maximize the value of DePaul’s MBA program to all of its constituents – students, faculty, alumni and the business community.

 Through the Center, DePaul embarks on a mission to create the world’s most comprehensive and insightful series of offerings in business strategy development, business execution systems, corporate performance measurement, and strategic valuation.

TESTIMONIALS

See Mike Kohnen, Manager, Silicon Valley Bank
http://smedia2.is.depaul.edu/ywang10/brian/RDS_interviews_04_2010.mov

See Ben Hoban, Pricewaterhouscoopers Transaction Services

http://smedia2.is.depaul.edu/ywang10/brian/RDS_interviews_01_2010.mov

See Scott Bernover, Vice President Companion Diognostics, Geonostics Inc

http://smedia2.is.depaul.edu/ywang10/brian/RDS_interviews_02_2010.mov

“I learned more relevant information about the ‘real’ business world from my SEV concentration than I learned from my other mba courses.  The unique aspect of Return Driven Strategy is that it can be applied to individuals, to small businesses, and to large corporations.  RDS focuses on the big picture, and then breaks it down so that one can concentrate on an area of need.  The Frigo ‘experience’ confirmed that Kellstadt was the right choice for my mba.  Keep innovating your offering!!!” 

Steven Manning, Trader

The SEV program provided me with a strong framework that allowed me to apply the tenets of the Return Driven Strategy to both companies and my own personal career path. I was able to use the tenets to evaluate my decision to pursue a PhD in marketing, in order to make sure that it matches my long-term career goals. I plan on using the RDS framework when teaching and conducting research, as it allows me to view companies and industries in a more holistic manner.

Alex Milovic PhD Candidate, UW-Milwaukee

"I found GSB 611 – Return Driven Strategy to be one of the best courses I’ve taken at DePaul.  I took the course as an elective.  I’ve been telling everyone at work about this course including the book – Driven.  I really enjoyed working with others in a short time frame to construct the paper and presentation.  I’ve been able to dissect a company to learn more about its framework and potential improvements." 
 
"Also, Dr. Mark Frigo was an excellent professor.  He really got the class motivated and involved with the Return Driven Strategy framework."

Rob Pasquesi, Grant Thornton LLP

“The MBA experience at DePaul and specifically the SEV coursework has provided a set of experiences, tools, and a strategic framework that can be applied to everyday business situations.” Geoffrey Martin, Regional Director, GE Healthcare

“When I enrolled for GSB621, I was thinking of it as an elective. The course generated so much interest that now I am planning to make it my concentration [in addition to finance].” Rajesh Gopinathapai, Vice President, ABNAMRO BUNA-IT

“For me the Return Driven Strategy encompassed the knowledge I thought an MBA would give me. It is a practical use of all of the skills we learn at an MBA that can be implemented by big corporations and small companies.  I am going to explain RDS to the small company where I currently work in the hopes of defining our strategy and improving our efforts to grow the company.” Michael Gryn

“One of the values of the SEV program is in its immediate applicability to both the workplace and to an individual’s personal career strategy.  Interpreting the tenets of great business strategy and applying it to my own personal career strategy has helped me think differently about my goals.  It has assisted me in creating guidelines regarding what direction I would like my career to take me.  I’ve also been able to apply it in the workplace." Cecilia Brunetti, Manager of Operations, William Blair.                                                                                

Having received his MBA in 1998, Tom Walker (Manager - Components Business, UL Laboratories) completed the DePaul/Kellstadt SEV Concentration three course requirements and was promoted to Section Manager at Underwriters Laboratories. He joined a team of Section Managers from other offices around the US.  This team was tasked with developing a strategy for the US Region for the Business Unit.  The SEV courses helped Tom contribute and lead the team by using the Return Driven Strategy and Balanced Scorecard concepts taught in class and used the templates for their strategic planning.  "The courses teaches students to look at strategy from a customer first hierarchy with a commitment to upholding ethical values one would expect from a Catholic education or any company.  The differential advantages of the classes are the professors who teach the class and the students who work and present their finished project as a team."

“What I like about the SEV program is that it helps you look at the bigger picture. In my opinion management, and especially senior management, need to be able to think outside of their immediate function and consider the wider implications of their decisions and long-term strategy. The SEV classes provide the framework needed to help you identify opportunities that bring long-term value creation. I know having an MBA from DePaul has enhanced my career prospects. Having had the opportunity to study Return Driven Strategy at DePaul, the only school in the world offering this framework, I believe gives me an advantage over other MBA’s. Plus the caliber of the staff is second to none, and they teach the course in a very enjoyable way with plenty of debate and open discussion relating the theory to real-world examples.” Marc Hubbard,  Account Manager - ACNielsen Global Services

“Due to their complimentary topics, I took SEV as an elective three-course sequence to go along with the M.S. Finance program. In my opinion, the SEV program is essential to the Kellstadt MBA program, because it deals with present-time business events and builds upon them to provide students with an optimal business school experience.  In order for DePaul to continue its mission to be a top business school, the SEV program must continue.  I would take this one step forward and say that the MBA program at DePaul should be focused and built around the SEV concentration, because every MBA student must understand strategy, execution, and valuation to excel in any business setting.  Therefore, it is critical that DePaul supports the current faculty instructing it because they are as important to the program as the curriculum itself.”  Fausto Serrano,  ICAP Harborside Financial Center, Jersey City, NJ

“The SEV classes taught me how to think in order to add value to the companies I work with, not just complete engagements. Thinking within the structure of the pyramid has helped me to stand out in a large firm and gain respect from executive’s at large companies early in my career.” John Stanfield, Consultant Ernst & Young, LLP