As UCLA Anderson celebrates the 10th anniversary of the UCLA-NUS GEMBA for Asia Pacific Program, we sit down with Lucy Allard — 2006 alumna of the program and executive director of UCLA Anderson’s Center for Global Management — to learn more about how the program has evolved over the years and what fuels her passion for global business, travel and outdoor adventure.
Give us the basics. Where are you from? Where did you go to school?
I was born and raised in the U.K., and received a British, U.S. and Asian business education. I received MBAs from UCLA Anderson and the National University of Singapore Business School through the UCLA-NUS Global Executive MBA dual-degree program, and was also honored with the C H Wee Gold Medal from NUS Business School.
Where did you work before going through the UCLA-NUS GEMBA program?
I was managing director of the Consulting Group at CB Richard Ellis in New York City after qualifying as a chartered surveyor in London, where I worked for two years before relocating to the U.S. I also worked for Deloitte Consulting in its Strategy & Operations Practice in Los Angeles after graduating from the UCLA-NUS GEMBA program.
I understand you took a nearly yearlong break from work to travel the world — what inspired that?
Yes, while I was working in New York City I recognized that there were other facets of my life that I wanted to explore further and nurture. So, I decided to take time off to explore the world — a nine-month sabbatical (initially nine months!) to pursue personal passions and interests, including traveling, philanthropy and learning.
I started my sabbatical in April 2004 by trekking to Mount Everest base camp. Years earlier, I had backpacked around the world, predominantly through Asia, and had spent eight days in Nepal. The extravagant beauty of the region and the cultural richness and openness of the Nepalese people were very enchanting, and I dreamed of one day returning to trek in the Himalayas. Reaching base camp was therefore a very pivotal and magical moment for me. I then continued on to Vietnam and Cambodia, and in the summer months, volunteered in Kenya helping a local hospital build homes for AIDS orphans. I also traveled to Argentina, Uruguay, Singapore and Thailand, and visited family and friends in the U.K.
What drew you back to school?
With physical, cultural and spiritual interests pursued, prior to the completion of the sabbatical, it was my remaining wish to strengthen my professional competencies through attending the Executive Program at UCLA Anderson. After living bi-coastal for a year, I transitioned my life from NYC to California, fulfilling a lifelong dream to live by the ocean. It was during this program that I learned about the UCLA-NUS dual degree program. I was attracted by the culture of UCLA Anderson and its sense of community, and the quality and intellectual capital of its faculty. After much careful thought and deliberation, the Asia focus of the UCLA-NUS program and the opportunity for such global perspectives and cultural immersion could not be surpassed.
How did the UCLA-NUS program help you professionally?
It was a personal transformation, not just a professional one. Studying at UCLA and NUS afforded me the opportunity to share my professional and life experiences, and to learn from a group of multi-disciplined, highly motivated professionals with diverse backgrounds from around the world, spanning industries and disciplines in which I may have had limited exposure.
Its general management curriculum helped me think more strategically about organizations and also helped with the softer skills — how people from different nationalities and cultural backgrounds approach the same problem, negotiate the same issues, etc. Global locations added value and richness to the classroom experience by offering various lenses — cultural, social, economic and experiential — through which to view the various regions and economies.
How have you seen the UCLA-NUS program evolve since you graduated from it?
Tremendously, thanks to the commitment and dedication of the two schools’ deans, faculty members, administrative staff, alumni and current students. In 2013, the program was ranked third in The Economist’s inaugural ranking of global executive MBA programs, which is a true testament to the success of the program. Over its 10 years, many innovations have been introduced, including career workshops and career mentoring, pre-class online sessions, a class on communications and incorporating New Delhi and Bangalore as course locations. The most recent innovation, taking effect with the Class of 2014, is the introduction of elective courses. For the first time, students will be joining UCLA Anderson’s Los Angeles-based Executive MBA students on campus for elective courses during the August block.
What led you to come back to UCLA Anderson to work with the Center for Global Management?
I knew it was an intellectually stimulating environment with countless opportunities to learn about key regions of the world, hear from influential speakers and work with intelligent, motivated and engaged students. I initially returned to UCLA Anderson as a consultant, and later became director of Global Initiatives and Special Projects and worked with the dean and senior associate dean on a variety of global projects. When Judy Olian assumed the position of dean, she developed a global strategy that looked at leveraging the school's substantial strengths. It was in this strategy that the Center for Global Management was conceived, to serve as the focal point for advancing the school’s global agenda. Through the tremendous efforts and dedication of the dean, and guidance and support of key advisors and alumni, the center was formally established in 2011. I assumed the role of CGM executive director that summer.
Where does your passion for global business and, particularly, Asia, come from?
Growing up in a rural village in southern England, with very little cultural and ethnic diversity, I was blessed with a family that exposed me to great learning opportunities. I studied French and German and later went on to learn Spanish, and was fortunate to participate in many foreign exchange programs to these European countries to refine my language skills and experience contrasting cultures at a very young age. At the age of 16, I traveled by myself to New York City and stayed with family on the East Coast. The cosmopolitan nature and cultural diversity of this fast-paced, high-energy city captivated me.
My life experiences, in particular those I gained during my backpacking trip around the world and later during the sabbatical, had a profound influence on my thinking and global mindset. I realized how quickly and easily commerce and culture flow across international borders, and became more cognizant of Asia’s influence on the global economy and how competition from Asia is changing the way businesses operate everywhere today.
I have learned that some of the most stimulating traits that one can bring to a community are a well-rounded, well-grounded background and an open mind. This includes an appreciation and understanding of the rural and the urban, the domestic and the international, and the outdoor adventurer and the business professional.
I understand you recently got married (to a double Bruin and fellow Anderson alum) and will honeymoon in Costa Rica — another stamp in your passport. How many countries have you visited to-date in your travels?
Now you have got me thinking… I have been extremely fortunate. Upon reflection, it looks like more than 30 countries across Asia, Europe, Northern, Central and Latin America, Oceania, Africa and the Middle East.
What’s one thing most people don't know about you?
Perhaps, that I ran a couple of NYC Marathons, or trekked across the Kenyan wilderness for three weeks with the National Outdoor Leadership School, carrying an 80-pound backpack and sleeping with the sound of lions roaring outside my tent! Or that in my 20s, I was featured in Real Estate New York’s “40 Under 40,” recognized as an industry expert in real estate, workplace and business strategy alignment.
wow good information
Posted by: Aswini | 09/04/2014 at 11:03 AM