UCLA Anderson School of Management Blog

UCLA Anderson Alumnae Advise: Think Fearlessly about Building and Tapping the Network that Supports Your Next Transformation

Professor Sanjay Sood engaged Paramount Television and Digital Entertainment President Amy Powell in conversation and audience Q&A

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By Carolyn Gray Anderson

UCLA Anderson alumni from 44 class years ― ranging from 1962 to 2017― convened for the May 4–5 Alumni Weekend, starting with the annual conference and Dean Judy Olian’s final State of the School report. Addressing the crowd in Korn Convocation Hall, she acknowledged an extra element of emotion this year: “In another couple of months I’ll become an ‘alum’ in a sense, myself.”

Olian departs at the end of the academic year to become president of Quinnipiac University. “We all try to leave a mark at Anderson,” she said, “something that lifts this extraordinary school higher and leaves it better than when we arrived. Each class aims to do that.”

With the help of faculty, staff, students, donors, and alumni, Olian said she, too, has tried to raise the bar at Anderson since she arrived in 2006. The accomplishments she listed included the school’s increasingly global outlook and education, the growing strength of its academic centers and progress on diversity and inclusion.

A Data-Driven Road to Better Public Health

By Elise Anderson

It was a far cry from what Arash Nasibi (’14) had envisioned as an MBA student. A former computer scientist with a focus on management consulting, Nasibi took a sharp left turn shortly after enrolling in a core strategy class with professor Phillip Leslie, and just kept driving.

Nasibi became interested in Leslie’s perspective on business strategy, which suggests that MBAs seek opportunities that exist in often overlooked “sleepy niche markets.” When he learned that Leslie was recruiting research assistants for work he was doing on restaurant inspection data, Nasibi was intrigued. “It struck me as one of those peculiar markets that he had discussed in class — enough to pique my curiosity and learn more,” Nasibi says.

Mission to Myanmar, Part 2: Reflections on Working in Yangon

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By Michael Eister (’17)

While still a student at UCLA Anderson, I accepted an internship with a CEO whom I met on a visit to Yangon, Myanmar, one of the several global immersion trips organized by UCLA Anderson’s Center for Global Management. My primary task was to investigate an opportunity to invest in a media organization that the company was considering buying. I quickly determined that the deal they had been working on was poorly structured.

When that project disintegrated, I transferred to the company’s energy team and spent 11 weeks working on complex unit-conversion puzzles, such as converting a million cubic feet per day of natural gas into megawatt output from combined-cycle gas turbines. I taught myself how to calculate the storage capacity of floating storage/re-gasification units and developed strategies to sell gas to the energy-hungry Thai market. Concurrently, we worked on projects focused more on local needs within Myanmar, including efforts to bring natural gas into commercial hospitality and large-scale residential developments.

L.A.’s Best Resource for Mobility Management Could Be Its Recent MBA Graduates

During Impact Week (April 9–13, 2018), whose theme is Purpose + Profit, UCLA Anderson is highlighting stories of mission-driven careers, companies and projects that fulfill unmet needs in sectors from entertainment to real estate. On April 16, Anderson presents the annual Energy Innovation Conference, which focuses on companies striving for energy resiliency through new technologies, robust policy and inventive business models.

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By Carolyn Gray Anderson

UCLA Anderson Inspirational 100 alumnus Gil Penalosa (’84) believes in government’s ability and authority to build and maintain urban infrastructures that can enhance a city’s livability. But he also believes that, in most cities, the efforts and policies are mismanaged. Take public transportation and traffic congestion mitigation. “No private-sector company is going to solve the mobility problem,” Penalosa says. “Not one city in the world solves the problem through the private sector — public transit has to be run by governments. But the public sector should do more steering and less rowing. You can outsource the rowing.”

Founder and chair of the board of the Toronto-based nonprofit 8 80 Cities and chair of the board of World Urban Parks, Penalosa works internationally as a consultant and strategic advisor to both public and private institutions looking to create vibrant urban systems. Penalosa has one catch phrase he considers the real key to making cities livable: healthy mobility. When people can safely navigate their communities on foot, bicycle or wheelchair, he says, a chain reaction of mental and physical health benefits follows. This raises the quality of life for every citizen, including the most vulnerable — the very young, the very old and the very poor.

Nestlé’s Chris Johnson Explains How Local Tastes Drive Worldwide Consumption

By Paul Feinberg

Food and drink companies have an unusually intimate relationship with the consumer. After all, they’re asking you to put something they make into your body and trust that no harm will result.

“Ultimately, the value of Nestlé, or of other companies, is based on trust,” Nestlé Executive Vice President Chris Johnson (’88) told a UCLA Anderson audience Monday. Johnson, who heads the company’s business excellence division, joined UCLA Anderson Dean Judy Olian in a conversation that was part of the Dean’s Distinguished Speaker Series.

Johnson has spent his entire career with Nestlé, and the past 26 years overseas. During that time, he’s experienced numerous changes and roles at the world’s largest food company. He assumed his current position as head of the new business excellence arm in October 2014 and his job is to help the company better leverage its huge scale and strengths.

From Custom to Customizable: When Family Businesses Evolve with L&L's Elisia Flores

Eddie and daughter Elisia Flores at the first L&L Hawaiian Barbecue.

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By Paul Feinberg

Like the sun and the beaches, L&L Hawaiian Barbecue (aka L&L Drive Inn in Hawaii) was part of Elisia Flores’ (’14) Hawaiian upbringing. Her father, Eddie, and a partner bought the business and began selling franchises before she was born, and Flores did not grow up dreaming of going into the family business. She left the islands to earn a finance degree at USC, then worked a series of finance positions with GE. Ready for a change, Flores applied to UCLA Anderson’s full-time MBA program. When GE asked her to stay on, Flores enrolled in Anderson’s EMBA program, graduating with honors.

She is now vice president and CFO of L&L Hawaiian Barbecue, which features hundreds of franchises (plus two corporate-owned Hawaiian locations) around the world. Their menu features Hawaii’s comfort food greatest hits: barbecue chicken, loco moco, fried Spam, rice and mac salad. Elisia and her father recently visited her alma mater for a Price Center-sponsored entrepreneur’s “fireside chat” held in the Anderson Venture Accelerator.

They make an entertaining pair, with Eddie focused on a concept that grows the business by adding franchises while Elisia ― equally intent on building the business ― takes a more circumspect, data-driven approach. “The move to an entrepreneurial company blew my mind,” she said. “We don’t have budgets?” Countered her father, “Why do we need budgets if we are making money?”

After the event, Elisia, whose mother and sister also work for L&L, sat down with a representative of the UCLA Anderson blog for a quick chat. (This interview has been shortened and modified for clarity.)

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Q: What are your main responsibilities with L&L?

My title is CFO, so all the finance aspect is under me, but beyond that I am also spending a lot of my time helping our marketing team as well as (implementing) strategy. So, the two topics that really sparked my interest at Anderson, I get to work on and lead.

Q: It was interesting to hear that the company allows franchisees a lot of latitude to customize their business as they see fit — in contrast to chains that focus on conformity. How does that work?

We provide national, regional and local marketing. The [franchise owners] can do things within in their store and within their budget. But we pool our money at a corporate level and can do radio and TV. We are not like a typical franchise company, we are not doing as much marketing as McDonalds or Burger King is; but instead we are focused on building community, on how we can get the community to come into the store and the marketing efforts that help that.

Devon Dickau Is UCLA's 2018 Young Alumnus of the Year

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Devon Dickau (’15), is the 2018 recipient of UCLA’s Young Alumnus of the Year award. The recognition was announced by Associate Vice Chancellor Julie Sina with the formal presentation to be made at an awards ceremony and dinner in June. He is a “double Bruin,” earning his undergraduate degree from UCLA in 2007 with a B.A. in American literature and culture. He also holds an M.Ed. in technology, innovation and education from Harvard University.

“The UCLA Alumni Awards Committee was truly impressed by the depth and breadth of Devon’s involvement from the moment he stepped onto our campus as a student through his multiple alumni leadership roles today,” said Associate Vice Chancellor for Alumni Affairs Julie Sina. “Devon’s passion and commitment to diversity and inclusion span his professional and alumni involvement. He exemplifies the Bruin narrative we recognize through the association awards.”

Currently, Dickau is a manager in Deloitte’s Human Capital Consulting practice and chief of staff for the Diversity & Inclusion Client Service Center of Excellence. Prior to joining Deloitte, he worked as a community educator in rural Tanzanian villages; a social impact consultant for the entertainment industry; and a higher education administrator, including as a co-founder of UCLA Parent & Family Programs.

Dickau made his presence felt during his years at Anderson. Among his key leadership positions and projects are:

• Anderson Student Association – Section President (2013–14); VP, Student Affairs (2014–15). In the latter role, he came up with the idea of shooting the “brick background” portraits for all students at the beginning of the school year. He also founded the Club of the Month honor and partnered with the school’s marketing and communications office to design the first-ever standard club posters.
• Orientation Program – Co-Director (2014)
• Management Consulting Association – Director, Digital Media Strategy (2013–14); VP, Communications (2014–15)
• Net Impact – Director, Impact Media/Technology (2013–14); Chair, Center for Social Innovation Planning Committee (2014–15), helping in this role to found Impact@Anderson.
• Out@Anderson – Director, Outreach (2013–14); Co-President (2014–15). He founded Anderson LGBTQ Awareness Week and worked with the marketing and commuications team on the first-ever LGBTQ-specific Anderson website.

“As a student, Devon made a lasting impact on the Anderson community,” said Associate Dean Jill Baldauf (B.A.’79, ’81), who heads the school’s Office of Alumni Relations. “It’s no surprise that he continues to live an impactful life as an alumnus. On behalf of the entire Anderson alumni network, I want to congratulate Devon for this well-deserved recognition.”

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The official announcement of the award reads as follows:

Devon Dickau is the recipient of the 2018 UCLA Award for Young Alumni Volunteer of the Year. A mentor, volunteer and philanthropist, Dickau serves as co-president of the UCLA Lambda LGBTQ Alumni Association. Previously serving as co-chair of the UCLA Young Alumni Development Council, he was the founding assistant director of UCLA Parent & Family Programs and a 2016 Fellow with New Leaders Council. He is a manager in Deloitte’s Human Capital Consulting practice and chief of staff for the Diversity & Inclusion Client Service Center of Excellence. Dickau serves on the board of the Social Impact Fund, a community nonprofit organization providing management and oversight expertise to nonprofits undergoing the IRS 501©(3) determination process. Passionate about nurturing and empowering communities in challenging environments, Dickau facilitates design-thinking workshops and advises clients across sectors on diversity and inclusion, culture, talent and leadership. He emphasizes aligning corporate strategy with social values. After earning his bachelor’s degree in American literature and culture, Dickau moved to Africa where he worked with a non-governmental organization in rural Tanzania. Among his UCLA support, Dickau is a gold level member of the Alumni Association benefitting scholarships, and UCLA Anderson School of Management, where he received an M.B.A. In addition to his UCLA degrees, he holds an Ed.M. in Technology, Innovation and Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Read the complete list of 2018 UCLA alumni awards.

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Let’s Get Real: UCLA Anderson Team Takes Top Honors Pitching AR Solution to Paramount

Left to right: Steven Liu, Naurine Shahzad, Jennifer Buzalewski, Candace Parker, Paul Chang

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By Naurine Shahzad (’19)

The Center for MEMES MBA Media and Entertainment Case Competition with Paramount Pictures, as one of few nationwide case competitions sponsored by an entertainment company, brings a great deal of excitement to any student interested in the business side of the industry. With top schools from all over the country competing, and because of the anticipation and demand at Anderson alone, our team had to prepare resumes and an essay that would qualify us as one of two Anderson teams to present to the Paramount judges.

Lucky Team 13, as we called ourselves, included Class of 2019’s Paul Chang, Jennifer Buzalewski, Candace Parker, double Bruin Steven Liu (B.A. ’13) and me. Our professional backgrounds are diverse, with some of us coming from marketing, finance or consulting, but our passion for entertainment united us. We are all student leaders in the Entertainment Management Association, and we felt prepared to take on this challenge.

Ready, Set, Re-LAUNCH

By Elise Anderson

It started as an observation by two alumnae, Cynthy Moffatt (’88) and Anderson Board of Advisors member Beth Friedman (’87), at a lunch with Dean Judy Olian about two years ago. Both Moffatt and Friedman had, for various reasons, spent time away from the workforce after graduating from UCLA Anderson. Their question: How many other female alumni had the same out-of-work experience and what type of assistance might be available to help those who desired to relaunch their careers?

Their inquiry sparked Anderson’s Office of Alumni Relations (OAR) to initiate a new effort they called Career Re-LAUNCH. It’s geared toward UCLA Anderson alumnae who have been out of the traditional full-time workforce for more than five years and are ready to explore career opportunities and gain knowledge of current business insights and practices in preparation for re-entry into the workforce. OAR focused on providing a program that would offer guidance, training and resources for alumnae who were not only eager to return to work, but might “want to do something that provides more personal fulfillment,” according to Mia Dolak (’96), who had left the corporate environment and has been pursuing part-time consulting work while raising two sons.

Dr. Susan Love Hurdled Sexism to Make Greater Strides toward a Cure for Cancer

UCLA Professor of Surgery, breast cancer activist and Anderson alumna Susan Love delivers the morning keynote address at Velocity, UCLA Anderson's women's leadership summit, on Friday, February 9. Register now!

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Dr. Susan Love (’98) has been battling cancer for most of her life.

She’s battled it as a surgeon, as the founder of both the Faulkner Breast Center in Boston and the Revlon UCLA Breast Center here in Westwood. As the author of the definitive book on the subject, Dr. Susan Love’s Breast Book, she’s helped millions of readers to battle it themselves. Today, she continues to take the fight to the disease as chief visionary officer of the Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation.

Love has also battled the disease in her personal life. Now cancer free, she is a survivor of leukemia. As she prepared her keynote remarks for UCLA Anderson’s 6th annual Velocity Women’s Leadership Summit, she took time out to speak with the UCLA Anderson Blog.

Q: What did your own experience with cancer teach you about fighting the disease?

It taught me (about) the collateral damage, the long-term consequences of treatments — what we euphemistically in the medical profession call “side effects.” But really, they’re not side effects, they last forever. They’re more like having your car in a crash. You can get it fixed, but the passenger door never quite opens the same way again.

After cancer, there are certain things that just don’t get better. We’ve made a lot of progress in treating metastatic breast cancer. We still can’t cure it, but we can certainly keep people alive a lot longer than we could in the past. The problem is that it’s not without a cost of collateral damage. And if you only have a limited amount of time, we certainly would like your quality of life to be as good as possible.