A Poets & Quants story on how business schools tap into real-world expertise through executive fellowships featured Berkeley-Haas Executive-in-Residence David Riemer, former VP of marketing at Yahoo and a serial entrepreneur.
Riemer, at Haas since 2008, told Poets & Quants that executive fellows at business schools are "like that friendly uncle who can give you some advice, who’s lived a little bit," adding that "People who have actually been professionals their whole lives can add a lot of value.”
Riemer holds office hours weekly, meeting with Berkeley MBA students for career coaching or to discuss innovation ideas. He told Poets & Quants that getting students to realize that their careers don’t have to follow a linear track is his toughest job. "There’s this sort of sense that their career needs to be a straight line," he said. "There isn’t a single right path."
“They have options, they want to understand the options, and business schools are playing catch-up for them to understand those options,” Riemer said in the article. "I become a bridge. I’ve definitely been putting a lot more of my focus on the emerging companies and the startups in terms of where I can provide guidance.”
Read the full Poets & Quants story on executives-in-residence at business schools, and learn about the executives who share their expertise with Berkeley MBA students, including: Debby Hopkins, Chief innovation officer, Citi, and CEO, Citi Ventures; Guy Kawasaki, chief evangelist, Canva; and Scott Kupor, managing partner and chief operating officer, Andreessen Horowitz.
