JHU SAIS Students Take Emerging Markets Executives Back to Class
SAIS Contact: Felisa Neuringer Klubes
202.663.5626
[email protected]
FSG Contact: Joel Backaler
202.741.1344
[email protected]
Washington, D.C.—April 30, 2013— Tomorrow marks the last class session of an inaugural emerging markets practicum developed by the Johns Hopkins University Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and Frontier Strategy Group (FSG).
As part of the practicum, nine SAIS graduate students have participated in a unique opportunity this semester to present best practices for managing businesses in emerging markets to a group of experienced senior executives from large multinational companies. The students gave the presentations at last week’s class session as part of their final assignment in this practicum co-taught by SAIS and FSG instructors. The judges for the presentations were FSG clients who are current and retired senior emerging markets executives from Carlisle Companies, Wärtsilä, Sherwin Williams and CooperVision.
The students covered topics including supply chain management in Latin America, brand localization in Sub-Saharan Africa and sales optimization in Asia.
Starting in January 2013, Roger Leeds, SAIS senior research professor of international finance, in collaboration with members of the FSG senior management and research teams, began a first-of-its-kind practicum for a select group of SAIS graduate students. The practicum teaches students the practical analytical, writing and presentation skills necessary for successful careers working with senior executives in emerging markets.
“Through the FSG-SAIS practicum, we hope to help build a new generation of leaders focused on driving outperformance in emerging markets,” said Richard Leggett, chief executive officer of FSG. “The practicum allows us the opportunity to share our unique perspective of the opportunities, challenges and core business activities emerging markets executives encounter with these future leaders.”
Following a competitive application process that involved multiple interviews and written exercises, FSG selected nine SAIS students to become members of the founding class. Practicum sessions have covered a broad range of emerging markets managerial challenges and foundational research and presentation skills. Classes have been led by FSG senior management, research leaders and clients, including sessions taught by FSG clients at Kimberly-Clark Professional and The Coca Cola Company. Two of the FSG instructors—Dan Kornfield, director of strategic research, and Ryan Brier, practice leader of Latin American research—are SAIS graduates.
“I find myself wishing I could spend all of my work time on the practicum. Having SAIS alumni as our instructors has helped to make business concepts that would otherwise seem foreign more relatable to us as current SAIS students,” said M.A. student Lauren Goodwin.
“The essential business skills the FSG-SAIS practicum has offered our students are a perfect complement to the rigorous analytical training we offer in a broad range of academic disciplines,” said Leeds. “FSG has become a valuable partner over the years, hiring many of our top students to take on leadership roles within its global organization. The FSG-SAIS practicum is a natural step to further strengthen our partnership through this innovative, new course that is both academically rigorous and occupationally relevant.”
SAIS is one of the world’s leading graduate schools devoted to the study of international relations. Located along Embassy Row in Washington’s Dupont Circle area, the school enrolls more than 600 full-time graduate students and mid-career professionals and has trained more than 16,000 alumni in all aspects of international affairs. SAIS also has campuses in Bologna, Italy, and Nanjing, China.
FSG is the leading information services provider for emerging markets executives. Through a robust offering of research, analytics, data and network of expertise, FSG partners with business leaders at more than 200 multinationals to power their emerging markets business strategies. FSG is headquartered in Washington, D.C., with regional offices in Singapore, London and Miami.