How GMP Continues to Transform Alumni
General Management Program (GMP) alumni often credit the program with helping them move up in their careers, expand their networks, and become better leaders. So we asked three alumni to share how their GMP experience has changed their lives personally and professionally. Jennifer Walker (GMP 21) is the senior director of global merchant onboarding at DoorDash, where she leads a team of about 2,500. Marta Araujo (GMP 26) is a managing director at Saint-Gobain Sekurit Service Portugal, a general manager at Glassdrive Portugal, and a cofounder of Illusionarium. Pete Phillips (GMP 25) is the director of global solutions risk and compliance at Amazon, where he heads up a global team of 4,700.
When you attended the General Management Program (GMP), where were you in your career and where are you today?
Jennifer Walker: When I attended GMP, I was leading a small financial services startup. While I enjoyed the work and was proud to have helped found it, I was not progressing in my own development. The entire company was 65 people, and I was one of a few key leaders. GMP gave me the opportunity to invest in my personal and professional growth, which led me to take on a much larger role at a bigger startup.
Marta Araujo: I had just been appointed CEO at Castelbel, a manufacturer of affordable luxury home and body fragrance gifts. It is a medium-sized private company, fully owned by Portuguese shareholders. Now, I am a managing director and general manager at a similarly sized company that belongs to a large, publicly traded, French multinational group. The scale of this new challenge and opportunity is much larger.
Pete Phillips: When I attended GMP, I was the senior deputy director of community development and revitalization for the Texas General Land Office. Since the program, I have moved from military service into the broader business field and today lead a global team at Amazon.
How did GMP help get you to where you are today in your career?
JW: The General Management Program gave me tangible business skills, leveled up my critical thinking, and reinvigorated my love of learning. Graduating from GMP inspired me to seek out a greater opportunity, which resulted in considerably higher job satisfaction and earning potential.
MA: GMP helped me stop and think, raised my self-awareness and confidence, and enabled me to study topics in a structured and engaging way. This, in turn, helped me become a more effective professional. There were many concepts that I had come across in practice but had not learned in academia. GMP also broadened my international network. I have no doubt that being an HBS alumna helped set me apart from other candidates while applying for my current job.
PP: After leaving military service, most employers were reluctant to hire me based on my lack of senior business experience. They acknowledged my extensive leadership experience but failed to recognize how their business could monetize my leadership abilities without the required business background. GMP provided me the business acumen while expanding my professional network and global vision.
What aspects of GMP have been the most useful to you? Are there any case studies or key learnings that you refer back to?
JW: GMP rounded out my overall business acumen. It helped fill in gaps, while maximizing areas where I already excelled. But perhaps most importantly, it built my network in an extraordinary way. I now have extremely qualified people all over the world—including HBS professors—that I can call on for guidance, expertise, and friendship.
MA: Being a chemist with no formal education in management, GMP helped me understand many concepts that were important to the new role I had taken on, but that were hard to grasp—particularly in finance and accounting. We also had the opportunity to plan, think about, write, present, and get feedback on our own case studies, which was useful for me as I was considering a bold strategic move for the company I was running.
PP: For me, the most valued aspect of GMP is the global perspective gained from the various case studies. Due to my professional experiences being primarily U.S. focused, gaining understanding and insight from my peers—over 140 executives from 40 countries—as to how they addressed the various scenarios presented during the case studies better prepared me to lead a global team at Amazon.
How did GMP change the way you lead at work?
JW: In addition to making me a more well-rounded and confident leader, GMP gave me dozens of tools and case studies to use across pretty much any situation.
MA: GMP has helped me understand what kind of leader I was versus the one I wanted to be by providing real-life examples and inspirational role models. It showed me how I could be better at influencing and providing feedback. Finally, it made me more effective at managing teamwork and relationships.
PP: The global perspective I gained at GMP is instrumental to my success as a global leader at Amazon. It changed how I view problems and motivate my team in the execution of our tasks and responsibilities.
Can you talk about the importance of the network and friendships you made through the program? Do you still stay in touch with your classmates?
JW: I met my best friend at GMP! We have been incredibly close for the last seven years, despite living in different cities. On top of this, I visit someone from GMP at least once a quarter and have visitors in my hometown all the time. We have annual reunions, and I talk to people from the program weekly. As an adult, it can be difficult to make meaningful friendships with people who are like minded—it truly was life changing to make all these amazing new friendships.
MA: I cannot think of a better way to get to know more than 100 world-class leaders from dozens of countries in one go. GMP is a real window into the world and a unique opportunity to experience true diversity and inclusion.
PP: The network developed during GMP is one of the most essential elements of the program. I equate this portion of GMP as Module 5. As such, the network is only beneficial if maintained; therefore, I actively stay connected with my cohort and other GMP cohorts.
What advice do you have for executives who might be considering GMP?
JW: Having the opportunity to invest in yourself is an incredible gift. There is never a good time to take a few months "away from your life," but this program is quite literally life changing. If you attend, I strongly recommend that you pay equal attention to relationship building as you do to the case studies. It will be an intense few months—so plan accordingly.
MA: We all have busy lives and tend to think that it’s impossible to stop working for a few weeks, but it’s not. Take this as an opportunity to empower your team, test the system, and show your reports that you really trust them. Delegate and switch off. Don’t try and keep working on the side. Eat, sleep, study, discuss, go to the gym, have fun. Once the program starts, focus on learning from faculty and peers and enjoy the ride. Remember: The best investment you can make is in yourself!
PP: The GMP experience is life changing. If you’re looking to elevate your career to the next level, this is a one-of-a-kind program whose benefits are immeasurable. Every graduate I speak to remarks on how valuable this program has been to them in their career. They continue to recommend that company leadership send other executives to GMP because professional development is priceless.