R. BRAD MARTIN, 51
Vanderbilt, '80
Current position: Chairman and CEO, Saks, Inc.
The company: Saks hit $6.2 billion in sales in 2003 and
posted a 241-percent jump in net income, driven in part by booming
growth at its signature
Saks Fifth Avenue stores.
Why the MBA? "My undergraduate degree was in political
science, and once I embarked on a business career, I thought it was
important to have some specific business training."
It's all about the numbers: "In addition to technical skills
such as
finance and accounting, I expanded my understanding of
economics and marketing."
What about the more esoteric, touchy-feely stuff? "They
helped me develop a more rigorous and disciplined analytical
thought process."
Bottom-line recommendation for prospective MBAs: "I consider
an MBA one of many sources of continued learning and education, and
it can definitely be helpful in one's personal and career
growth."
RITA MITJANS, 42
Harvard, '90
Current position: Division vice president, ADP
TotalSource
The company: $467 million Miami-based division of the $7.4
billion outsourcing giant Automatic Data Processing. ADP
TotalSource provides payroll, human resource, and regulatory
compliance services to small- and mid-size businesses. The company
achieved a year-over-year growth of 28 percent within the
division.
Does MBA stand for mastering business advancement? Mitjans
pursued her MBA in part to help her move beyond the manufacturing
industry, where she'd spent her entire career. After graduation,
she went to work for Bankers Trust Co., which later became Deutsche
Bank AG, and then joined ADP TotalSource. Those companies, you may
note, are not manufacturers.