The FINANCIAL — BOSTON—The Harvard Business School MBA Class of 2016 concluded their first day of classes on Monday by watching a live case discussion play out among five distinguished alumni, each recipients of the School’s Alumni Achievement Award, according to President & Fellows of Harvard College.
This year’s recipients of the School’s highest honor were: Gerald Chertavian, CEO and founder of Year Up; Ashraf M. Dahod, co-founder, chairman, and CEO of Altiostar Networks; Sheila Lirio Marcelo, founder, chairwoman, and CEO of Care.com; Jonathan M. Nelson, founder and CEO of Providence Equity Partners LLC; and Wendell P. Weeks, chairman and CEO of Corning Incorporated. The awardees were joined on stage by six incoming students, selected at random from the audience, for a case discussion on the troubled grocery store chain Market Basket, moderated by HBS Dean Nitin Nohria. It was a lively and enlightening example of the School’s renowned case method in action, an exercise the class of 2016 will participate in several hundred times over the next two years.
The alumni awardees proved to be excellent role models, showcasing how to field a cold call and build on the statements of others. Their professional and personal accomplishments gave the entering students an inspiring glimpse of what the future may hold for them. Each year since 1968, the School bestows the Alumni Achievement Award on a select group of outstanding graduates who have contributed significantly to their companies and communities, while upholding the highest standards and values in everything they do, according to President & Fellows of Harvard College.
“These graduates set a very high standard for our students in terms of integrity, personal and professional achievement, and contributions to both business and society,” said Dean Nohria. “They are prime examples of what our students can accomplish in their lives and careers. They epitomize our mission of educating leaders who make a difference in the world,” Nohria added.
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