MBA Alumni Profile: Melissa Otto-Yano, Brandeis

Otto-Yano tells TopMBA.com that she was impressed with the many different countries represented on her MBA course at GSIEF in the USA. 

Globe-trotter Melissa Otto-Yano chose GSIEF in the US for her MBA program, mainly due to the international make up of the students. 

About five years ago, I started to look at graduate school programs in business. Like many, I was leafing through brochure after brochure and wondering what program would best suit me. As I looked at the pictures of current and past students and read about them in the glossy MBA brochures, there did not seem to be anyone with my background, skills, and goals.

As an American who had lived and worked in the UK, Peru and Japan, I wanted to break into investing. Specifically, international investing, which is an interesting mix of understanding the ways capital markets move, forging alliances with companies, and knowing how to analyze complex financial statements. Also, critical to international investing is interviewing managers and deciding about their commitment to shareholders (need I mention that this has to be done in a foreign language?).

After months of searching, I was convinced: The Graduate School of International Economics and Finance (GSIEF) of Brandeis University was the only school that provided all of the essential tools for a successful career in the management of global investments. Most importantly, I found that the mind-set of GSIEF students differed from that of the students and alumni of some of the top business schools in the country. Each and every student enrolled at GSIEF spoke a foreign language and had experienced living abroad. GSIEF was a community of ambassadors embracing the true meaning of globalization.

Today, not even a year after my graduation from GSIEF, I work in what I think is one of the most exciting, global industries in the world - asset management. As a buy-side analyst in the International Equity group of GE Capital, it can get pretty intense knowing that we are managing Jack Welch's and Jeff Immelt's pensions. But at the end of the day, it is the only work I can imagine myself doing. I am based in Tokyo and cover consumer electronics companies around the world. If you own a TV, there is a 99% chance that I cover the company. Understanding all the latest technology and the profit drivers of those new products is my responsibility. Every week I meet with company management, GE Business Leaders, economists, and sell-side analysts in order to stay on top of our holdings and be on the look out for new names to add to our portfolios.

In addition to deciding if a company is a buy or a sell, I serve on the steering committee for the GE Women's Network and am the co-head of Asia for 85 Broads, an organization that includes current and former Goldman Sachs women. GSIEF has been instrumental in preparing me for these leadership opportunities. When I was at GSIEF, my friend and classmate, Inci Kaya and I, along with the support of Marcia Katz, manager of career services, started the International Business Women, which has grown steadily into an exciting and dynamic group of female 'movers and shakers'. At GSIEF, there are so many opportunities to take an idea and make a real contribution to the school by leading an initiative. I am thankful for the opportunity to have been a successful catalyst, as it has brought me a sense self-confidence to lead volunteer groups for Goldman and GE. These are invaluable networking opportunities that enhance my ability as a global investor and as an international leader everyday.

So as you can see, my decision to apply to the Graduate School of International Economics and Finance was one of the best decisions I have ever made. I'm confident that you will find GSIEF the right place for you.