Class Bios

Pieter-Jan Van Hecke joins the IBEAR MBA Program with 14 years of experience working for Jan De Nul Group in dredging and specialized services for the offshore oil, gas and renewable energy industries. He oversaw the local technical management of ships and workshops, and was also the on-site new-build supervisor of the cable-laying vessel Isaac Newton. Originally from Belgium, he has lived as an expatriate in Africa, Canada, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Russia. In 2014, he started The Reading Room Co. Ltd., a publishing company based and registered in Bangkok, which he actively manages from abroad with his wife, Korkaew. The company has contracts with publishers, authors and artists throughout Asia. Pieter-Jan holds a Master’s degree in Industrial Engineering from University College Gent. In addition to speaking English, French and Dutch, he dabbles in Spanish. Following IBEAR, Pieter-Jan intends to remain in North America to continue his career in heavy industry and further expand his publishing company.

Guilherme Castro joins the IBEAR MBA Program with 10 years of experience in project management, primarily in the mining industry. He started his career in 2008 at SNC-Lavalin, overseeing the risk management function of multi-billion dollar nickel projects. During his tenure at SNC-Lavalin he was also involved with other project control activities, such as cost control and planning for several “stay in business” projects. In 2012, SNC-Lavalin in Montreal honored his team with the Best Project Management for Large Projects award. In 2013, he joined the AngloAmerican group as a risk and cost manager for all nickel projects in Brazil, overseeing capital of more than $300 million. Guilherme was responsible for creation and application of a new methodology for managing risk and contingency allowances during project estimate and execution, with the objective to improve the capital-allocation process. For his work, Guilherme was honored by AngloAmerican in South Africa with the Best Individual Business Improvement Project award. Guilherme majored in Electrical Engineering at Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Minas Gerais and has specializations in Project Management and Telecommunications Networks. After graduating from IBEAR MBA, Guilherme plans to continue his career in project management, acting as a business entrepreneur by leading strategic projects for the companies for which he works.

José Barreto da Silva Netto joins the IBEAR MBA Program with 20 years of experience as a corporate and capital markets lawyer. He has advised countless transactions, including a $500 million joint-venture between Banco BMG and Banco Itau Unibanco S.A, creating the largest Brazilian bank in payroll loans. A partner in a prestigious Brazilian law firm for 11 years, he co-founded the boutique law firm Vaz, Barreto, Shingaki and Oioli, which specializes in corporate, capital market and tax law. José is also a board member of Primeira Chance, an NGO that grants scholarships to high-performing, disadvantaged Brazilian students. José earned his law degree from the University of São Paulo. Following IBEAR, José plans to endeavor into the education field with a focus on developing innovative learning tools and teaching methods.

Andre Oliver joins the IBEAR MBA Program with more than 13 years of professional experience, mostly at Potencial Engenharia S.A., his family business that specializes in the oil and gas construction industry in Brazil. As a board member, shareholder and Director of Operations at Potencial, Andre and his team developed a new inner culture for managing complex EPC projects, all of which were on deadline, profitable and accredited. Potencial was recently sold after 28 years of successful business. As Commercial Director for Engecampo Engenharia, Andre was responsible for vitalization and new client relationships. He engaged the commercial team to execute a significant backlog turnaround amidst the historical 2015 economic crises in Brazil, doubling Engecampo’s previous two-to-three-year success rate. He is currently an investor and part owner at a small real estate development company that builds homes for low-income families. Andre earned his Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Universidade Paulista, holds a Graduate Certificate in Project Management from Fundação Getúlio Vargas and a Shareholder and Business Family Development Partnership certificate from Fundação Dom Cabral. Upon graduation from the IBEAR MBA program, Andre intends to focus on entrepreneurship.

Penha Martins joins the IBEAR MBA Program after 14 years of work experience at Fortune 500 multinationals such as Exxon Mobil and Vale S.A. She has a track record of success leading teams to negotiate and implement global long-term supply agreements to provide materials, technologies and services to operations located in the Americas, Africa, and the Asia-Pacific region. At Vale, managing an annual budget of $500 million, she orchestrated a significant business turnaround, changing the parts-procurement mindset and skill set to a more business-oriented approach, generating sustainable cost reduction, process improvement and operational efficiency. She led the implementation of several strategic initiatives, including punchout catalogs, low-cost country sourcing, vendor rationalization and supplier development. During her 11 years at Vale, Penha has developed a robust set of competencies in supplier relationship management, development of long-term agreements and supplier risk management. In 2011, she was in charge of Global SAP implementation at Vale, one of the largest SAP implementations in Latin America, led the team responsible for design and built the requisition-to-pay business process. Penha holds a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from Universidade Federal Fluminense. Portuguese, English, and Spanish are her main working languages. Following IBEAR, Penha intends to continue her career in strategic sourcing with a senior leadership position in the oil and gas, mining or retail sectors.

Fabio Tamanini joins the IBEAR MBA Program with 13 years of work experience in project management and product launching for automotive and household appliances companies. He began as a logistics engineer at Robert Bosch, leading several lean manufacturing projects, considered benchmark cases, and deploying the activities related to the diesel systems projects in the production line. After a period at Electrolux coordinating manufacturing and supply chain teams in diverse new refrigerators projects, Fabio worked as a consultant at Renault where he led cross-functional associates from different sites (France, Romania, among others) to develop chassis components for the new environmentally-friendly vehicles launched in the Brazilian market in 2016 and 2017. He holds a B.A. in Mechanical Engineering from Universidade Positivo and is PMP certified. Following IBEAR, Fabio will pursue a career in the management consulting industry.

Susan Chen joins the IBEAR MBA Program with eight years of experience in marketing across various industries, including manufacturing, education and biotechnology. She started her career in Canada at Nuheat, and later moved to Taiwan to manage several educational institutes, overseeing general management, branding, project management and student recruitment. As chief operating officer at Craftip, a startup digital marketing consultancy in Taiwan, she oversaw project progress of key accounts and advised account managers in developing creative online campaigns tailored to their clients' niche markets. Prior to Craftip, Susan worked at Abnova Inc., the world’s largest antibody manufacturer. She was in charge of establishing a new diagnostic lab by leading the marketing team in branding and building connections with physicians and research facilities. Susan graduated from the University of British Columbia with a B.A. in Psychology and a Minor in Music. Following IBEAR, Susan intends to pursue a career in the healthcare industry.

Harpinder Singh Lubana joins the IBEAR MBA Program after working as an entrepreneur in Canada for 13 years. Most recently, Harpinder co-founded a retail supply chain management startup in India. In 2009, Harpinder took over operations for four gas stations with Royal Dutch Shell and, in 2012, grew the business to nine gas stations. Harpinder managed $35 million in annual sales and led a 45-member employee team managing operations for his organization. In 2013, Harpinder won Canadian Retailer of the Year for Royal Dutch Shell. Leveraging his experience in the convenience retail industry, Harpinder diversified his business into quick-service restaurants and signed a multisite development agreement with A&W Food Services of Canada, Inc., leading to the opening of three restaurants in 2016. Harpinder graduated from Guru Nanak Dev University with a degree in Textile Chemistry. Following IBEAR, Harpinder intends to pursue a business development and strategy management role with a multinational organization.

José L. Cortés joins the IBEAR MBA Program with more than nine years of professional experience in continuous improvement (CI) roles within several industries. He started his career at USM Chile as Project Engineer, improving financial and management processes. He then he moved to LATAM Airlines, where he was trained by General Electric as a Lean Six-Sigma change agent for operations and maintenance activities. After a year, he took his first executive role as Reliability Senior Manager, leading teams in six countries to achieve punctuality and cost goals during the aggressive LATAM merger. After a successful run at LATAM, he joined Montblanc Chile as Senior Management Consultant, collaborating on projects with mining and trading companies, to expand his CI background and prepare for IBEAR. José majored in Industrial Engineering at USM Chile and holds an MSc in Economics from PUC Chile. Following IBEAR, José intends to continue his career in CI in larger leadership roles as a generalist.

Francisco José Barriga Ramírez joins the IBEAR MBA Program with more than four years of experience in financial companies. He began his career in 2013 as an equity trader in Santander Global Banking and Markets. In 2014, he joined Grupo Bursatil Mexicano, a leading Latin investment company, as an equity research analyst, where he had a sterling performance covering Brazilian stocks related to the ports and logistics industries. In 2015, he joined BICE AGF, a Chilean mutual funds company as a buy-side analyst working with Latin stocks. Francisco also has experience in start-up companies and non-profit financial companies. He holds a Bachelor´s degree in Business Administration and a Master of Sciences in Finances from Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, which has been named the best Latin American business schools for several consecutive years by America Economía.

Renjin Huang joins the IBEAR MBA Program with seven years of entrepreneurial experience. He made his first investments in the fallout of the 2008 financial crisis, leading mergers and acquisitions for a hospitality group based in the Bay Area. Through this experience, Renjin learned how to make prudent investment decisions and eliminate business biases in the midst of economic panic. Renjin also co-founded Tianfu Finance, a combined commercial bank and financial leasing group, based in Chengdu, China. At Tianfu Finance, Renjin identified potential SME partners and helped them to develop more sustainable and effective business models. Later, Renjin was promoted to lead Tianfu Finance’s R&D department, where he initiated collaboration with local technology startups and helped establish UParking, a space-sharing startup in Sichuan, China. UParking is partnered with more than 80 residential communities, comprising over 100,000 residents, in which sharing partners can easily find spare parking spaces or sublet their own. Renjin holds a B.A. in Economics from San Francisco State University. Upon receiving his IBEAR MBA, Renjin will continue to pursue a leadership position in the international economy, innovating the lives and experiences of people around the world.

Chuancheng Li joins the IBEAR MBA Program with over 10 years of experience for manufacturing and engineering companies in China, Japan and Malaysia. He is currently responsible for the overall management of LNG and new energy projects. In 2011, Chuancheng was recruited to join Chiyoda Corporation, a world-class engineering EPC company. He led a multi-cultural team for a chemical plant in Malaysia and achieved a record 22 million hours with no accidents. In 2014, Chuancheng turned his focus to the commercial CSP plant in Italy was the first demo plant in the world. In 2016, Chuancheng successfully completed an LNG FEED project, located in Sakhalin, Russia. Chuancheng holds a Bachelor’s degree in engineering from Shanghai University, where he was the chairman of the student union for three years. Mandarin, Japanese and English are his main working languages. Since 2014, he has been registered as a member of technical committee for IEC in Japan and, since 2015, he has been registered as a mechanical professional engineer for TBPE in the U.S. Following IBEAR, Chuancheng will pursue a career in project management and consulting in the technology industry.

Jasmine Liu joins the IBEAR MBA Program with more than eight years broad-based and progressively-responsible experience in human resources management. She has worked for some top-tier Internet companies, including Tencent and JD.com. Jasmine Joined in JD.com as senior HR manager, spearheaded the "One United Group" campaign during the e-commerce division merger with Tencent and worked with the senior management team to integrate the HR function within the overall business operating strategy in the post-merger organization. Prior to JD.com, Jasmine was senior recruiting manager and business partner leader at Tencent, where she was responsible for senior talent recruitment strategy and supervised all HR personnel from subordinated departments for performance review and operations management. Jasmine also worked for Venture Capital as a part-time consultant. Jasmine holds a Bachelor’s degree from Sun Yat-sen University. After the IBEAR MBA Program, Jasmine hopes to devote herself to helping Chinese Internet enterprises achieve and sustain competitive advantages on a global stage.

Emily Pan joins the IBEAR MBA Program from Phoenix Care International, a health consulting company founded in Minnesota, the U.S. Biomedical Silicon Valley. The company focuses on providing both professional consulting and service management to global clients, and is the first in the Biomedical Silicon Valley to operate in the Chinese market. In her role as founder and CEO, Emily executes all aspects of the company’s operation and management, making high-level decisions on marketing plans and strategies to enhance client medical consulting services. Prior to her entrepreneurship, Emily earned a Bachelor’s of Business Management in China and earned seven years of combined professional experience in the healthcare industry in China, with comprehensive experiences in multi-functional roles in developing strategic marketing to achieve business objectives. Following IBEAR MBA, she will continue to expand her roles and influence in the healthcare industry in the U.S. and serve the international marketing sector in greater leadership roles. As an entrepreneur, she is also dedicated to growing her global business in the long term and contributing to the healthcare globalization.

Yunfei Zhou joins the IBEAR MBA Program with more than 10 years of experience in Chinese capital markets. He started his career as a financial analyst in Shanghai, and has worked in research and investment management positions in China, including Ping An, Haitong Securities and other top Chinese financial corporations. In his latest position, as assistant general manager, Yunfei helped China Huarong Securities Company build an asset management business of more than $10 billion. Yunfei earned a Master’s degree in Nankai University and is also a CFA charter holder and CPA. Following IBEAR, Yunfei intends to further his career in asset management industry.

Ivan Sivo joins the IBEAR MBA Program with seven years of experience with Corvinus Venture Capital Fund Management Ltd. in Budapest. As Deputy Director of Acquisition and Portfolio Management, Ivan managed startup investments and led the complete overhaul of company policies. Later, as Chief Legal Officer, he gained the knowledge of the regulatory framework on how to market and manage venture capital funds in the European Union and implemented the restructuring of the funds under management. He earned his Juris Doctor cum laude from Pazmany Peter Catholic University, and holds a graduate degree in Bank Management from Corvinus University of Budapest. Following his IBEAR MBA with USC, Ivan intends to gain experience at a progressive, Silicon Beach/Valley-based venture capital firm to further enhance his insight.

Shounak Joshi joins the IBEAR MBA Program with 11 years of experience working in technology consulting and IT product management. After earning his degree, Shounak worked for multiple technology consulting companies for their Technology Consulting and Delivery initiatives. During this stint, he worked for multiple clients across varied sectors, from energy to medical device companies and pharmaceutics, and managed their enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. He then moved back to India and joined Oracle. As a Product Manager and then a Principal at Oracle, he advised leading customers, from Europe and Southeast Asia, on ways to optimize human resource operations using Oracle products. He led many large-scale Oracle ERP implementations across the Americas, Asia- Pacific, and Europe, and has worked in advisory roles for many of Oracle’s most complex projects. In his last role, Shounak worked as Application Manager for an upgrade initiative for the ERP system of a major Swiss bank. Shounak earned a Bachelor’s in Engineering in India. After IBEAR, he is interested in working in advisory, consulting and sustainment services in the technology industry.

Raman Kumar joins the IBEAR MBA Program with 12 years of technology experience in banking and financial services at global locations. Raman specializes in business analysis and agile methodologies, and is experienced in end-to-end product management. Raman has several years of IT consultant experience with HSBC USA based in New York, where he has been responsible for the analysis, design, and implementation of numerous technical projects. As project and delivery lead, he has managed cross-functional, geographically-dispersed teams to successfully deliver product releases at global sites such as the U.S., the UK, and Hong Kong. Most recently, while working as Senior Business Analyst at HSBC, he spearheaded technical architecture and products of HSBC Financial Accounting and Reporting Systems by collaborating with global business and IT users. Raman earned a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering in India and is a Certified Agile Professional (PMI-ACP) from Project Management Institute. After the IBEAR MBA Program, Raman intends to pursue a career in the product management and technology consulting areas to help global organizations make transformational changes.

Tushar Mittal joins the IBEAR program after eight years of professional experience across the globe. He has been a customer engagement strategist at Sprint headquarters for the last two years, assisting Amdocs Sales to pitch new Amdocs products to clients and assisting Sprint on customer acquisition strategies. Tushar started his career in India after completing his Bachelor of Technology in computer engineering from NIT Surat. He was part of Amdocs Development Center India for more than two years, working as subject matter expert on software onboarding. He moved to Montreal to assist Amdocs Canadian Operations for Bell Canada. He also led the account team of two on-site solution designers and five offshore software developers for US Cellular. In Montreal, he implemented a high-performance algorithm and system resource sharing solution for Bell Canada, streamlining backend processes and reducing overall execution time. In his recent role in Kansas, he formulated new customer acquisition strategy for Sprint Prepaid Mobility, performed competitive benchmarking analysis and conducted market research to identify target customer segments to increase the subscriber base. After IBEAR, Tushar wants to join a global enterprise in a leadership role and head the firm in the future, thereby completing a full professional circle.

Jaisurya Pavithran joins the IBEAR MBA Program with 10 years of experience in IT and software product sales, and major account management in both startup and large corporate environments. Jai has a track record of consistent sales performance and team management, and has managed sales teams with more than $10 million in annual revenue targets across North American and EMEA markets. He brings with him years of training and experience in value selling, contract negotiation, strategic account management and team management. As a Senior Account Manager for commerce customers at Akamai, Jai has over three years of experience advising e-commerce CXOs on how to optimize their online business performance. He worked closely with customer executive teams to drive strategic alignment, promote new product adoption and establish strong relationships within customer accounts. He also handled the Social Media and Channel Partner strategy for these key customers and geographies, and worked closely with large partners such as AT&T, IBM and Verizon. Jai has also been the recipient of top sales management awards at Akamai, most notably the 'Akamai Titans,' awarded to the top five percent of consistent achievers. Jai holds an engineering degree in Electronics and Communication from the top-ranked Cochin University of Science and Technology. He also holds an MBA degree, specializing in Marketing and IT Management from Amrita School of Business. After his IBEAR MBA, Jai looks forward to pursuing a career in business development or consulting in the media, Internet or technology space.

Saurabh Sharma joins the IBEAR MBA Program with close to a decade of experience in technology consulting with a prime focus on retail industry. Prior to joining IBEAR, Saurabh worked for Accenture as an Associate Manager, with primary focus on achieving efficiencies and driving growth for businesses. He has been instrumental in driving growth for clients with his proven expertise in business analysis, using case modelling, test planning, test strategy and solution designing and implementation. He has led and managed globally distributed teams and has extensive experience of working with Fortune 100 retail clients on projects with delivery budgets ranging from $500,000 to $8 million. For his last client, a large electronics retailer headquartered in Richfield, Minn., Saurabh worked on designing and implementing innovative retail solutions such as Omni channel retailing, mobile point of sale systems, returns handling and reverse logistics that drove bigger value for consumers and enterprise. Saurabh is originally from Kanpur, India, and completed his bachelors in Electronics and Communication Engineering from BMS Institute of Technology, Bangalore. After the IBEAR MBA program, Saurabh intends to pursue a career in strategy consulting or product management.

Anand Thoopal joins the IBEAR MBA Program with 21 years’ experience in the Indian Navy, where he currently is a Commissioned Officer in the rank of Commander. During his service in the Navy, he worked on board submarines as a Navigating Officer, Operations Officer and Principle Control Officer. His last assignment was HR management of the submarine sailors of the Indian Navy. An alumnus of the National Defence Academy and Defence Services Staff College, he holds a Bachelor of Science from the Jawaharlal Nehru University and a Master of Science from Madras University in Strategic Studies.

Hideyuki Kawamoto joins the IBEAR MBA Program from Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Co., Ltd., a leading insurance company based in Japan. He joined the company in 2010, and has seven years of diversified experience in claims services, marketing, risk management consulting and underwriting international insurance accounts. Most recently, in his role as Deputy Manager in the Space Risks Division, Aerospace Department, he engaged in marketing and underwriting aerospace and aviation insurance, working with international insurance brokers. Hideyuki holds a Bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Tokyo. Following IBEAR, he intends to leverage his experience to manage and expand Tokio Marine’s international business.

Hiroki Matsumoto joins the IBEAR MBA Program with more than eight years of experience in the financial advisory services industry. During this time, Hiroki has spent over two years focused on advising buyers and sellers in M&As with KPMG FAS in Japan. In addition to executing several M&As, Hiroki has executed analysis of target entity and business values. Before Hiroki joined KPMG, he worked for Mizuho Securities, where he played key roles in deals such as the Seibu Holdings IPO (Transaction value: $5B, awarded “DEALWATCH AWARDS 2014” from THOMSON REUTERS and “BEST DEALS OF 2014” from CAPITAL EYE), the Shizuoka Gas PO ($30M in 2013), and Seibu Holdings’ defense against hostile takeover by Cerberus Capital Management (in 2013). Throughout his entire investment banking and consulting career, Hiroki has gained not only knowledge of capital markets and corporate finance, but also experience related to the very important decision making of his clients. Hiroki holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Keio University. After graduation from IBEAR, Hiroki intends to start his own consulting business.

Keiji Nagata joins the IBEAR MBA Program from The Norinchukin Bank (Nochu), the central bank of Japan’s primary industries. Keiji has nine years of experience in monitoring of credit investment and management guidance for agricultural and fishery cooperatives. Most recently, Keiji worked as a manager of Nochu’s Akita branch, engaging in projects of management reorganization for agricultural cooperatives that were suffering financial problems. Prior to that posting, Keiji worked with fishery cooperatives to enhance their governance system. Keiji started his career at Global Credit Investment Division, engaging in monitoring and evaluating securitized products. Keiji holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from University of Tokyo. Following IBEAR, Keiji intends to work as an entrepreneur to expand Nochu’s business area.

Tomohiro Saito joins the IBEAR MBA Program after 11 years of professional experience in corporate finance, lending and investment, under special situations. He joined Development Bank of Japan, Inc. in 2006, and was secondment to independent private equity fund from 2008 to 2011. This included developing and supporting implement of turnaround strategies as a board director in investee companies. Most recently, he was in charge of strategic corporate finance at DBJ and lead teams in each project in Revitalization Finance team and Formulating Co-fund with regional banks. He built consortiums with client companies and/or other banks, led fundraising with an aim to support the reconstruction of damaged companies in areas devastated by the Great East Japan earthquake in 2011 and the Great Earthquake in Kumamoto in 2016. He coordinated interests and formed multilateral consensus among the consortium members to lead and execute investment in preferred stocks or taking subordinated loans, and supported domestic/overseas companies. Tomohiro holds a Bachelor of Economics from Tohoku University. Following IBEAR, Tomohiro will return to a leadership role and pursue supporting client entities’ prosperities and realizing social benefit in finance through providing strategic finance services. 

Minoru Takahashi joins the IBEAR MBA Program from JX Nippon Mining & Metals corporation, one of the leading companies in copper manufacturing and various metal products. He joins the program with 16 years of experience in sales, marketing and project managements. For the past 10 years, he was a sales and marketing manager and worked to develop new markets and create customer satisfaction in the electronic materials business field. In his most recent role, he led a sales and marketing team to develop new markets of special metal parts, particularly for the North American and European automobile industries. Minoru believes that he can improve the appropriate balance between active economic development and natural environmental preservation from the industrial business side, because JX Nippon Mining & Metals corporation is one of the leading companies in natural resource development and manufacturing business. He strives to make efforts to develop his business with JX’s most economically efficient and environmentally friendly products. Minoru served as a project manager of JX’s new plant construction, which has resulted in successful new relationships with customers in the automobile industry. Minoru holds a BA in environmental sociology from Hitotsubashi University. Following IBEAR, Minoru will continue to contribute to the development of JX’s global business.

Jaeyong Jang joins the IBEAR MBA Program with 9 years of professional experience in the legal and strategy divisions at Korean Air. He started his career in the passenger reservation and Internet service team, where he was responsible for on-site handling of customer’s needs and problems. He later was engaged in the legal affairs department for five years, primarily in international contracts with global partners and government, and contract standardization. During his years in the strategy and planning division, he coordinated and counteracted for trend and amendment of policies and acts by the Korean Government and Assembly with regard to aeronautical issues, such as restructuring of aircraft noise allotment and pilot fatigue management. Jaeyong majored in Law at Seoul National University. Following IBEAR, he will return to Korean Air.

Minjun (MJ) Jang joins the IBEAR MBA Program from the Korea Tourism Organization, one of the largest public companies in Korea. Most recently, he worked in the Pyeongchang Winter Olympic Support department, and he was responsible for promoting Korea Tourism around the world by inviting media, travel agents and officials, and holding local events in Vienna, Helsinki, Frankfurt and London. During his years promoting Korean musicals (non-verbal performance), he strategically approached the world market to introduce the art form. He executed various plans to reach performance goals and generate more interest among foreign travelers in Korea and Korean musicals. He also worked in the Human Resources department of KTO for three years. Prior to joining KTO, he worked for Overseas Purchasing department at Sekwang Heavy Industries, located in Ulsan. His job was to purchase special equipment from abroad to be installed in ships and to manage delivery time of equipment. MJ holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Tourism from Gyeongju University. Following IBEAR, he will return to the Korea Tourism Organization and try to search for new markets in which to sell “Korea”.

Luis Sangmin Kim joins the IBEAR MBA Program from the home appliance division of LG Electronics, where he has worked as an Overseas Sales Marketing Senior Manager since 2010. Prior to LG, he led extensive marketing projects for Samsung Electronics, DAUM KAKAO and Asiana Airlines. Most recently, he led the global launch of LG SIGNATURE, LG’s new premium lineup. He also conducted various global marketing projects for the Inverter air conditioner launch in Argentina, Brazil and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Luis has a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Korea University. Following IBEAR, he intends to continue his contribution to develop marketing communication at LG Electronics.

Jonginn (Ewan) Lee joins the IBEAR MBA Program with 11 years of experience at Korean Air, where he has a diverse portfolio in both the Engineering department and Procurement department. He started his career as an In-Flight Entertainment system engineer, where he was responsible for passengers’ movie and audio systems in the air. After seven years, Jonginn moved to maintenance field to perform maintenance and repair tasks for Korean Air’s aircrafts. For three years in the Procurement department, he was responsible for sourcing Korean Air’s first and business-class seats and purchasing quality products for new aircrafts. Jonginn holds a Bachelor of Electronic Engineering at Yonsei University. Following IBEAR, he will return to Korean Air.

Kyoung Soo Lee joins the IBEAR MBA Program as a project manager of Hana Financial Group, one of the largest financial holding companies in Korea. Kevin works with executive members of Hana Financial Group to help them make strategic decisions relating to the group’s global strategy, including cross-border M&A projects. With a focus on the Southeast Asian financial sector, Kevin has successfully led milestone cross-border M&A transactions and Joint Venture projects of the group based on keen and accurate analysis on targets, as well as deep knowledge and experiences in the Southeast Asian financial market. Spearheading equity and debt investment of the group in banking and non-banking financial institutions in several South Asian countries, Kevin also has devoted himself to introducing and developing new alternative investment products to the financial market in Korea, where alternative investment sector just took a baby step. Kevin strongly believes that investing in microfinance institutions in underdeveloped countries such as Cambodia, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri-Lanka and India, can not only make a contribution to changing countless lives suffering from poverty, but also achieving an ultimate goal of investment, a good rate of return that is more than enough to cover risks involved. As a certified risk analyst in Korea and a certified public accountant in the U.S., Kevin’s deep knowledge of risk assessment, accounting, and banking has played a key role in carrying out a variety of valuation, due diligence and global projects, including establishing overseas banking subsidiaries and branches in connection with the group’s global strategy. Following IBEAR, he wishes to continue to engage in the investment banking field, focusing on the micro-finance sector, and hopes to further foster and develop the alternative investment sector in Korea.

Wookjin Lee joins the IBEAR MBA Program with 11 years of experience working in the Corporate Technology Office of LG Electronics Inc., specializing in Research & Development projects and portfolios management. Wookjin led the LG Future IT R&D Planning Team for four years, adapting various artificial intelligence technologies to LG flagship products, such as the TV voice agent, VoiceMate, the smartphone gesture shutter, GestureShot, and the object detecting vehicle camera. Wookjin also led the LG Healthcare Product Management Office for two years, developing medical imaging devices, remote health management solutions and various wearable vital sign monitors. Wookjin worked as a Technology Strategy and Planning Manager for five years, managing advanced R&D projects and corporate R&D portfolio. Wookjin has worked various cross-functional projects, including the Corporate Functional Finance project with corporate finance office and open innovation projects with global LG Technology Centers and startups. Wookjin holds a B.S. in Material Science and Engineering from Seoul National University and an M.S. in Computer Engineering from the same school. Following IBEAR, Wookjin intends to expand his role in the new businesses development, particularly in the Artificial Intelligence and Healthcare areas in LG Electronics.

Young-Hyun Lee joins the IBEAR MBA Program as a marketing strategist at POSCO with eight years of experience in the steel industry. He graduated from Han-Kuk University of Foreign Studies in Arabic. He has been at POSCO, a global steel maker, for the entirety of his career. Young-Hyun began his work as a sales representative for the Middle East and the U.S. markets in the API steel sales group. During that period, Young-Hyun developed new customers in the U.S. and Middle East, and led many successful contracts. He cultivated new customers in the Houston and Philadelphia markets, increasing sales in the U.S. by 300 percent. The venture was the POSCO’s first business with the U.S. OCTG and pipeline makers. After his successful career in the sales group, Young-Hyun moved to the marketing strategy group, where he estimated each month’s revenue and profit, and modified marketing plans. During that time, operation-profit ratio increased steadily from 2013-2016 despite an economic downturn. With the education from the IBEAR MBA Program, Young-Hyun wants to maximize his potential and become a thoughtful young leader in the steel industry.

Sangdon Park joins the IBEAR MBA Program from Krosys, Inc., a manufacturing company that specializes in the water treatment system and shipbuilding equipment in Busan. Since 2012, he has been responsible for general and supply chain management, and led several real estate development projects. Prior to Krosys, he worked at Shin Young Asset, a real estate investment and management company in Seoul. As a property manager, he planned and implemented budgets to operate and manage commercial real estate owned by investment banks, such as Morgan Stanley. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts from Seoul National University. After IBEAR, he intends to rejoin his family's business and commence new business related to the water treatment or shipbuilding industries in the U.S.

Claire Hyunjung Seo joins the IBEAR MBA program with more than 13 years of professional experience in the Asian finance market based in Hongkong, Singapore and Seoul. She spent first seven years in the equity research field both as a sell side and buy side analyst and was rated as a technology sector Best Analyst in Korea Stock Market in 2003. With comprehensive equity research experience, she expanded her career to the private equity investment. She spent three years working for the United Nations, Principles for Responsible Investment, as a Korea country manager, to encourage the Korean investment community to incorporate Environmental, Social and Governance into the investment process for sustainable investment. Most recently, she was in charge of global marketing division at one of the top Korean private equity firms. Her main responsibilities included fundraising, investor relations for the private equity funds and overall fund strategies to target global investors. As her career evolves, she holds strong network with global investors, regulators and C level executives in the Asia Pacific and Middle East markets. Claire has strong science and engineering background, graduating from a government-supported science high school for gifted students and earning Electrical Engineering Bachelor’s and Master's degrees from Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. After completing her IBEAR MBA, she will pursue the executive general manager role to cover investor/stakeholder relations in global investment firms.

Hong Ki (HK) Sung joins the IBEAR MBA Program with 12 years of experience at Korea East West Power, one of the public power companies in Korea. Through his various experiences in procurement and organization management, he has a deep perspective of the electric power industry in fuel procurement and business development. Most recently, he worked on a coal procurement team as a senior manager and managed 53% of the company’s total coal procurement of 15 million tons. HK also worked in the Jakarta office for one year, where he explored new business opportunities in coal resources and Independent Power Producer (IPP) project in Indonesia. Previously, he assisted the CEO by gathering, analyzing and reporting on internal and external information on key business issues. HK holds a Bachelor’s degree in Law from Han-Yang University. Following IBEAR, he will return to Korea East West Power and intends to expand his role in the electric power industry in the Asian market.

Roberto Albanes Martin joins the IBEAR MBA Program with more than eight years of experience in Risk Management and more than 6 years of experience in Mandatory Pension Funds in Mexico (AFORE). Roberto, as the Chief Risk Officer of MetLife Afore, led his team to the upper echelon of the industry by leading the development of cutting-edge Risk Methodologies and Guidelines, participating actively in industry forums and negotiating issues regarding Risk Management with the regulator. As a manager, he has built efficient teams by taking an active approach and creating warm environments. He holds a B.S. in Actuarial Science from Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México. He is currently expanding his knowledge in FinTech and General Management. Following IBEAR, Roberto plans to gain more experience in the FinTech industry.

Carlos Navarro Ceja joins the IBEAR MBA program with 20 years of experience in process analysis, design and improvement. A native of Mexico City, he has spent more than 15 years working in Televisa, the largest media company in the Spanish-speaking world. There he worked in areas of analysis and improvement for administration, finance, operations, production, content and sales, creating and improving process flows, and data models. Carlos holds a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering and a Specialty in Quality and Applied Statistics from Universidad La Salle. After IBEAR, Carlos plans to continue transforming the media and entertainment industries in a role with larger responsibility.

Mauricio Cheng joins the IBEAR MBA Program with more than seven years of professional experience with Global Alimentos SAC, the leading breakfast cereal manufacturing company in Peru. As Commercial Manager at GASAC, he managed the company´s exports market, expanding to new countries and improving the key performance indicators. During the same period, Mauricio also became Senior Demand Planner and was responsible not only for the forecast sales of the national market with over 70 SKUs, but also for the supply chain management. Based on his analytical and research abilities, Mauricio also held the Commercial Analyst position, contributing to the strategies and decision-making in the Commercial Area. In addition to his professional career, he is also a professional musician, and his music has reached top charts in national radio stations and has been aired internationally on television. Mauricio holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Universidad del Pacífico. Following the completion of his IBEAR MBA, Mauricio intends to change careers into the consulting industry in the strategy area with an emphasis on data mining.

Abdullah Alomair joins the IBEAR MBA Program with seven years of experience in internal auditing and cost accounting. He spent three years as a cost accountant at one of the biggest petrochemical plants in the world, located in Saudi Arabia. He joined Saudi Aramco as an internal auditor in 2013. In his most recent position, he led and participated in many audits in the downstream business line, such as refineries, petrochemical plants and joint ventures.  He also led the Operational Excellence initiative in the Internal Auditing Organization. Abdullah is Certified Internal Auditor, the only globally recognized certification for internal auditors. He holds a B.S. in Finance from King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals (KFUPM). Following IBEAR, Abdullah intends to continue his contribution to Saudi Aramco by leading the audit function of one of Saudi Aramco international subsidiaries.

Ignacio Barron Viela joins the IBEAR MBA Program with over six years of professional experience in the energy sector. Ignacio has worked in Europe, Asia and the U.S. for E.ON and Uniper, two of the largest private-investor owned energy companies operating worldwide. As a Delivery Manager, Ignacio has spent the last two years at Uniper implementing operational excellence in both the power plants and business-enabling functions by executing strategic best practice. Prior to this, Ignacio worked for E.ON in a number of roles in Operations and Maintenance teams, driving change and looking for optimization opportunities to improve a number of energy assets from technical, financial and organizational perspectives. Ignacio holds a Master of Engineering degree from University of Zaragoza, Spain. He also holds classical music studies (violoncello), and has been playing in orchestras and managing music projects worldwide for more than 10 years. After his MBA, Ignacio intends to pursue a leadership role in a large and exciting organization, and he would also like to further enhance his background in music management and entrepreneurship.

Hsi Wen Chen joins IBEAR MBA program with seven years of experience in the digital marketing realm. He has worked at four different world-leading technology and Internet companies, including ASUS and HTC. In his capacity as senior marketing specialist at CROUD, the largest Google agency in the UK, he provided digital marketing consultation to CROUD’s clients, such as Regus, Manfrotto and Cambridge satchel. Prior to CROUD, he served as a Global support website manager for HTC, leading global customer service teams to optimize website processes, reduce customer complaint rates and manage multiple projects. In addition to his career, Hsi Wen’s passion for sports drove him to become a sports commentator for ESPN, and he has published three books introducing American sports culture to Taiwanese readers. He earned his B.S degree in Management Science from National Chiao Tung University. Hsi Wen’s motto is, “Follow your passions and success will follow.” After IBEAR, Hsi Wen intends to apply his digital expertise to the sports industry, and start a digital sports company.

Yu-Chen Chen joins the IBEAR MBA Program with more than six years of professional experience in the manufacturing industry. She has more than four years of operational management and sales experiences with Won-Link Industrial Co. in Taiwan. As operational manager and sales lead at Won-Link, she managed relationships with overseas clients, monitored the production process and led a sales team. Prior to Won-Link, she was a manufacturing department coordinator in Unimicron Technology Co. She holds a Bachelor of Informational and Industrial Management & History from the National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan. Following IBEAR, she expects to pursue a career in a global manufacturing corporation and work toward her long-term career plan – to expand her family's business internationally.

Chingting (Anita) Wang joins the IBEAR MBA Program with 11 years of work experience in the retail industry and the leading sports company, responsible for product merchandising and retail product assortment planning. As a Taiwanese citizen, Anita worked in Shanghai for eight years in charge of the Greater China market. In her most recent role, she was the merchandising manager for Nike Sports China, responsible for product merchandising and assortment planning. Prior to Nike, Anita led the buying team for Clarks China and worked to deliver product launch plans, pricing strategy and retail campaigns based on business analyses and consumer surveys. Anita has a BA from National Taiwan University. Following IBEAR, Anita hopes to leverage her experience to the retail brand companies to develop and advance their product strategies.

Whit Brighton joins the IBEAR MBA Program after seven years of professional experience, the last five of which have been in marketing with an industry-leading tobacco company. Whit began his career in Washington, D.C., at a lobbying firm, gaining knowledge about multiple regulated industries before moving over to the political side. He spent time working for a national party committee in multiple roles, serving elected officials. After this experience, he transitioned to a marketing role in the tobacco business. In his time with the company, he built the Digital Marketing Department to run all consumer-facing digital and social properties, as well as the Consumer Engagement Department to integrate the digital efforts and off-line consumer interactions. He led the company’s entry into the social media space, while simultaneously restructuring the company’s efforts to engage with consumers on the ground. This included a specialized plan to train and utilize the company’s salesforce to maximize the program. His most recent efforts focused on restructuring these programs to maintain compliance with new industry regulations. Whit holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from Colorado College. After IBEAR, Whit looks forward to a career tackling new challenges and helping companies succeed globally.

Babak Biglari joins the IBEAR MBA Program with more than seven years of experience as Vice President in the financial industry. Throughout his banking career as Vice President of Commercial Banking, Babak has managed financial risk, formulated lending strategies for corporate clients and managed teams of sellers. He has also worked as operations manager, where he manages compliance related to consumer branches. He has ability to adapt to every changing environment. His ability to approach an issue from fresh perspective is exemplary. He is currently expanding his knowledge and experience in financial investment and data analytics. In addition to his MBA, he is obtaining a Graduate Certificate in Business Data Analytics where is learning R, SAS, Data Mining, Advanced Regression, Modeling and many more concepts and software to apply to data-driven decision making. Upon completion of his IBEAR MBA, Babak intends to play a role in the investment fields with an emphasis on data mining and data analysis. He is currently learning powerful data analytics tools to power inform decision-making. He holds a B.A. in physics from the University of California, Berkeley, and is planning to combine his critical thinking and quantitative knowledge with business expertise to perform in high level managerial positions and consulting jobs. 

James Cole joins the IBEAR MBA with more than 11 years of experience in the hospitality industry. During his tenure at Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, he executed numerous enterprise-wide innovation initiatives around finance systems and service delivery. Most recently, he was Starwood's global finance lead for pre-close integration activities with Marriott International, an industry merger of unprecedented scale. James holds a dual-degree, B.S. in Finance and B.S. in Management, from the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University. Following IBEAR, James intends to leverage his extensive finance and management skill set at a small to medium-sized company in the travel and leisure field.

Timothy Day comes to the IBEAR program with more than 15 years of professional experience. He has spent the last 10 years in sales and management at a sports training company. While working at GolfTEC, he gained experience in franchise and corporate operations, team management, sales and sales training. Tim’s last position prior to returning to school was director of merchandise operations in the company's largest market, Los Angeles. Prior to working in the private sector, Tim served in the United States Marine Corps. He first developed his leadership skills while working as a work center supervisor and CH-46 Crew Chief. During his five years with the Marine Corps, he spent time in Europe, Africa and the Middle East over multiple deployments.

Jonathan Homich joins the IBEAR MBA program with more than 13 years of professional experience in the hedge fund and real estate development industries. Jonathan spent the first seven years of his career with the Los Angeles-based boutique hedge fund advisory firm Himelsein Mandel Advisors, LLC, ultimately achieving the position of Portfolio Manager. In this capacity, he directly oversaw the firm’s asset-backed lending program that financed nearly $3 billion of life insurance-related assets. Looking to build upon this formative experience, and having always had an entrepreneurial itch that needed to be scratched, Jonathan left the firm in 2011 to co-found the real estate development company, Catalina Property Group, LLC. Catalina initially focused on arbitrage opportunities in residential housing created by the 2008 financial crisis.  More recently, the company has concentrated on pursuing residential entitlements for raw parcels in the City of Malibu and the adjacent Santa Monica Mountains. Jonathan holds Bachelors of Arts degrees in both Economics and Anthropology from the University of California, Los Angeles. Upon receiving his IBEAR MBA, Jonathan intends to pursue a leadership position with an innovative investment company at the forefront of the rapidly evolving international economy.

Mark Lampano joins the IBEAR MBA program with more than 12 years of professional experience in finance, business development and entrepreneurship. He spent the last three years in business development at e-commerce company Newegg. In this role, he was responsible for developing and growing the consumer electronics category in the Marketplace division. Previously, he spent more than six years in finance with roles in corporate finance, investment management and analytics at the Boeing Company, Pacific Investment Management Company and Farmers Insurance Group. Additionally, he co-founded an e-commerce start-up where he led strategy and operations. He holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Corporate Finance from the University of Southern California. Following IBEAR, he will pursue a career in strategy consulting or corporate development.

Ariel Mark has 7 years of experience in global real estate, equities and alternative investments. Mr. Mark spent three years as an investment analyst and project manager to the Weisman Group, a Limited Partnership with activist investment interests in equity and mortgage REITs, real estate development and alternative investments in the United States, Russia/Commonwealth of Independent States and the Middle East. Mr. Mark started his career as an analyst and business development associate to a Russian holding company which specialized in real estate, media and mining. Mr. Mark also founded a general trading and advisory firm in the United Arab Emirates, and oversaw currency and commodity-linked forward contracts between financial corporations domiciled in Russia, Asia-Pacific and South Asia. Mr. Mark holds a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Southern California, Marshall School of Business. He is also a CAIA Level II and CFA Candidate. Following his MBA, Mr. Mark seeks to enter the institutional investment industry with a focus on emerging markets and real assets.

Martin R. Martinez joins the IBEAR MBA Program after 11 years in the U.S. Army, where he served as an Air Defense Artillery Officer, holding multiple leadership and staff positions in the United States, Europe and Middle East. Martin’s most recent assignment was as the Proponent Officer for the U.S. Army Air Defense Artillery where he oversaw the branch’s commissioned officer talent acquisition, leader development and marketing programs. Additionally, he served as an advisor to the Chief of Air Defense Artillery for strategy, operations, personnel, doctrine, organizational design and training. Previously, Martin was stationed in Germany for nearly six years, working closely with NATO allies and regional partners on multiple active operations and contingency plans. Martin is concurrently pursuing an M.A. in Law and Diplomacy at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, where he is studying international political economy, international security studies and international information & communication. He holds a B.S. in Foreign Area Studies from the United States Military Academy at West Point. After completion of his graduate studies, Martin will pursue a career in strategy and political risk consulting.

Michael McClurg joins IBEAR after 12 years in the United States Marine Corps, where he finished his career as the Team Chief of a Marine Special Operations Team. Throughout his career in the military, Michael planned and managed operations in the Middle East and promoted vital military partnerships in Asia. In Afghanistan, Michael led an advisor team responsible for the training and employment of a 150-man commando unit in a volatile region of the country. In his last assignment, Michael coordinated security assistance and bilateral exchanges with Indonesian, Philippine, and Korean Special Operations Forces to improve counter-terrorism and counter-piracy cooperation. Michael holds a B.S. in Strategic Studies and Defense Analysis from Norwich University. Following graduation from IBEAR, Michael will pursue a career in international business development. 

Joshua (Josh) McColister joins the IBEAR MBA Program with more than six years of experience in the United States Navy. Josh completed tours onboard two naval vessels and was most recently assigned to Engineering Assessments Pacific, which has provided him a strong foundation in both personnel and project management. He served as Repair Division Officer and Assistant Chief Engineer on USS San Diego (LPD 22), and as Navigation and Administrative Officer on USS Pinckney (DDG 91). In each position, he managed sailors, oversaw maintenance schedules and projects, planned and executed large-scale training programs, and successfully streamlined processes within his purview. Josh earned his Bachelor of Arts from the University of South Florida. After graduation, Josh will return to the Navy and attend Department Head School in Newport, R.I., prior to reporting to his next ship.

Erik Naranjo joins the IBEAR MBA Program after serving three years in the U.S. Peace Corps–Dominican Republic, where he worked with an association of apiarists concentrating on organizational strengthening and business development. Prior to his Peace Corps service, Erik worked in the sports industry for nearly seven years. He began his career in event operations for EliteXC (mixed martial arts franchise) and Gary Shaw Productions (boxing promotion), where he spearheaded the execution of live sporting events that were broadcast on HBO, SHOWTIME, and ESPN. He went on to work as the Sports Marketing Manager for Everlast Worldwide, where his focus was on developing and implementing marketing initiatives in collaboration with strategic partners. Erik holds a B.S. in Business Administration from California State University San Marcos. Following IBEAR, he intends on returning to the sports industry where he aims to play a role in the global expansion of mixed martial arts.