Claire Hobday

C. Mondavi is a very storied, family-owned business. It will have been involved in the Napa Valley for 100 years next year. Charles Krug Winery is the oldest winery in Napa Valley, so it has a lot to shout from the roof tops, and the role itself is fantastic. It's a business with challenges that I feel I can help to address as part of the executive team.

 

I would not have secured this role if it wasn't for my networking in the Executive MBA. One of my cohort members reached out to me to see if I was interested in hearing about new opportunities.

At that point in time, I didn't think I was, but it ended up being the perfect role.

 

That was, for me, a key networking opportunity. Just the quality of the cohort itself, I had exposure to people from all across the industry, from distributors, wine makers, bloggers, communications people--we probably could have started our own wine company!

 

The alumni organization is very strong here, so I intend to keep going to those events and to continue to see how my cohort members have progressed. When I was preparing for this role, I checked LinkedIn to see who I would be meeting with on the executive team. It turned out that I knew people who were connected, some of whom were professors, so I reached out to them and they were really helpful, both from the Sonoma State side and the adjunct professors, too.

 

 I think it does in terms of expanding your horizons. It's like when you're living in your hometown, for your whole life, you have that one experience and it's a great experience, but I think when you broaden your horizons, it gives you opportunities to work in different cultures, to understand how different cultures operate, and to expand your language. It's more like learning languages and the language is culture.

 

One thing that wasn't the case when I lived in New Zealand, but definitely was here, was the necessity of an MBA. In New Zealand, because the workforce is that much smaller, and typically you know everyone, people often know you before you've even applied for a job.

 

Here, an MBA is a prerequisite. I came to that conclusion when I had applied for different roles along the way and ended up in the top two, but didn't get hired. When I looked at the qualifications of the people who did get them, typically they had an MBA. I then came to the conclusion that it was really what I needed. As soon as I got my MBA, I got the opportunity that I wanted. It's been a dream.

 

One of the highs was definitely the international trip. To be able to go on a trip with such like-minded people, who are so qualified to comment on the product and the experiences was second to none. Meeting the professors who are so experienced and qualified to be running the program, and working with my cohort members; there will be lifelong friendships there.

 

The leadership component with Jennifer Yount was one of the highlights of the program. When I had applied for different positions, and not been hired, or when I'd been taken into positions where I expected a certain level of progression and it didn't happen, I was almost looking for the external reasons for those failures. Through the leadership program, I could see that I had engaged in behaviors that were keeping me stuck in a bit of a rut. I'm employing everything I learned now in my current position as well.

 

Obviously, when I first started my career, I was working in a much more manual environment. I've been doing my role now for twenty five years, so when I first started, in private practice at PwC, we were using colored pens. Information technology wasn't something I really had to deal with. The world is changing so dramatically and so quickly, you really have to stay on top of IT and the different systems.

 

You really get out of the program what you put in and I think you will continue to get what you continue to put in. Everybody has a big sigh of relief upon graduation, once it's all done, but those relationships continue to build.

 

At the Chateau Margaux tasting last month, there were probably a dozen of my cohort there. It was a great chance to see where everyone was at and what was going on. I participated in a negotiation skills course offered by our Alumni Network recently as well, so I just keep learning from the university and keep those relationships going. It can really change the course of your career.

 

It's almost as though the cohort that just graduated acts as mentors to those who are still in the program, whether on a more formal basis or informally. I want to let them know it's OK to shout out if they need a hand, some guidance, or even a shoulder to cry on. We pay it forward."