MBA@Syracuse London Residency: Q&A with Student Kati Isaacson

MBA@Syracuse students visited London in July for an immersive residency. To learn more about the student experience, we interviewed current student Kati Isaacson, a marketing director from West Palm Beach, Florida.  

London & Partners had us form groups and put together an ad campaign that would encourage businesses to move to London. We then had to present our campaign. It was really fun and interactive. I also loved the opportunity to bond with everyone the first night on the river cruise down the Thames River.

London & Partners covered how tourism in London was and was not affected by Brexit. They shared their response, which was a #Londonisopen “for business” campaign to encourage tourism and commerce. They consider it a successful campaign as London is still very much thriving.

Peakon specializes in “People Analytics & Employee Engagement Software,” which is survey-based to track employee engagement so that companies can identify performance issues. It was interesting to hear how they believe they can track human behavior through analytics.

The head of global digital marketing and innovation from Ermenegildo Zegna spoke to us about the high-end fashion industry and how slow the industry’s technology adoption rate has been because of the mentality that it should remain elite and mysterious. 

Other highlights included hearing from CAA Sports about international agent representation to athletes and movie stars; Vattenfall about international wind power and solar energy initiatives; Snapchat on digital expansion and the benefits of being a nimble technology-driven industry; and Frontline Venture Capital on the needs of the new wave of technology entrepreneurs.

I didn’t end up going on this but everyone who joined the Tower of London tour said it was an incredible experience! Personally, I loved the bonding we did over a pub crawl. After all, you can’t get any more authentic than the historic pubs in London.

I wasn’t expecting the diversity of the businesses that were featured. Syracuse always has a high caliber of speakers and presenters at the residencies, and it was great to hear from startups, talent agents, fashion industry experts, renewables-based executives, tourism professionals, and venture capitalists. It all tied into what we’re learning in the program too.

It’s almost impossible to beat the prestige, brand recognition, and excellence that Syracuse University possesses. Additionally, the MBA@Syracuse program offers unique flexibility to working professionals who may have additional obligations to family and work travel. You can log in from anywhere in the world and still feel like you’re part of a classroom and the SU community. As soon as you join the program, my advice is to sign up for a residency right away. It’s the best way to network, immerse yourself in the Syracuse culture, and meet fellow students and staff.

Citation for this content: MBA@Syracuse, Syracuse University’s online MBA program