When Shaun Howard started his new job at Lenovo as Worldwide Ops and Planning Manager, he knew it was time to broaden his knowledge base.

“I went to a position that did a lot more long-range thinking and planning than the execution I’d been doing before, and it was time to bring a broader scope to my work,” Shaun says. “I started looking at MBA programs right at the time when Guilford started its MBA program, and I knew it would be a good fit.”

Howard knew the College’s MBA was for him because of his earlier experience at Guilford as an undergrad. He graduated in 2013 with a Bachelor’s of Arts in Economics with a minor in political science. As a student he fell in love with the community, the Quaker values, and the College’s ethos.

In his new role at Lenovo, Shaun’s team is tasked with bringing the first AI-powered laptop to market. “Within AI, the conversations aren’t just focused on coding and business projections, but also what guardrails we need to provide the consumer, how much of that responsibility belongs to Lenovo, and what we should expect of the person purchasing the product. All of that is ethics-centered. I knew I needed to learn to think differently and broaden my scope. I was confident I would find what I needed at Guilford.”

This wasn’t the first time Shaun made the decision to pursue a degree to deepen his knowledge base and expand his opportunities. He got his first degree from Guilford College while working as an operations analyst at Polo/Ralph Lauren.

For Shaun, graduating from the MBA program at Guilford provides much more than three more letters behind his name on a resume. Shaun points to a few things that stood out from his time in the MBA program that he has carried over to his projects at Lenovo.

Learning New Business Strategies. From discussions about setting prices to new ways to come to market, the class on business strategy provided the opportunity to break down different theories and business strategies and define what goes on day to day in the business world.

Understanding of Servant Leadership. Building on what he learned as an undergraduate student, Shaun feels Guilford’s MBA focus on servant leadership is much-needed in today’s business environment.

An Expanded Network. A master’s program is as much about learning from each other as it is learning in the classroom setting. Being in the program with leaders from a diverse group of businesses, locally and beyond, allowed Shaun the opportunity to see
what is going on in other companies and explore best practices. “Taking part in the Guilford MBA provided the opportunity to build new relationships that rejuvenated my thinking and helped me look at things from different perspectives,” he says.

For Shaun, Guilford’s MBA program came at just the right time. The education and experiences allow him to approach his work in new and creative ways, helping him be a more productive part of a team bringing new technology to life.