Paul Frazier, Jr.
My name is Paul Frazier, Jr., and I’m from Nassau, Bahamas, born and raised. After completing my bachelor’s degree in Canada and working in the United States for a time, I returned to the Bahamas, where I now run my own firm, Frazier & Associates Limited. We offer accounting, tax, and business advisory services to a wide range of clients.
While I’m an accountant by training, I’ve always seen myself as someone here to help. Over the years, I realized that supporting clients’ growth meant expanding my own capabilities. I reached a point where technical expertise alone wasn’t enough. I needed tools to help clients think more strategically, grow their businesses, and adapt to change. That’s what led me to the Global Executive MBA at IE Business School, a program that allowed me to keep building my firm while gaining skills to push it even further.
"What you know today may not necessarily mean that’s what you need to know for tomorrow."
Q&A WITH PAUL
WHAT MOTIVATED YOU TO PURSUE THE GLOBAL EXECUTIVE MBA AT IE?
After 15 years in my career, I had certifications and experience and was running my own firm, so naturally, friends asked, “Why do an MBA now?” But I came to realize that learning and helping others isn't a fixed element. What I knew then wasn’t always enough for what clients needed next.
I wanted something disruptive, a program that would challenge me and help me grow without pulling me away from my business. The Global Executive MBA offered exactly that: the ability to learn while keeping myself embedded in real-life work.
WHAT MADE THE LEARNING EXPERIENCE SO IMMERSIVE FOR YOU?
Two things stood out for me: disruption and liquid learning.
Disruption taught me to embrace change, to understand how small businesses and large corporations operate globally, and to adapt my thinking to that scale. The liquid learning approach trained me to find solutions fast, especially in moments of uncertainty.
For example, shortly after graduating, my firm faced pressure from clients due to new government reporting regulations. It was a service we hadn’t provided before, and we had only 48 hours to make a decision. Thanks to what I learned in the program, we acted quickly: identified what to learn, who to train, and how to communicate it to clients. That kind of strategic clarity came directly from my GXMBA experience.
HOW DID THE PROGRAM’S FLEXIBILITY AND PERSONALIZATION SUPPORT YOUR GROWTH?
The hybrid model was a perfect fit. As someone who manages clients daily, I needed a program that could integrate into a busy professional life. I learned to manage my time better, balancing 9-to-5 work with coursework and study sessions after hours.
The key was accepting that you will be disrupted, but in a way that makes room for growth. That mindset shift made the program especially valuable for me.
WHAT MAKES THE GLOBAL EXECUTIVE MBA SO SPECIAL TO YOU?
What made the GXMBA truly special was how it blended global diversity with local context. We had residential periods in Singapore, London, Los Angeles, and Spain. Each city taught us something different, not just in the classroom, but in how our international cohort adjusted, interacted, and absorbed the local culture.
Seeing classmates experience a city for the first time, sharing recommendations, and bonding across cultures made it more than a learning experience; it built a network for life.
WHAT WAS YOUR MOST MEMORABLE EXPERIENCE DURING THE PROGRAM?
Definitely Day 1 of our Madrid Face to Face! We, a group of senior executives who had just met, were thrown into an extraordinary team-building exercise. We hailed from all over the globe—Spain, Russia, Australia, South Africa, Ukraine, Malta, and Dubai—and suddenly, we were each handed an instrument we'd never played.
The initial feeling was one of profound discomfort. Here we were, leaders in our fields, completely out of our element, tasked with creating a cohesive musical piece in just thirty minutes. It was a forced moment of "liquid learning," where our titles and previous experience were irrelevant. We had to rely on communication, trust, and sheer improvisation to turn a collection of individual noises into a single, resonant harmony.
That moment was the perfect microcosm for the entire program. It was a clear and vivid demonstration that when diverse perspectives with one common goal truly align, the result is not only satisfying but transformative. It was the first note in a symphony of growth and collaboration that defined our journey.
HOW HAS THE PROGRAM EQUIPPED YOU FOR YOUR ROLE AT FRAZIER & ASSOCIATES?
The GXMBA gave me the confidence to pivot from accountant to strategic advisor. Today, our clients need more than financials; they need someone who can tell them what those numbers mean in a broader business context.
The program prepared me to step into that role, and it’s changed how we deliver value to clients. We’re expanding our consulting services and adapting to changes in technology and regulation because that’s what leadership looks like in today’s world.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS CONSIDERING THE GXMBA?
Expect disruption and embrace it. That’s how growth happens.
The GXMBA forces you to learn, adapt, and stretch yourself in ways that go beyond comfort zones. But the results speak for themselves. The challenges you solve today will create new ones tomorrow, and this program equips you to face that with clarity and confidence.
WHAT DOES INSPIRING THE NEXT GENERATION OF LEADERS MEAN TO YOU?
It means teaching them that change is constant and disruption is essential. The world is evolving rapidly politically, technologically, and economically, and the only way to grow is to accept and expect that reality.
Our job is to prepare them to navigate the future, solve meaningful problems, and help others do the same. If we do that, the legacy of programs like the Global Executive MBA will live on through the leaders we shape.