Matthew Stephano

Why did you choose to pursue the IE Brown Executive MBA? 

Amongst the numerous MBA programs out there, the IE Brown Executive MBA stood out to me for its global perspective, creative hybrid format, and its world-class reputation. I was particularly attracted to the EMBA program for the opportunity to grow alongside peers with 10-20+ years in the workforce and to learn from their wealth of experience.

What were your first impressions of Madrid?

The food, the architecture, the people, the history, the relaxed pace of life; what can I say that hasn’t been said a million better ways by a million better writers than myself? Suffice to say, Spain is one of my favorite countries in the world, and Madrid will now forever hold a special place in my heart!

How does a degree from IE business school help you stand out for other candidates?

I have always tried to prioritize a well rounded education in all aspects of life and I think the IE Brown EMBA provides a really unique value proposition. While Brown University has a tremendous reputation in the United States, IE Business School is hugely respected throughout Europe and elsewhere. Similarly, as excited as I am about the leadership and business acumen associated with a traditional MBA degree, IE Brown’s emphasis on the humanities adds a layer of depth that feels unique to the program.

What key skills have you already taken away from the program that you use in your day-to-day life?

As one of the objectively lesser experienced members of my cohort, I have learned that not all leaders are created equal: It is one thing to act as an effective manager in a structure with a traditional hierarchy and expectations, but it is another to be a leader amongst highly experienced peers with no clear framework in place. The beauty of this program is that it surrounds you with top-tier talents from a variety of different fields all with slightly different managerial styles. This can be intimidating for candidates unwilling to break out of their comfort zone. For me though, learning where to leverage my strengths while having the self confidence to leave my ego at the door and learn from my talented colleagues has already been a huge point of growth and has helped me to abandon that pesky imposter syndrome that often comes from a high performance program like this. 

What advice would you give to someone who is about to start the IE Brown Executive MBA?

Abandon imposter syndrome, embrace the discomfort of rarely (if ever) being the smartest person in the room, and be open to the emerging strategies of where this program may take your career. Not everyone will leave with the same goals that they came in with. I would also advise my fellow introverts to stretch yourselves outside of your social comfort zones as this program has allowed me to build not just a network of professionals who I know I can count on, but lifelong friendships as well!

You recently took a career break to travel the world. What new perspectives did this give you and how do you think they will affect your career going forward?

In what I routinely call the greatest negotiation of my life, I was somehow able to convince my brilliant and endlessly ambitious wife to take a leap of faith, quit our cushy Silicon Valley jobs, and embark on a year-long journey of a lifetime across 30+ countries. Our travels led us to encounters and real conversations with multigenerational business owners in Japan, Masai Warriors, Himalayan Sherpas, Moroccan Tradesmen, Australian Soul Surfers, Swiss Ski Bums, Catholic Priests, Muslim Imams, and even distant relatives amongst others.

In all of this what really stood out to me was that despite how radically different these various individuals’ upbringing, culture, religion, or economic status were, their core human value sets remained incredibly similar. Nearly everyone that we encountered shared common desires to simply be understood, and appreciated for who they are. Within this context, one of my greatest takeaways is the mindset of a servant leader who guides from a place of empathy and open-mindedness while recognizing each team members’ differences not as cultural hurdles, but as opportunities for the whole team to learn from.  I truly believe that this approach has not only made me a better leader, but a better human being as well.  

Tell us about your new role as a Procurement Manager at Fisher and Paykel Healthcare:

During our sabbatical year, the first country that my wife and I visited was New Zealand and we absolutely fell in love with the place.  Though it started as a joke, we found ourselves repeatedly asking, "What if we actually moved to New Zealand?" After quickly realizing that our list of pros (Cultural focus on nature and sustainability, the kindest people we’ve encountered on Earth, the ability to make a huge impact as leaders in a relatively small country, etc.) greatly exceeded our list of cons (A long way from home, or really anything else), we decided to make the move.

Fisher and Paykel is one of the largest employers in New Zealand and has been a proud Kiwi success story for nearly 100 years. Even more exciting is that the company finds itself in a period of rapid growth due to the life-saving potential of its respiratory products during the Covid-19 pandemic and onward. While I’m eager to bring my own best practices and scalability solutions to their Global Procurement Team, I am equally keen to learn from the leaders that have built Fisher and Paykel Healthcare into what it is today.

You’ve worked with big name companies like Tesla and Apple. Why did you decide to pursue the IE Brown Executive MBA at this stage of your career?

I have been super blessed to have had the opportunities that I have at this stage in my career. I’ll forever be grateful to my colleagues at Apple and particularly at Tesla for taking a chance on a very green kid from the Midwest. While I’ve learned a tremendous amount and met some truly extraordinary people working in the tech industry, the IE Brown Executive MBA presented an opportunity to develop my skills as a leader amongst a diverse cohort representing two world-class academic institutions. To have the chance to trade life lessons with so many of my brilliant global classmates who each bring radically different perspectives to the table than my own has been an invaluable opportunity to me. 

While my progression particularly at Tesla was not unheard of within its meritocracy sort of culture, it is very much not the norm in New Zealand. In my experience without making too broad of generalizations, New Zealand is a country that values traditional education far more than typical Bay Area types who tend to value results over traditional credentials. With that in mind, I am excited at the opportunity to take my leadership acumen to the next level through the IE Brown Executive MBA. 

As a supply chain leader passionate about renewable energy, the power of people, and the pursuit of a sustainable future, how will the IE Brown executive MBA help you implement these values in your Role?

Going back to my early days at Tesla, purpose has driven every aspect of my career. The long hours, tough decision making, and complex problem solving were well worth the investment because my team and I always got to leave the office feeling like we were making a difference in the world’s transition to a sustainable future. My time at Apple was no different as I was fortunate to work on a number of projects that made a real impact on the company’s carbon footprint and accessibility goals. 

In my new role with Fisher and Paykel Healthcare my purpose will shift primarily to improving care level and outcomes for patients which is energizing in a whole new way. One of the beautiful things about the IE Brown Executive MBA is the holistic focus it places not only on traditional business disciplines, but also on liberal arts and humanities. Having experienced the richness of our cohort’s conversations on a variety of such topics, it is easy for me to see the synergies available in the healthcare space. With all of that said, I plan to keep sustainability top of mind in this role as well. I’m eager to dive into Fisher and Paykel’s holistic supply chain and see how we can improve the scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions at every level as we spoke about at length during Professor Stephen Porder’s excellent course on climate change

Can you share a stand-out moment from the program so far?

There are so many to choose from, but I have to give mention to our experience in Cape Town, South Africa. My team was welcomed with open arms into the homes and businesses of a local youth rugby team. Busy Bee RFC is the oldest all black rugby club in South Africa and in a lot of ways serves as the heart and soul of its Langa Township community. Despite minimal financial resources, shared facilities, and vastly inferior equipment to its competitors, the club manages to compete through sheer determination and love of the game. Being able to engage with this community even for a short period of time and to make strategic recommendations that make a real impact to children’s health, education, and purpose is one of the most important things I’ve ever been a part of.