Shino Yamamoto MBA 2012

Senior Product Manager, Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, Washington

Although she traveled from her native Japan eight years ago to resettle in Seattle, Shino Yamamoto is on familiar ground at Microsoft, where she’s spent her entire career. She’s looking forward to building her business skills, diversifying her network and broadening her perspective through the Berkeley-Columbia EMBA program.

“I looked at other programs in the Bay Area, but this one was special because it also gave me access to people in New York. Haas, with its expertise in entrepreneurship and reputation as an excellent public university, has a large network on the West Coast. Columbia, with its Ivy League excellence, has a large network on the East Coast. It’s hard to find a program that offers that extended network and rigorous academics.”

“The program exposes me to people outside Microsoft, and networking with them will broaden my perspective.”

“Going through the rigorous experience of the EMBA program will help me not only gain general management skills, but also build up my confidence and leadership skills to become a better businessperson.”

“Everything we learn, we can relate to day-to-day work. Already, the program has given me a good foundation and framework to think and problem-solve at work. I feel that I am better prepared and more inclined to make better decisions.”

“My ultimate goal is to use my business acumen for a good cause. Last year, my grandfather became disabled, and my mother became his caregiver. Seeing how demanding it was, I decided I wanted to one day build a business that could help those in need. This program could help me develop those skills and that vision.”

“We’re making a big investment in this program, timewise and moneywise, and I certainly want to get the most out of it. I want to give it my 100 percent and succeed, not for just a good grade but to be a better businessperson, a better leader when I graduate.”

“Time management will be the key for me to get through the program. In the past, I tended to bring work home. Now, I will make sure I finish work during work hours and study in my off hours. It will force me to be more focused, which is a good thing.”

“Being from Japan and working in Microsoft’s worldwide group, I understand how different customers think and function, and how their needs differ from region to region. I try to listen, to understand those different perspectives and backgrounds, and appreciate differences. These are good skills to bring to—and to develop during—the Berkeley-Columbia program.”

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