To support talented first-year full-time MBA students pursuing careers in investment management, the Haas School this year launched an Investment Management Fellowship Program that includes a scholarship and mentoring.
Five students from the class of 2014 were selected as investment management fellows for exhibiting strong interest in the field and good citizenship as representatives of Haas: Felipe Gonzalez; Andrew Krowne; Nick Shea; Bryan Wong; and Eric Yanagi. The fellows receive a one-time $5,000 scholarship, preference in finance electives, and matching with a mentor in the field (typically a Haas alum). The new investment management (IM) program is modeled on the school's successful Investment Banking Fellowship Program, now in its seventh year.
“We’ve seen over the past several years what a huge help these resources have been to our Investment Banking Fellows, and meanwhile we saw increasing interest in Investment Management among our students,” says Bill Rindfuss, executive director of strategic programs for the Haas Finance Group. “This new Investment Management Fellowship was an obvious step to replicate success. With some very high-placed alumni in the field already engaged with Haas and interested in helping our students, the mentor component of the fellowship came together very nicely.”
One fellow, Krowne, comes from investment banking and was interested in what he describes as a change from the advisory side of the business to the active management side. “At the end of the day the market confirms or rejects your every decision in investment management,” he adds. Krowne particularly looks forward to making decisions around distressed assets and higher-yield credit.
“In this field, you have to have year-over-year success to build a reputation,” says Krowne. “To be paired with a senior leader in the industry who has already established this kind of track record is the most valuable aspect of the program.”
Candidates for the fellowships applied in early October, submitting a resume and a cover letter to demonstrate relevant experience and knowledge of the field. Select applicants were then interviewed by a second-year student with industry experience, and the final selections were made by a committee representing the Career Management Group, Full-time Berkeley MBA Admissions, the Full-time Berkeley MBA Program Office, and the Finance Group.
Students also were recently selected for the Investment Banking Fellows program. The new class of IB fellows consists of Mor Ben Efraim, Yusuf Kazi, Landon Mizuguchi, and Steve Willis, all MBA 14.