Portrait of Iain Turnbull, a student in the Global Executive MBA program at The Fuqua School of Business.

"This program teaches you more than statistics, accounting and managerial effectiveness—it teaches you what is important in your life by stressing you to your core, but also giving you access to wonderful teammates who will pull you up."

Program Manager
Google

Global Executive MBA

Class of 2024

Industry:

Data Center/Equipment Supply Chain

Prior Education:

University of Georgia
Philosophy

Hometown:
St. Simons Island, Georgia
Nationality:
USA

Reflections

I came from a military background of small, highly trained and capable teams that were given wide and complex missions sets. I thought that Team Fuqua would allow me to transition out of the military in a setting that I was familiar with.

Many times over, my military background has paired well with the ethos of Team Fuqua and it has helped me feel part of something outside of the military in meaningful ways.

Even though I am in the global program, the most meaningful residency was Term 1 at Duke. It set the stage to let me know I had value among my peers as well as opened my eyes to the compassion, curiosity, and drive my classmates had. Just because we are in the same program and on the same team does not mean we all will work well together and have the same mentality. Everyone has different priorities and expectations through their MBA journey at Duke and to successfully navigate my team’s dynamics, I needed to take the time to understand everyone’s priorities and expectations.

Each classmate has had profound impact on me and is why I started the GEMBA Edge—a forum for the class to learn about an individual’s mindset or habits that we can all learn from.  I have incorporated many rituals and habits that others have into my own life.

I oversaw technical and programatic areas on my team as a Special Forces engineer sergeant ranging from planning and conducting training of partner forces, to planning and executing military movements and purchase orders.

I want to lead a team as a senior manager or director in meaningful and impactful work that pushes the needle forward in combating the many problems we face today.

5 Tips for Working in Teams

  1. Just because it is urgent for you, does not mean it's urgent for everyone else. Get a consensus from everyone on top priorities and set dates/milestones.
  2. Find the person on your team who is the subject matter expert (SME) in each class, split everyone else up into mini teams of two, and have that SME be the guide—in other words, don’t rely on the SME to do everything.
  3. Create a separate group text thread for GIFs and Memes—this allows those who want to participate an opportunity to bond, while allowing others to mute that group chat and not miss important information coming from the ‘working’ chat.
  4. Advocate and support your team members when you notice they are not understanding something—the team is only as strong as its weakest link.
  5. Have at least one residency meal together—it’ll be over before you know it.
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MSQM:HA students "meet" in Durham without leaving home

Classroom of Remote Students on Video Monitors
Fuqua's demanding quantitative program offers the flexibility to maintain your career and personal priorities
More About MSQM:HA
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Global Executive MBA

Top Areas of Career Focus

Financial Services (20%)
Consulting (5%)
Sales/Business Development (5%)
Energy/Chemical/Gas (9%)
Marketing/PR/Advertising (6%)
Consumer Goods (3%)

Typical Class Demographics
Global Executive MBA

Average Age

28-45

Average Work Experience

5-20 years

Countries Represented

17

Women

35%

Non-US Citizenship

30%
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Master of Management Studies: Duke Kunshan University

Undergraduate Majors

Business/Accounting (51%)
Economics (22%)
Liberal Arts (14%)
Engineering/Natural Sciences (10%)
Other (4%)

Typical Class Demographics
MMS: Duke Kunshan University

Average Age

23

Average Work Experience

6 months or less

Countries Represented

11

Women

53%

Non-US Citizenship

69%
false

Master of Management Studies: Foundations of Business

Undergraduate Majors

Liberal Arts (33%)
Business/Accounting (24%)
Engineering/Natural Sciences (18%)
Economics (17%)
Other (8%)

Typical Class Demographics
MMS: Foundations of Business

Average Age

23

Average Work Experience

6 months or less

Countries Represented

27

Women

49%

Non-US Citizenship

43%
false

Weekend Executive MBA

Top Areas of Career Focus

IT (16%)
Financial Services (14%)
Health Care/Health Services (10%)
Manufacturing/Operations (9%)
Sales/Business Development (8%)
Consulting (8%)

Typical Class Demographics
Weekend Executive MBA

Age Range

28-45

Students with Advanced Degrees

32%

Work Experience

5-20 years

Countries Represented

19

Women

27%
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