Stanford MBA Program

Stanford MBA students continuing their discussion after class.

» Stanford Business School Women
» Director's Corner: Diverse Perspectives

"I chose Stanford because I knew I needed to learn about collaborative environments; competitive ones would only bring out the same old me.

It was truly a new experience to be in a place where teamwork and cooperation were stressed, and where my grades were for my own consumption only, not for comparison with everyone else's.

Everything at the GSB was centered on enhancing and learning from the community of students and the larger community of students' families, faculty, and staff.

During my tenure as Marketing Director of eBay Italy, a lot of my job had to do with helping a community thrive—including more than three million Italians who buy and sell online, and their myriad of sub-communities.

I have found useful the same principles I learned at Stanford: assume good intentions, listen without prejudice, and give everybody the opportunity to contribute.

It's perhaps no coincidence that eBay's first president, my classmate Jeff Skoll, was also a Stanford GSB graduate.

I have the unique opportunity to work at a place where values and behaviors constantly remind me of the Stanford community ethos.

Since graduating, I've had the immense and priceless pleasure of having a group of a dozen or so people from my Stanford days who are friends for life.

And faculty members are equally amazing--they really do keep in touch with alumni.

A few years ago, for example, former Dean Michael Spence came to Milan and we hosted a reception for him.

Sure, other schools have Nobel prize winners too, but not all of them will sit down for wine and cheese with you in a tiny bar and give you personal career advice.

It's just another example of the Stanford magic."

Paola Bonomo, MBA 1995
Undergraduate: BA in Business Administration, Università Commerciale Luigi Bocconi, Italy
Pre-MBA: Business Analyst, McKinsey & Company, Italy
Post-MBA: Associate, Engagement Manager, Principal, McKinsey & Company, Italy; Senior Director of Marketing, eBay Italy; Senior Director, EU Operations, eBay;
Current: Vice President, Online Business Unit, Il Sole 24 Ore

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