A formidable group gathered around the conference table--the CFO of a Fortune 500 company, top members of consulting firm McKinsey and Company, and Madhu Pawar. Although Pawar was a junior member of the McKinsey staff, she was on the fast track for advancement. For this particular healthcare client, she had spent long days and nights working on intense analyses. In her presentation, she demystified the client's complex financial structure and made suggestions on how to manage it. After she was done speaking, the client's typically straight-laced CFO rose from his seat and elatedly danced around the table.
She credits her insights into what makes businesses work--and what makes them work better--in part to Carnegie Mellon's information systems management program. The Singapore resident, with a bachelor's degree in computer engineering, says she was drawn to the one-year degree program for its balanced approach, combining technological know-how with business savvy.
Not long after earning her master's degree in 2005, she joined McKinsey and now works with clients in fields ranging from heavy industry to healthcare to travel and logistics. Her firm has more than 7,500 consultants in 90 offices in 51 countries; its client list includes three of the world's five largest companies.
Recognizing the pivotal role Carnegie Mellon plays in preparing leaders like Pawar in information systems management, the Heinz Endowment recently awarded the university a $13 million grant. It will support the Heinz School's strategic plan, which includes the creation of a new school of information systems management.
--Elizabeth May
