Initially posted by Poets & Quants on May 12, 2023
Poets & Quants’ 6th annual Best & Brightest Online MBA feature celebrates 52 MBA graduates from 2023.
This year’s cohort was selected based on students’ who showed “strong academic performance, critical and consistent contributions, striking personal narratives, and innate potential. The list features 29 women and 23 men, ages 27-55. Their ranks include entrepreneurs, military personnel, physicians, consultants, engineers, and financiers. The various backgrounds and industries of the Online MBA students featured are vast and include JWMI alum Gustav Lammerding.
Gustav Lammerding
Banjo’s Bakery Café, Head of Marketing
Undergraduate School and Degree: AAA School of Advertising – Visual Communications; Vega Brand Communication School – Honors degree in Brand Leadership
Age: 43
Hometown: Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career?
Starting my own Brand Agency.
Why did you choose this school’s online MBA program?
I knew of Jack Welch and his leadership at GE, so I was intrigued by the program when I saw it. Coupled with its excellent ratings, I was convinced it was the right institution for me.
What was your favorite part of being in an online MBA program?
The autonomy of being able to manage the workload around my lifestyle. Being in Australia, I expanded my horizons through online interactions with other students worldwide.
What was the most surprising thing about an online learning environment?
You still feel connected to the class, professors, and campuses, which was not by accident. JWMI invests an enormous amount of effort into creating that connectedness.
How did your online experience compare with your in-the-classroom experience as an undergraduate student?
The online experience was much more focused, and I had fewer distractions, meaning I could work more efficiently.
What is your best piece of advice to an applicant for thriving in an online MBA program?
There are three:
1. Get buy-in from your family before enrolling by developing a study schedule study.
2. Don’t fall behind. Do your weekly work diligently by breaking it up into manageable parts.
3. Open a master document for each course to collate thoughts, quotes, and insights into one place.
What would you change about an online MBA Program?
It’s very well-defined, so nothing.
How has your online education helped you in your current job?
It has helped me massively improve my strategic ability and business sense, making me a more confident leader up and down the corporate ladder.
What is your ultimate long-term professional goal?
Having a business that I can scale and passionately build something meaningful.