Jeff Ho
MBA 10
MBA 10
Associate Director, Commercial Strategy
Gilead Sciences
Foster City, California
Gilead Sciences
Foster City, California
Previous degree:
BA, Economics
Stanford University, California
Previous job:
Manager, Market Research
Schering-Plough Pharmaceuticals
Kenilworth, New Jersey
A class assignment to act as forensic accountants, auditing companies’ books for accounting irregularities, opened up a whole new area of analysis that Jeff Ho could easily transfer into the assessments he does of licensing and acquisition candidates at Gilead Sciences.
"Life sciences are my passion. Haas is giving me the skills to think strategically about the business challenges we face. I’m also making great connections with lots of people in the Bay Area life sciences community."
"I came to Haas believing I had very strong analytical skills, but it didn’t take long for me to realize how much more I could learn from the core courses. For example, corporate financial management was a gap in my knowledge. Now, I can work more effectively on business development projects. I have a lot more context for analyzing licensing and acquisition prospects."
"The Heavy Hitting Sales Seminar taught me a whole new set of skills for influencing people—in a good way. I had never been in a sales role, but I find I am doing more in the area of data sales now, so this was immediately useful on the job."
"Haas is a risk-free environment to try new things and work through new ideas. There is a really low barrier to starting up conversations with people at Haas. Everyone is interested in each other. I enjoy the cross-fertilization of ideas and knowledge."
"It’s important to set priorities and manage expectations school, work and home. For example, while I’ve been at Haas, I’ve continued to compete in triathlons, but not as many, and at a less intense level. I’ve also made sure to spend time with my family, and to make that time really count."
