Sarfraz M. Paz is Chief Growth Officer and Director – Business Alliances and Partnerships at Eram Power Electronics Company with over 15 years of experience in business development planning. He has a strong background in business development, facilitating technology-oriented initiatives, and identifying and building global strategic partnerships and business alliances. He has worked with brands such as Jawa Petroleum Investment Company, Naztec International Group, and Silicon Valley Auto Components Pvt. Ltd. His expertise lies in business management, including corporate development, board and executive level business planning and execution, corporate governance, strategic planning and execution programs, and portfolio management of subsidiaries and affiliates. He was part of the Chicago Booth ADP in the 2022–23 cohort and shares his experience of the program.
How was your overall experience of the program?
This program is amazing and well structured. It was an impressive and dynamic learning experience with some of the best professors, such as Prof. Susan Lucia, Prof. Annunzio Douglas Skinner, Prof. John Burrows, Prof. Douglas Skinner, Prof. Jean-Pierre Dube, and Prof. Greg Bunch. It was wonderfully coordinated by Amanda Gecht, Lauren Doan, and the Northwest team.
How was the peer group experience?
The participants in the program were a fantastic bunch of people from across the globe who cared for each other and extended all their support when needed. It gave me a back-to-college feeling. The negotiation exercises invoked some key aspects among the participants, including being cross-functional based on their past experiences and being collaborative with their peers.
What stood out for you in the program?
There were several things that stood out for me:
- Prof. Douglas Skinner shared exciting insights on corporate finance and company valuation methodologies. He talked about managerial overconfidence, miscalibration, and how to exercise skepticism about plans and projects. This was helpful in understanding the approach to behavioral finance and how to support management decisions.
- Prof. Jean-Pierre Dube was full of energy in explaining concepts of marketing, combined with economics. It was an eye opening transition from the traditional marketing approach. It was interesting to learn about Economic Value to Customer (EVC) and how to price the services correctly to customers. His class taught me one of the best approaches in marketing and his classes taught us the importance of economics in the business world.
- Prof. John Burrow’s classes were intriguing. His passion in the subject of negotiations was well articulated in the two days of energetic learning environment. He used real-world scenarios and guided individuals in decision-making with his in-depth experience, background in behavioral science and his past global work experiences.
- Prof. Greg Bunch spoke on leadership and entrepreneurship in the VUCA world, the building blocks of strategy and how it is essential in the business world for growth. He also showed a refreshing approach to Michael Porter 5 forces in business. The case study was also interesting, which helped the cohort think more strategically that is removed from the traditional approach. It made us understand how important strategy is for a company’s growth.