Diana Nassar

Stanford Graduate School of Business

“Passionate. Energetic. Crazy.”

Hometown: Amman, Jordan

Fun Fact About Yourself:

I was an extra in Jon Stewart’s movie Rosewater, which was filmed in Jordan!

Undergraduate School and Major: University of Jordan, Computer Engineering

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Senior Product Manager at Amazon/Souq.com

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: Managing Souq.com’s fulfillment program “Fulfilled by Souq” from ideation to realization. I worked and coordinated with eight cross-functional technical teams (over 20 engineers) and key stakeholders from business, operations, finance, legal, and marketing teams to design, develop, and launch the service to sellers in the Middle East and North Africa.

Describe your biggest accomplishment at Stanford GSB so far: I had so much fun planning and executing the 2019 Admit Weekend at Stanford GSB as an Admit Weekend Committee member. We hosted exciting events with our classmates, and I was very excited to share the GSB experience and welcome the admits and their significant others into our community.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? Every GSBer is impressive in their own unique way. It is very humbling to be surrounded by such accomplished, personable, touchy-feely classmates that come from all walks of life, and who are as passionate as I am to “change lives, change organizations, and change the world”.

I have enjoyed every single conversation, coffee chat, and walk-and-talk I have had with my classmates. It is a privilege to listen to them share their stories and vulnerabilities at TALK and Ask-Me-Anything sessions; which are long-standing traditions at the GSB. I learn something from them every day.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key factor that led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA and why was it so important to you? Stanford GSB is more than just a business school. I felt that it is a place that will enable me to grow and to discover what matters most to me (and why).

The school’s mission and emphasis on self-development, introspection, and vulnerability spoke to me. I wanted to explore these values with students who care about them as much as I do in an institution that fosters this culture. This is why I picked Stanford.

What club or activity have you enjoyed the most at Stanford GSB so far? I really enjoyed taking “Freedom, Democracy, and Capitalism” class, taught by Keith Hennessey, Senior White House Economic Advisor to President George W. Bush and former Director of the White House National Economic Council. As an international student, I learned a lot about the fundamentals of the American ideology through classroom discussions on current policy issues.

I also enjoy my Women in Management (WIM) group meetings. WIM groups are groups of 6-9 people that meet every 2 weeks to discuss anything and everything on their minds, including gender issues and women in the workplace. For me, my WIM group is a safe space to share deep thoughts and feel connected.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? I have always wanted to drive change and to leave a positive impact on people’s lives. After working for six years, I felt ready to explore my next steps in life, personally and professionally, and decided to embark on this journey at Stanford.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? Harvard Business School and London Business School. Got admitted to both.

How did you determine your fit at various schools? I tried to get a holistic view of each program by evaluating them based on around 80 factors that I listed in a Google sheet, including culture, academics, multidisciplinary learning, global experiences, leadership opportunities, teaching methods, and alumni networks; talking to students and alumni from each school to get a sense of their experience; researching the programs extensively; reading articles and watching videos published on school admissions websites; and talking to my mentors and colleagues who attended business school.

Stanford GSB’s culture, people, and unrivaled location in the heart of Silicon Valley stood out for me and I knew that the GSB was the place for me.

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? I believe that we reshape ourselves and experience new defining moments every couple of years. In 2016, I was awarded the TechWomen Fellowship; an initiative of the U.S. State Department to celebrate women leaders in STEM through a professional and cultural mentorship program in Silicon Valley. I visited many of the biggest tech companies and met with many Silicon Valley leaders. Their energy, leadership, and passion resonated with me. Through our discussions, I knew that I wanted to follow in their path one day.

Where do you see yourself in five years? Starting my own venture at the intersection of tech and media.