Leena Jube

Georgetown University, McDonough School of Business

“A purpose-driven, inclusive, contagious force of positive energy, passionate about driving sustainable growth and development.”

Hometown: Bardonia, New York

Fun fact about yourself:  While working at Ben & Jerry’s, I named our firstGlobal Flavor, Save our Swirled, supporting our campaign to drive awareness around global climate change, which culminated in a signed petition of 3.5M people submitted to the 2015 UN Climate Summit in Paris. I also starred in our Ben & Jerry’s Non-Dairy Ice Cream Commercial – what can I say, “It’s F’ing delicous.”

Undergraduate School and Degree: University of Michigan, Ross School of Business, BBA with a double minor in Women Studies and Environmental Studies (GO BLUE!)

Where was the last place you worked before enrolling in business school? Prior to business school, I spent six years working at Unilever. I started my career in the Unilever Future Leaders Program, a fantastic three-year leadership development program that exposed me to sales, category management, and brand management of global and local brands. After working on Ben and Jerry’s and Brooke Bond Family Tea from a new markets and global perspective, respectively, I spent nearly 3 years on the U.S. Dove body wash business.

Where did you intern during the summer of 2020? My primary internship was at Deloitte, Government & Public Sector in Washington D.C.

The additional time available due to COVID allowed me to also work as the following:

• Research Assistant for Dr. Ella Washington, building out our DEI course and other DEI research projects.
• Lead Consultant for Center for Financial Markets, delivering a white paper on ESG Reporting in the Food & Health Sector for Small and Medium Private Equity Firms.

Where will you be working after graduation? Deloitte, Government and Public Sector, Sr. Consultant in Rosslyn, VA.

Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School:

• Student Government Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
• Georgetown McDonough DEI Taskforce Committee
• Sports Club Vice President of Events
• Student Ambassador
• Georgetown Women in Business Member and Mentor for the winning team of our Inaugural Girls who Case Competition.
• Fellowships: Consortium for Graduate Study in Management Fellow
• Forte Fellow
• Leadership Fellow
• Graduate Teaching Assistant for Marketing Principles, Marketing Analytics and Customer Strategy, Firm Analysis and Strategy, Innovation through Inclusion

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? I am extremely proud to have co-created, alongside Dr. Ella Washington, an MBA management course around diversity, equity and inclusion called ‘Innovation through Inclusion.’  Over the course of a year, we developed course goals and content, built out class activities, and even wrote our own case. Last fall, the course was finally brought to life with an inaugural class of approximately 40 students. Through engaging class discussions and thoughtful papers, the students demonstrated their growing mastery of the subject. The class culminated with final presentations, during which each group pitched an innovative business solution for different and unique populations, effectively putting the course concepts into action. When course evaluations came back, I was proud to learn that students felt the course was genuinely valuable to their education and leadership development, and even suggested that the course should become a core class.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? For three consecutive years, I helped deliver double-digit growth on the half billion dollar Dove body wash business in a category that was growing at meager ~5-6%, while accelerating our #1 share position. By the end of my tenure, we were the #1 brand to drive incremental growth to retailers in all of CPG. This success did not come overnight. After 3 years in the leadership development program, where I rotated on different projects every 9 months to a year, I had built my breadth of knowledge but felt I was missing the depth that would help me drive long-term business growth. I eagerly delved into Dove. I spent countless meetings with my cross functional team and agency partners collaborating – and thousands of hours analyzing data, strategizing key messages, building and optimizing promotional plans, deciding on budget spend across media channels, forecasting volumes, and pitching innovations to customers. The results of those three years is a culmination of amazing teamwork, diligent data analysis, and the desire to constantly improve and learn.

Why did you choose this business school? When I say HOYA, you say… SAXA!!!! My classmates know that yelling this call and response is my preferred greeting. I love it because it is a representation of how we are all connected to each other and to an amazing community of students, faculty, staff, and alumni. When choosing a business school, I, of course, sought an institution where I would get a phenomenal education, but I also knew that choosing an MBA school was not just about the next two years, but also about the next ten and twenty years of my career.

Georgetown McDonough, through its Jesuit values, has built a culture of collaboration over competition, emphasizing the importance of paying it forward and always lending a hand. This was an ethos I identified with and then experienced first-hand. In my MBA search, I spoke with numerous students who were willing to go beyond the typical 20-30 minute chat and spent up to an hour listening patiently to help me figure out my career journey. When searching for an internship, I found that McDonough alumni were just as helpful, as they provided time, advice, and advocacy for me in the recruitment process. In the wake of COVID, students reached out to their networks to help their fellow Hoyas who lost their internships due to the pandemic. However, this spirit goes beyond the Georgetown community to the broader Washington, DC community, as students created opportunities to support local businesses and nonprofits through the Georgetown chapter of MBA Response.

Who was your favorite MBA professor? I would normally say it’s a three-way tie between Dr. Ella Washington, Dr. Vishal Agrawal, and Professor Evelyn Williams. However, since I’m only to choose one, I would say Professor Evelyn Williams. And it’s because I’m a sucker for a good ‘head fake’, where I go in thinking I’m going to learn one thing, but in a surprise twist ended up learning something else as well.

I’ve taken three of her classes: Coaching High Performing Teams, Leadership Communications, and Leadership Fellows Advanced Coaching. The courses revolved around simulations — where we engaged in different tasks in real time, essentially practicing the skills we were learning about, getting feedback, and then adjusting and adapting. You might be wondering, “Where is the head fake?” Well, in Coaching High Performing Teams, I expected to learn how to coach others in their leadership development. I did; but head fake, I also learned about my own leadership style and development gaps. In Leadership Comms, I expected to learn how to become a more effective public speaker. I did; but head fake, I also learned how to write better speeches and give feedback in a constructive way. Her classes are set up for you to be in a state of discovery, and I just love that!

What is the biggest myth about your school?

Myth: Experiential learning only happens through the classroom or the global business experience, and you only implement your learnings through summer internships or in your full-time job.

Reality: FALSE! Georgetown has so many opportunities to put classroom learning into practice while in school.

• Want to work at a Venture Capital Firm? Venture Fellows
• Want to work at a start-up? Insite Fellows
• Want to work for a small business? Board Fellows
• Want to work for a non-profit? Impact Fellows
• Want to work for social enterprise? Business for Impact Consultant

These are avenues for experiential learning that give students deep exposure to problems firms are facing and opportunities to use classroom learning to be a part of their solutions.

What is one thing you did during the application process that gave you an edge at the school you chose? I connected the dots of my career journey by answering these questions:

• Who am I and what am I passionate about? (What I bring to the table?)
• What do I want to do in the future? (The Post MBA goals)
• Why MBA? Why Georgetown? Why now? (How Georgetown will be instrumental in getting me to my goals?)

Creating a clear story with tangible examples demonstrates research, interest, curiosity, drive, and communication skills. Head fake, it also gives you a head start in building your network as you reach out to current students and alumni to learn about the program and in thinking about how to make the best use of your time in the MBA program to reach your goals.

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? Lianne Pinto (MBA FT 21). She’s definitely one to watch in the clean energy space! She is wicked brilliant and insatiably curious, viewing everything as a learning opportunity. She is also incredibly driven and fearless. No matter what she is faced with, she always takes it head on with a calm demeanor and looks to simplify any complexities. Whether it is as the VP of Careers or in the countless class projects we’ve worked on together, Lianne empowers and supports her classmates, making her someone everyone wants on their team!

How disruptive was it to shift to an online or hybrid environment after COVID hit? I’d be lying if I said that COVID and the shift to online wasn’t disruptive. However, through disruption comes opportunities.

• I connected with people at Zoom events whom I rarely saw in person, continuing to build out my network, while also deepening my relationship with a smaller group of people who are my quaranteam and now friends for life.
• I gained access to many more events and talks, getting to sit in on conversations with Madeleine Albright, Hillary Clinton, Bill Gates, and more.
• I found time to delve deeper into my coursework.
• Finally, I was able to try out different professional avenues I otherwise would never have thought to try. Over the summer, I was effectively able to take on 2 additional internships working with private equity firms and DEI research.

Who most influenced your decision to pursue business in college? I am constantly inspired by the amazing women in my life. In my decision to pursue my MBA, the many brilliant women at Unilever, specifically Sara Hansen, Tiffany Petrosino, Risa Gordon, Caitlin Souther Levine, Janelle Abadia, Lisha Perez, Emily Barfoot and Rachel Abrams to name a few, were instrumental. They were, and still are, role models of strong, analytical, empathetic, business leaders who combined strategic thinking with operational excellence! It was their diverse backgrounds and exposure to different industries and ways of working that made them stand out. One thing they all had in common was they all had their MBA. So naturally, I sought to follow in their footsteps.

What are the top two items on your professional bucket list?

1. Lead an organization or own my own business
2. Return to academia at some point to teach

What made Leena such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2021?

“From the first day I met Leena, she distinguished herself as a force. It is almost impossible not to be pulled into her orbit and influenced by her positive energy. Her rally cry of “You say Hoya, I say Saxa! Hoya! Saxa! Hoya! Saxa!” can be heard whenever she is in the building. But her real impact is not just her energy and enthusiasm, it is in her actions; Leena leads by example.

As with many MBA students, Leena is actively involved in student organizations and holds several leadership positions. She was chosen as a Student Ambassador for the Admissions Team, selected as a Leadership Fellow to coach first year MBA students in the Leadership Communications required course, and was an active Consortium for Graduate Study in Management Fellow. Her biggest impact, however, has been in increasing awareness and action around diversity, equity, and inclusion.

As the VP of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion for the Student Government Association, Leena is dedicated to supporting and amplifying the voices of underrepresented populations like students of color, persons with disabilities, international and LGBTQIA+ students. During her tenure in the position, she initiated and wrote comprehensive bi-weekly newsletters with educational resources, activities and calls to action. Leena expects the best from her classmates and the community and provides tangible suggestions for ways we can all do our part to embrace diversity, address inequities, and expect inclusion. And she does it with encouragement and grace, rather than guilt and judgment.

In recognition of her influence and commitment, Leena was asked to serve on the school-wide DE&I Task Force alongside faculty and senior leadership. As a member myself, I say with utmost confidence that Leena has been a very influential and respected member of the committee.

Leena’s leadership in enhancing awareness and inspiring action extended into the MBA curriculum. Working with Professor Ella Washington, Leena researched and co-developed an elective, “Innovation through Inclusion,” that was offered for the first time in spring 2021. The students’ final deliverables in the course have been especially informative and influential for the DEI Task Force.

Following graduation, Leena will join Deloitte as a Senior Consultant in their Government & Public Sector division.

While Leena’s energy is the first thing people may notice, it does not take long to recognize the many strengths she offers. Leena Jube inspires those around her to be their best, and I am honored that she will soon represent Georgetown McDonough as an alumna.”

Kerry J. Pace
Associate Dean of MBA Programs
Georgetown McDonough

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