Ken Frederick

University of North Carolina, Kenan-Flagler Business School

“Driven, dedicated, diligent, intentional professional who distastes mediocrity, strives for excellence, valuing people and relationships.”

Age: 38

Hometown: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Fun fact about yourself: As a 6-year-old, my dream was to be a professional basketball, baseball, hockey and football player – in addition to a bus driver. My dream of becoming a bus driver came true! I “bus” my kids to school each morning.

Undergraduate School and Degree:

Geneva College, Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Concentration in Finance and Economics, and Bachelor of Science in Accounting

Certifications:

• Certified Public Accountant (CPA)
• Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA)
• Certified Fraud Examiners (CFE)
• Accredited in Business Valuation (ABV)
• Financial Modeling & Valuation Analyst (FMVA)

Where are you currently working?

Imagine Pharma, a biotech start-up in the diabetic and pre-diabetic space. We focus on delivering innovative and disruptive therapies, improving patient health.

I serve as the VP of finance and part of the strategic leadership team, advancing the transformative science and research being developed by our world-class scientists.

It is an exciting year. We are launching into FDA clinical trials with several of our programs across our pharmaceutical platforms: oral delivery, therapeutics and regenerative medicine. Additionally, we are going-to-market with our nutritional supplement business and expect to double the size of our Human Transplantation Islet Isolation service line.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? Embracing my entrepreneurial spirit – aka ambiguity and the unknown – to pursue my deep seeded passion in finance.

From a young age, I had an innate interest in business and finance. After competing in Future Business Leaders of America in high school and completing my undergraduate work in business, I was very fortunate to work for several well-respected and prestigious public accounting firms. The career experiences allowed me to develop a strong, technical skillset and command of accounting.

Several years ago, after a great run in the profession and some personal reflection, I intentionally stepped outside public accounting, and the security it provides in building a career, to pursue my passion for finance.

As I took this leap with my technical, detail-oriented background in-hand, I identified a need to elevate my finance expertise and understanding of the broader business disciplines (marketing, management, operations, etc.). Further, I saw the opportunity to enhance my capabilities in connecting these disciplines purposefully with strategy.

This drive to improve led me to UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School to obtain my MBA and accelerate my learning curve. This opened the door for me to join Imagine Pharma, contributing directly to an organization with a significant, worthwhile mission.

Why did you choose this school’s online MBA program? I specifically chose UNC Kenan-Flagler and the MBA@UNC program because of its long-standing commitment to online education in a close and personal environment. Further, there are few schools in the MBA space with as many years of commitment to online learning, and none that offer the same unique, small class sizes where the opportunity to actively and regularly engage in the learning process is fostered.

As a husband and father with young children, time is a constraint. I feared missing out on many of my family’s special moments – the irreplaceable kind. Although there are a number of great schools locally, I was concerned about the toll commuting and participating in an on-campus, traditional program would create.

The online environment allowed for me to be at the dinner table and participate in my kids’ bedtime, while being intellectually challenged on a schedule I could reasonably accommodate.

At UNC, you have the opportunity to participate beyond the online classroom and customize your MBA to your interests. I served on the Student Advisory Board and as a Student Ambassador for MBA@UNC. In addition, I had the option to select course work from across the online, full-time, executive MBA, Master of Accounting and international programs.

An attractive aspect is UNC Kenan-Flagler’s “Business for Life” mantra. As a part of the school’s commitment to lifelong learning, alumni are offered the opportunity to return to the classroom and further their business education at a reduced rate. I’ll be back!

What was your favorite part of being in an online MBA program? The exposure, discussion, and debate of complex, overlapping business issues that lack simple solutions.

I had the chance to study sustainability in Vancouver with the Sauder School of Business and consider infrastructure challenges and realities that exists in trying to optimally steward the environment. On this same trip, my classmates and I participated in a case study and debated how to strategically address product position and pricing implications of launching a new product into an established, mature market.

I discussed public policy with U.S. lawmakers and considered its implications to an international fast-food business offering its product at a competitive, low price across all 50 states, managing varying cost structures (due to the minimum wage, taxes or otherwise), while trying to remain profitable.

I was challenged on the scope and purpose of a corporation. Where does it begin? Where does it end? Is a conglomerate still a valid business strategy given the benefits of specialization and an investors ability to diversify?

I studied various forms of leadership and how well-known, historical figures leveraged their leadership style during a defining time in their lives, allowing me to self-reflect and refine my own approach to leadership.

I, along with my classmates, participated in multiple simulations and were the C-Suite decision-makers. We were required to make strategic choices related to markets, production, R&D, personnel and incentives. We had to critically analyze, evaluate and synthesize the qualitative and quantitative results of our decisions to improve in the subsequent rounds, competing with each other to take the top-prize and, more importantly, learn.

From a finance perspective, we considered the complexity of corporate financial strategy and its role creating value in the operations of a business. We discussed organizational design and the importance of properly aligning incentives.

I could go on. Simply put, the experience of an online MBA, particularly at UNC Kenan-Flagler, added depth and texture to my knowledge base that I leverage daily to contribute professionally and personally.

What was the most surprising thing about an online learning environment? It is efficient. It is effective. It works!

My classmates and professors, though on the other side of a camera, are committed to cultivating an environment of excellence and exchanging ideas. In many ways, given the rigor of the MBA@UNC program and its format, I got to know many of my classmates on a more personal level than I would have otherwise if I were on campus. I created relationships that will extend beyond our formal time in school.

How did your online experience compare with your in-the-classroom experience as an undergraduate student? Some time has passed since my undergraduate experience and technology has certainly evolved. That said, both were great experiences, each providing valuable learning opportunities.

The in-classroom experience created convenient opportunities for informal conversation and relationship building. The online experience offers similar opportunity – you just need to be more intentional about pursuing it.

The online environment was more efficient and allowed for greater freedom, flexibility, and opportunity to manage time constraints.

What is your best piece of advice to an applicant for thriving in an online MBA program? Be in the moment. Don’t miss the experience of the journey by over fixating on the destination or simply busyness. Easier said than done, of course. We each have different goals and expectations for pursuing MBAs while balancing professional and personal commitments, and frankly other recreational interests.

It is often these constraints that allow us to optimize life and our experiences. If you decide an MBA is the right move for you, dive in head-first, be in class when you are in class, be at work when you are at work, and (most importantly) be at home when you are home. The experience can transform you, in a very positive way, if you let it. There aren’t many investments better than an investment in yourself.

How has your online education helped you in your current job? The MBA@UNC program provided real-time opportunities to take knowledge I learned the night before and apply it the next day. It broadened my business acumen and enhanced my capabilities of bringing more robust, thoughtful solutions to solving complex problems.

We were in a contract renegotiation with a significant business partner. Our partner brought a proposal that on the surface appeared straightforward. Leveraging the learnings from my strategy and negotiation courses (strategy as opportunity, BATNA, MESOs, etc.), I had the tools to take a more critical view and provide a strategic point-of-view from the supplier’s perspective, identifying a question not explicitly being asked, although implied. As a result of this analysis, we crafted a response to address the question which effectively communicated our confidence and led to a better negotiated outcome.

In another example, utilizing the UNC Kenan-Flagler network, I recently reached out to a classmate about a business need, and they were quick to get me to the right person in their organization to address the need. I have a call with another classmate this week to see if there is opportunity to work together. There is power in shared experiences, and the resulting relationships.

Did you earn a promotion while in the program or immediately after graduation? Yes, I initially contracted with Imagine Pharma to actively drive and support its capital raise efforts. After a successful raise, I was asked to lead its finance function. I was delighted to accept the invitation.

Why did you pursue an online MBA program instead of a full-time residential program? I reached a stage in life where shutting off my income stream was not an option given my personal and professional commitments. I needed a solution to take my skillset to the next level while also getting the best out of the life stage I am in. The MBA@UNC program was the perfect fit.

Number of Hours Per Week Spent on an Online MBA: 12 to 18+ hours

What is your ultimate long-term professional goal? I entered business school with the ambitious goal of developing into a high-performing senior level finance executive who creates value through the application of sound strategic thinking and exceptional business acumen, creating a positive impact in the marketplace, our communities and society.

I am confident at the end of my MBA journey that I made significant strides towards accomplishing this feat. I have added to my strong technical background, a broad, more strategic, more comprehensive, understanding of business. I am actively leveraging my new skills in my role at Imagine Pharma as we strive to improve the lives of patients in a meaningful way. My MBA has already begun to open new doors. I look forward to applying my newly enhanced skillset in my current role and in the future opportunities it attracts.

U.S. Olympian, Wilma Rudolph, was quoted as saying, “The reward is not as great without the struggle”. Thank you, Kenan-Flagler and UNC, for the rigor and challenge. Earning my MBA has been a rewarding achievement.

Classmates, professors, faculty and staff, as we know, “IT TAKES ALL OF BUSINESS.” It was a great ride. Jim Rohn, business philosopher, is quoted as saying, “Don’t wish it were easier, wish you were better. Don’t wish for less problems, wish for more skills.” Thank you for the investment you made in me, helping me become better, equipped with more skills! Go Heels!

Amanda, kids, mom, dad, family, friends, mentors and sponsors, I couldn’t have done it without you! Thank you for your support. It takes a village. Please know you will be with me on stage at graduation!

I am truly grateful!

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