Meet The Berkeley Haas MBA Class Of 2021

Caitrin Hall 

University of California Berkeley’s Haas School of Business

A curious adventurer stretching the logic of business beyond where it’s gotten us so far.

Hometown: San Anselmo, CA

Fun Fact About Yourself: I’ve bicycled across two continents. (Told you I’m an adventurer!)

Undergraduate School and Major: Vassar College, Cultural Anthropology

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Employer – Organicgirl, a premium organic food company based in Salinas, CA; Title – Brand & Innovation Manager.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: A month into my brand and innovation manager role at Organicgirl—with no prior experience—I began managing the company’s highest priority project: launching a new sub-category of organic, hand-harvested, triple-washed, butter lettuce salads that had the long-term potential to double our revenue. No other company had attempted such a product before. At first, we failed due to quality issues. By improving quality and deploying certain sales and marketing tactics, we won back the confidence of our customers and consumers and the product is now a star. It has exceeded original volume projections and revenue goals. And when 2018’s multiple romaine e. coli recalls threw the entire industry into a tailspin, we had an ideal substitute product.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? Enthusiastic! From the warmth of our first introductions to the passion with which they describe their interests and dreams, my Haas classmates are an enthusiastic group of people. Their energy inspires me to jump in and create things together.

Berkeley Haas is founded on four Defining Leadership Principles: Question the Status Quo, Confidence Without Attitude, Students Always, and Beyond Yourself. Which pillar resonates most with you and why? Beyond Yourself. I love channeling my optimism and energy to benefit others. This is what inspires me about the better-for-you food and food-tech spaces, and what has motivated me to start two women’s empowerment programs in the last few years. Bella, who was my first client in the Financial Empowerment program I started, progressed from being trafficked to getting promoted at Whole Foods and moving into her own apartment. She showed me what resilience looks like in face of adversity. In difficult moments I remember: if Bella could do all she did, so can I.

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? Haas has unparalleled programming in food innovation and innovation methodologies more broadly. By nature of its Bay Area location, Haas is at the cutting edge of innovative consumer brands and food-tech companies. Food is a meaningful vocation to me because of its positive impact on human vitality—both personal health and community togetherness. In my family, we say “food is love.” Creating healthy, delicious food is a way we express care for each other.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school?  Food@Haas

What was the most challenging question you were asked during the admissions process? 

“Tell me about a time you were part of a project, but didn’t like/didn’t agree with the outcome.”

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career?  I have a tremendous amount to learn. My passions for food and ideas have inspired my propensity for entrepreneurship and I knew a Haas MBA would strengthen these skills. I’ve learned a lot about conflict management and breaking into established markets, but I need to better understand corporate finance, corporate strategy, and data science to make wiser decisions. I also hope to learn by doing in Haas’ Lean LaunchPad course and Food Innovation Studio.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? Stanford GSB, Northwestern Kellogg, Yale SOM, Michigan Ross, Dartmouth Tuck

How did you determine your fit at various schools?  I determined my fit by talking to students, visiting each school, watching webinars, and reading school-published materials on their websites and during campus visits. The prior two were helpful in determining culture fit, and the latter helped me understand the degree to which each school could facilitate my career goals. For me, it ultimately came down to geography, culture, and the school’s innovation and entrepreneurship track record. While many schools have entrepreneurship programs, I started to ask where the innovators were really coming from. And in that regard, Haas is top-tier.

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? When I was little, my parents explained why my mother founded her minority-owned law firm: the glass ceiling. I wondered how the glass ceiling worked and felt an incipient sense of injustice that it held back the women around me. A desire to transform this inequity has inspired me to create innovative projects, women’s empowerment programs, intrapreneurial efforts, and breakthrough products throughout my life. For every dream I’d bring to my mom, she would say, “start now.”

Where do you see yourself in ten years? I’m passionate about food, ideas, and the potential for business to truly benefit people and the planet. I aspire to start a company that takes care of stakeholders through sustainable supply chains, positive workplace culture, and healthy products and services. I plan to start in food, then incorporate lifestyle and emotional well-being. I have specific ideas but also want to remain open to future market needs. The world needs new solutions that stretch the logic of business beyond where it’s gotten us so far. My bridge is the company I create.

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