Kenan Gebizlioglu

Vanderbilt University, Owen Graduate School of Management

“I certainly think I am smart and somewhat accomplished, but my dog could care less.”

Hometown: Flanders, NJ

Fun Fact About Yourself: I have never eaten peanut butter in my life – not even allergic!

Undergraduate School and Major: Rutgers University – Biomedical Engineer

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Senior Director, Client Development & Management, Business Talent Group

What has been your favorite part of Nashville so far? Why? Five Daughters Doughnuts. I promise I am warming up to country music, as well.

Aside from your classmates and location, what was the key part of Vanderbilt Owen’s MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? The Leadership Development Program (LDP) is rigorous and awesome. Meeting with an executive coach and getting to know yourself better from a personal and professional perspective is hugely rewarding.

What course, club or activity have you enjoyed the most so far at Vanderbilt Owen? Closing Bell! Our small Thursday social brings everyone together to end the week. Since we have a small class size, CB allows you to basically know everyone by name within a couple of weeks.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: Managing my team through the early months of the pandemic. The COVID experience has been nearly impossible to put into words, and March, April, and May of 2020 enunciated that fully. From March 11 on, we met every morning, broke the uncertainty into big bets and smaller tasks, and course-corrected throughout. It was hard, but my team remained positive, realistic, and motivated, and I could not have been prouder.

Describe your biggest accomplishment as an MBA student so far? Remaining present and focused through all the change. It’s necessary to move to different cities and do new things, but it is still hard and I think that often gets lost. The first few months of school throws a lot of content and opportunity at you, and you have to stay super focused on what’s important to you. I think I’ve done that pretty well.

Overall though, and I may be going off topic, I just love Owen. Coming to Vanderbilt was the best decision for me, and I count that as a great accomplishment, as well.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point and what do you hope to do after graduation? I loved my previous job as a front-line salesperson, but I knew I wanted to get closer to the analytics and decision-making. Getting my MBA will round out my skillset with a ton of analytical work, and I’d love to apply that to roles in consulting, strategy, or sales ops.

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into Vanderbilt Owen’s MBA program? Show the adcom that you can both talk and listen. Smaller classes allow for a lot of discussion, and if you can bring unique insight while hearing the perspective of others, you will fit in well at Owen.

DON’T MISS: MEET VANDERBILT OWEN’S MBA CLASS OF 2023