Opportunity for Portuguese Female Entrepreneurs with Babson College

Babson College Background

Babson College, located outside of Boston, Massachusetts, has been Ranked Number 1 in the US for its Entrepreneurship Undergraduate Business Program by both US News & World Report and Entrepreneurship Magazine/The Princeton Review.  Babson’s MBA Program has been Ranked Number 1 worldwide by US News & World Report.

​​Babson’s mission is to educate entrepreneurial leaders who create great economic and social value globally.

Program Description

International Consulting Program

Babson College’s International Consulting Program provides women-owned-businesses (WOBs) with an opportunity to get specific business challenges addressed by select teams of business students currently studying at the college. The WOB client companies have the benefit of action-oriented student teams focused on researching, evaluating, and analysing cited business issues. In addition, throughout the consulting project each team is coached and advised by an experienced Babson College faculty member.

Faculty

The lead faculty members for the Program are Professor Dwight Gertz and Adjunct Lecturer Kim Sawyer. Professor Gertz is a Senior Lecturer and Faculty Director of the Office of Experiential Learning at Babson College.  He teaches courses on business strategy, decision making, and management consulting.  Prior to joining Babson he was a partner at Bain & Company and then a member of the management team at three successful start-up businesses.  Professor Gertz earned his Bachelor’s degree at Yale University and an MBA at the Harvard Business School. Kim Sawyer is an Adjunct Lecturer at Babson College. Kim has spent spent more than 25 years as an entrepreneur, business leader and proponent for women in both the US and Portugal. In 2014, she found Connect to Success in Portugal and in 2017 she sold her company to PricewaterhouseCoopers. Professor Sawyer earned her Bachelor’s degree at Clark University and her JD at Boston University School of Law.

Program Summary

The Program begins with pre-departure sessions for the students focused on consulting methodology and intercultural competencies. Travel to the company site will take place January 13th-17^th, 2020 at which time students will develop the engagement contract and begin on-site primary research.  Project work will be completed late April to early May. The Project will end with a formal final presentation of the proposed solution to the client WOBs.

Who Can Apply?

The business must be at least 50% owned and led by a woman (or women) (a “WOB”). The primary contact for the WOB must be fluent in English.

Timeline

WOB’s Required Commitment

The client company is responsible for providing company specific materials as well as guidance in scope definition. They should act as a resource for the team in clarifying issues or facilitating intra-company matters. Client company representatives should treat the team as they would any other internal team working for them.

The following outlines the requirements and responsibilities of client companies participating in the International Consulting Experience Program:

• Provide Babson College with a project addressing a “real issue” the company faces that will also assist the students in achieving their academic objectives.
• Provide the student consulting team with support, counsel, information and data necessary for the successful completion of the project.
• Work closely with lead consultant to coordinate the duration of student team’s and faculty’s visit to the client site during the days of January 13^th through 17^th, insuring that the appropriate resources are available to the student team to begin their research during this visit.
• Availability to meet with student team and Program faculty at client site and at a mutually convenient location in Portugal on multiple days for multiple hours, January 13^th through the 17^.
• Identify a minimum of one individual to act as the client company representative for the duration of the project. The client company representative will (1) be the primary contact for the faculty and the student team, (2) provide any and all support necessary for the successful completion of the project, and (3) coordinate meetings and information gathering sessions for the student team with management and other key personnel of the client company, as appropriate. The amount of time this takes depends on the nature of the project. Past client companies have spent 1 – 5 hours per week with their student consultant team.
• Review, discuss and give feedback on the Engagement Contract and Project Timeline the student team develops. Provide final approval prior to team’s departure from client site.  All parties sign the final document, which is a contract that binds the students, the faculty and the client to an agreement regarding the work to be accomplished.
• Work with student team to schedule the final oral presentation, which will take place at the end of the semester. Attend final presentation virtually or in person if possible.
• NOTE: Babson recognizes the sensitivity of some or all of the client company’s information and therefore requires the faculty and each individual team member to sign a Confidentiality Agreement and Insider Trading Policy & Acknowledgement. The signed documents will be hand delivered by the student team to the client company representative.

Please contact Kim Sawyer (kimsawyer.us@gmail.com) for further information.