Graduate Studies Blog

NANYANG EXECUTIVE EMBA

DRIVING ENTREPRENEURIAL GROWTH WITH THE NANYANG EMBA

Fitness and tech might sound like an unlikeliest pairing for most people. But Walt Steven Young somehow makes the two work in tandem. In between his busy schedule, Walt takes his fitness goals very seriously. “I am a self-professed CrossFit enthusiast,” he says. However, beyond his passion for the fitness sport, he is also an enterprising pioneer in the Philippines’ tech industry.

Back in 2002, when digital technology was still in its infancy, he founded his first technology enterprise, a software consulting firm called Innerworks. More than a decade later, he founded Adobomall—the Philippines’ first-ever online shopping platform that leverages power branding and unique virtual shopping experience.

It was during the fund-raising for Adobomall that Walt realised the urgent need to pursue an EMBA to understand the complex financial models and term sheets. “We had engaged an external consultant to help with the valuation of the company. It was a costly endeavour. Our extreme reliance on external assistance was the catalyst that cemented my decision to apply for NTU’s Nanyang EMBA programme,” he explains.

“The chance to learn at three diverse campuses -– UC Berkeley, Wharton School and NTU Nanyang Business School at Nanyang Technological University – coupled with a new mindset has been a massive upgrade for me as an entrepreneur.”

Walt decided to enrol in the Nanyang EMBA by Nanyang Business School (NBS) at Nanyang Technological University (NTU, Singapore). , which The programme includes residential segments in University of California, Berkeley and Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, as its curriculum was designed to incorporate a global business outlook into relevant contexts in Asia. “I chose this programme to gain an edge on my entrepreneurial journey. In particular, I was keen to understand the intricacies of financial management and valuation,” he shares.

Developing Leadership and Growth Mindset

Walt believes that as an entrepreneur, he is very instinctive. However, a growth company needs a different mindset. He notes, “As an entrepreneur with an extensive background in tech, I often learnt about the business side of things on the fly. While this had moulded me as a person with grit and tenacity, relying on instincts alone, in the past, prevented me from being more deliberate in my decision-making process. I needed a strong core foundation to help me make more robust business decisions.”

He realised that as he wanted to scale up his digital companies to the next level, he also needed to upgrade his management skills. “In order to advance in management, one needs to understand all the aspects of leadership. In my experience, I found the Breakthrough Leadership module from my time in the programme to be the most useful for my entrepreneurial growth. Mindset is an abstract concept to define, yet it is easy to understand by way of case studies and best practices from across the world and Southeast Asia,” Walt says.

“I formulated and implemented immediate knowledge transformation plans for both of my companies based on the learnings from the Nanyang EMBA.”

The Nanyang EMBA’s curriculum had the correct balance of the relevant modules that he found useful. “The programme has given me a holistic view of the business aspects, in that it enabled me to experience a more structured approach to learning. The programme also gave me a chance to understand the intricacies while maintaining a general business outlook,” Walt asserts.

Greater than the Sum of Its Parts

“Oftentimes, little things add up to form a big picture. My EMBA experience was similar. The impact was greater than the sum of its parts!” says Walt. The benefits of the programme were manifolds and immediate to him and his company.

“This is an Asian Century; we need an Asian perspective. More than that, we need to understand leadership development in the Asian context,” he states.

Walt has been able to synergise various business toolkits he learnt at NTU to accelerate change in his evolving Software Consulting Firm and thriving Digital Commerce platform. “I formulated and implemented immediate knowledge transformation plans for both of my companies based on the learnings from the programme,” he shares.

“My NTU Nanyang EMBA experience was greater than the sum of all parts. The course helped me redefine the growth trajectory of my startup.”

Having become financially astute since he completed the programme, Walt now possesses comprehensive financial knowledge to understand the intricacies of valuation and financial modelling for growth and expansion projects.

The topic of valuation has become all the more pertinent for Walt in recent times. He discloses that Adobomall is currently in the process of expanding its market ecosystem to include key industries like air travel, utilities, and healthcare services. Such a success is attributable to the company’s strong year-to-year performances and dynamic ability to recognise growth areas more proactively.

The benefits of the programme for his managerial skills were also prompt and far-reaching. He reveals that the EMBA courses have empowered him to redefine Adobomall’s corporate structure as he was able to directly apply his knowledge to various business contexts to further optimise the processes in the company.

Walt encourages other senior executives and entrepreneurs to elevate their current business outlook through an EMBA programme. “My experience at NTU has been a great stepping stone for me as an entrepreneur—to grow myself and seek befitting solutions that set my entrepreneurial visions up on a path to success,” he concludes.

The Nanyang Executive MBA is a part-time 13-months programme that is designed for senior leaders aspiring to innovate and transform the way they lead. The programme aims to embrace the connection between business, technology, and innovation to deliver a relevant curriculum to business leaders to excel in global environments and adapt to each new wave of digital change.