Here at Haas – Details, episodes & analysis

In this inspiring episode, Vance and Michele sit down with Ravi Malhotra, a second-year MBA student in the EW program at Haas and Corporate Controller at HeartBeam. From his humble beginnings in India to leading finance operations in Silicon Valley, Ravi shares his remarkable journey of grit, purpose, and continuous learning.

Ravi dives deep into what sparked his passion for accounting, why he pursued a Chartered Accountancy path before joining EY, and how his decision to prioritize family led him to make a courageous leap from Big Four to industry. Now at the helm of financial operations in a cutting-edge medical device company, he talks about leading through collaboration, building systems from scratch, and supporting FDA-cleared innovations that allow patients to take hospital-quality ECG readings from the comfort of home.

Beyond his day job, Ravi also shares what drove him to pursue an MBA at Haas, his approach to time management while balancing school, work, and family, and how he finds purpose in mentorship and helping others succeed. This episode is a masterclass in servant leadership, resilience, and lifelong learning.

On leaving the Big Four after 14 years

 That was another juncture when I thought about, you know, to leave or not leave because that's crucial to decide in terms of a career move. It was a hard decision for me as an individual, and I decided to move only for the good reason, for the sake of my family. I wanna see my kids grow in front of my eyes. Money will come by no matter what, but I think time was very precious to spend with family, give them the appropriate time.

On why he pursued an MBA

You know, I keep on doing the long-term goals in my career. In school, I had a goal to become a CA. I became a CA, and then the Big Four was the goal. Did that. Doing that same long-term goal strategy really helped in keeping me on my toes and grounded. And then I thought, okay, now I’m a corporate controller, what do I need to do next? I talked to my mentors, I did the research, and what I learned is that having an MBA will help. Definitely, you'll have an edge in terms of the other peers who have the skillset and sit at the table for the same position that you're trying to pursue.

On using the tools from Haas to lead and support others

Right now, I’m focusing on finance-driven classes and the core classes. Once that is done, I feel like I will have all the good tools. Now, it's upon me as a human being to make sure that I use those tools in my future journey, working towards my career goals. When does that career goal come by? That’s hard to predict, to be honest. What is in my control is to make sure that I do a good job in leading the people I'm leading and providing support to my teams so that they feel good about working with me as an individual and as a support system. That will be a big achievement if I keep on doing that. 

On staying motivated and pursuing your dreams

When you do see a dream and you have goals in life, nobody can stop you from achieving that. Only you can do that. And if you decide to support you, no matter what people can do around you, you'll get it. Yes, there'll be some hiccups, there'll be some problems, but if you don't give up, you'll get it. Just stay motivated and keep going. 

• Learn more about HeartBeam’s innovative ECG technology
• Explore Berkeley Haas Executive MBA Program
• Visit the EW MBA Student Resources Website (EW Wire)
• Check out CalCPA – California Society of CPAs

In this episode of Here@Haas, we sit down with the multi-talented and dynamic Paramee Intarachumnum—Executive MBA student, Vice President of Social for her cohort, and co-founder of Invex, an investment platform bridging high-quality tech deals with Asian investors. From launching a mentoring startup to building a chicken farm school for underprivileged youth in Thailand, Paramee shares her remarkable journey from advertising to innovation, from boardrooms to bars (yes, she owns four in Bangkok!).

We talk about her bold approach to leadership, her mission to democratize tech investment, and how she’s creating impact through collaboration, creativity, and going the extra mile. Whether you're curious about startups, social impact, or the vibrant energy of Southeast Asia's innovation scene—this episode is packed with inspiration.

*OneHaas Alumni Podcast is a production of Haas School of Business and is produced by University FM.*

On coming to the Bay Area

 I only considered the San Francisco Bay area because I want to be here as a person who is always passionate about tech. I know that tech will change the world, whether it's a software, a platform, or even deep technologies that a lot of scientists and a lot of entrepreneurs have been trying to build. I would love to be in a place where everything is happening. So yeah, that's why I decided to come to Haas. I think Haas has a really good track record of building entrepreneurs and scientists who build cool products.

On Doing Good With Real Intention

I would say, I think first, when you want to do things, I would suggest to have the really good intention in doing things. I mean, I was there with a really good energy. I was fired up. I was like, I'm going to do this. I'm going to change things. And they kind of bought it. So, I think people would love to help you if they see that you really want to make it happen. Collaboration is key. 

On Going the Extra Mile

One thing that I am really proud of in my life would be going the extra mile for everything I do. Because one, I would feel good about myself that I do my best in every opportunity that is handed to me and I will never regret. There's a lot of things that I failed, for example, the mentoring platform, but actually, I received some calls from users that they got a new investment. They got a new job. I'm proud of that, even though I failed. And then another good thing about going the extra mile: you might win. You will probably win. Because if people have a mindset of going the extra mile most of the time, going for the thing that you really want or really want to be, I think success would be higher, than people who are coming with just a typical mindset.

• Invex
• UC LAUNCH
• RISE
• Breakthrough Energy

Taking the time to come to Haas and do an MBA can be an incredible opportunity for exploration and introspection, especially for those of us that are interested in sustainability and social impact. But the task of figuring out what you want to do next and how you want to make an impact can feel daunting at times.

With that in mind, we’ll be delving into the question: “how might we chart our path and discover our purpose” in this episode.

We are first accompanied by Professor Robert Strand, also known as “Mr. Nordic.” He is the Executive Director of the Nordic Center and the Center for Responsible Business at Haas and tells us about his career history, what motivated the major pivots in his journey, and finding inspiration in the Nordic region.

We then hear from Jenelle Harris, a Haas alum from the class of 2017. Jenelle is a Consulting Manager at Bridgespan, where she leads engagements with social impact organizations, and she is also a career coach here at Berkeley Haas, where she works with mission-driven leaders. We talk with Jenelle about how we can find purpose and meaning in our career search. 

On work-life balance & boundaries (Jenelle)

51:56 - When I'm working with folks in the social sector, that's like one of the biggest things we're working through is, what does it look like to do this work and to do so in a way that is nourishing and doesn't leave us wiped out. And how do we both hold like the sacredness and importance of this big, important work we're doing and take care of herself and feel permission to do that too.

Some of the best advice Jenelle has received (Jenelle)

31:09 - Pay attention to those things that just continuously light you up and spark anger, because that's a clue as to where you are best positioned to be a service.

On always looking up to Berkeley (Robert)

09:32 - I can't tell you how grateful I am that I have this opportunity to be at the University of California, Berkeley. A place I've revered all my life, even as a little boy growing up in middle of nowhere in Wisconsin, I looked to the University of California, Berkeley, and it is just a beacon educational opportunity for all, for the many people. And I firmly believe that. And that's in the idea of, it's inequality of opportunity that at its core is really, you know, we can call that that's the American dream. And I think that the University of California, Berkeley is an American dream factory. 

Nordic vs. US ways of thinking about community (Robert)

24:37 - Here is where I fear that we in the United States of America have developed a “me, me, me” mindset. Hyper selfish, hyper-focused on myself. We need what I would call in a Nordic context which is still, you have individual responsibility. There is still an importance for me, but they've recognized that if they build systems for the we, each of us “me” will benefit.

• Robert Strand’s Faculty Profile
• Robert Strand on Coursera
• Robert Strand on Google Scholar
• Robert Strand on LinkedIn
• Robert Strand on Twitter
• Jenelle Harris on Linkedin
• Jenelle Harris’ Website

Once you have your MBS and certificate, how do you translate that knowledge into the working world and make some lasting change? Today we are joined by a couple of very special Haas MBA alumni that have developed their careers in sustainability with very different paths.

We will hear from Tracy Gray who is a Haas MBA alumni class of 2007. She is the Founder and Managing Partner at The 22 Fund, the Founder of non-profit We Are Enough focused on educating women on how to invest, and Lead Partner at Porfolia Green and Sustainability Fund. 

She tells us about her impressive career path that ranged from space engineer, band manager, mayoral advisor to finally entering the sustainability space, as well as her perspectives in the early stage impact investment.

We will also be joined by Evan Wiener. He is also a Haas MBA alumni class of 2014 and currently Head of Circular Economy at H&M with past experiences in Nike and Adidas. He tells us about his work in corporate sustainability.

Privileges and Environmental Intersectionality and Venture Capital (Tracy)

13:21 - Especially in venture and private equity and climate investment. Once again, like crypto, like everything, they are not thinking intersectional or holistically about, you know, women and people of color experience the worst of these impacts more than anyone in the world yet we're not given the capital to come up with a solution.

We know the solutions because we experience it. So we've got, you know, privileged white guys who are telling us, here's how you're going to fix your problem. And it's not the way it should work. 

Different types of jobs in corporate sustainability (Evan)

35:52 -  Thinking that you want to work in the world of corporate sustainability is still so, so broad, right? I mean, you could be a specialist in an analytics department, you could work in supply chain. You could be building products, working in innovation. You could be a materials expert.

Circular economy (Evan)

45:17 -  Sustainability is often I think most effective when you break down silos. When you connect dots between supply chain, logistics, product, innovation, marketing, and circular economy allows companies to break those silos down.

It also allows companies to break down silos outside of their four walls. To think about how to collaborate on things like material innovation on supply chain disruptions, new manufacturing technology. Things that previously had been considered competitive, circular economy is saying, hey, we all need to solve these problems.

• Tracy Gray on LinkedIn
• The 22 Fund
• We Are Enough
• Evan Wiener on LinkedIn

H@H: AtB Ep 3 – Co-Founder of Two Grahams Capital, LLC Graham Bode, current Haas student soon to graduate, chats with hosts Paulina Lee and Paul Bryzek. Graham shares his Haas story, an entrepreneurial journey including quitting his cushy corporate job to pursue his own ventures full time. He initially was very skeptical of the entire space, but quickly became immersed with blockchain technology and its market dynamics. Graham is an expert at detecting inefficiencies in markets and capitalizing on them through automated arbitrage. He breaks down his strategies for dealing with the high risk and volatility in the crypto market by adhering to frameworks and fundamentals.

On his journey and why apply to Haas

“I ended up applying to Haas. It was the only business school I applied to with the intent to really delve deep on the blockchain side. So, for the two years prior to. Ultimately coming to Haas, I had fallen really deep down to the blockchain rabbit hole..”

On losing passwords to your wallet

“This is one of the costs of a system like this, a decentralized system that has no intermediaries means that the participant has Not just the right to retrieve their assets and to transact without any intermediaries. There's also a responsibility that comes with that.”

On the educational opportunities through B@B

“What I've learned is not to second guess what the signals are that the market's giving you. And one of those examples is NFTs.”

In this episode, we talk to two faculty members who are driving the effort to integrate sustainability and social impact topics into the curriculum at Haas through both the core curriculum and electives.

Dave Rochlin, the Executive Director of the Innovation, Creativity, and Design Practice at Berkeley Haas joins us first. He teaches a new applied innovation elective called Designing Tech for Good, recently featured in Haas News.

He shares why he created this class, the role business leaders play in shaping public policy, and his ideas for the future of sustainability at Haas.

We then sit down with Panos Patatoukas to hear more about how fundamental MBA classes like finance and accounting can transform the mindset of future leaders. Panos is an Associate Professor at Haas.

Can accountants save the world? (Panos)

36:51 - ​If I can find ways to make it easier for great people to get finance and execute their vision, and come up with great technology, I think that will be a success for me, right? But it's going to be really, the question is how do we get these incredible people to innovate. And I think that's really the role of management.

Where do you see the US markets going in terms of disclosure? (Panos)

34:23 - I don't want to make predictions, but you know, the trend that I see is more convergence as opposed to divergence in the way we think, across the globe. And I think that's driven by investors. I think the investor base is globalized and investors demand I think more clarity in terms of the way companies are reporting their activities and in terms of the way they fund portfolios and to make decisions. 

What do you want students to take away from your course (Dave)

22:51 - How to be more creative around problem-solving. We do have some design thinking built into the course and some systems thinking. And so, suspending the idea that you can solve the problem right away and thinking much more creatively about possibilities is something that we definitely put into the course and make sure the projects consider.

• Dave Rochlin’s Faculty Profile 
• Dave Rochlin on LinkedIn
• Panos Patatoukas Faculty Profile
• Panos Patatoukas on LinkedIn
• Panos Patatoukas on Twitter

Haas has launched the Michaels Graduate Certificate in Sustainable Business to empower new leaders to create the economic and social transition to a climate-resilient, low-carbon, and equitable future.

The Michaels Certificate in Sustainable Business will equip aspiring leaders to evaluate operational and strategic decisions using a sustainability lens.

In this episode, we’ll hear from Kat Baird, the Associate Director of Sustainability at UC Berkeley Haas School of Business who will break down the Michaels Graduate Certificate in Sustainable Business for us. 

We get into why Haas decided to launch this certificate, what Michaels Certificate aims to achieve, and the basic requirements.

Then we move to focus on one of the eligible electives in the Michaels Certificate: Business, Labor, and Global Supply Chains, with Sanchita B. Saxena. She teaches that class and is the Executive Director at the Institute for South Asia Studies at UC Berkeley. 

Sanchita will tell us more about this elective, three top takeaways that she wants students to walk away with after taking it, her background in the garment industry and what parts of that she brings to her class, and the role of business schools in sustainability. 

Why start the Michaels Graduate Certificate in Sustainable Business?: Kat

[00:03:27] - We want to make sure that whatever we're doing, that every student who comes to Haas at minimum leaves with a basic understanding of how climate change, social and environmental sustainability, and environmental justice are a key part of being a business leader today. So that's why we're really working as broadly as we can to demonstrate and to integrate the fact that sustainability applies across all areas of business: Marketing, finance and investment, human resources, leadership. 

A glimpse into some of the curriculum: Kat

[00:17:09] - As an elective, you could take Corporate Sustainability: Measuring and Reporting so that in the future, you would know how to share this information with your company or with your board. And then to finish it, you can have a hands-on learning experience where you take Clean Tech to Market to really work with renewable energy startups and create industry partnerships in the startup and in the energy industry for you as you move forward in your career.

A bit on Sanchita's class Business, Labor, and Global Supply Chains: Sanchita

[00:33:26] - We look at examples of different initiatives, but we also look at the limitations and why they are not necessarily as effective as we would expect. And then we go into looking at other factors that may be important when analyzing labor abuses or trying to rectify labor abuses, that go beyond private sector monitoring, and we look at the role of technology. 

• Kat Baird on Linkedin
• Sanchita B. Saxena on Linkedin
• Sanchita B. Saxena’s Website

Welcome to Sustainability at Haas mini series, a podcast looking at how the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business is shaping the next generation of sustainable business leaders. In 5 episodes, we will share with you perspectives from the Dean, faculty, students, alumni, and staff about how UC Berkeley is developing sustainability in its core. 

For our first episode, we have two very special guests: Haas School of Business Dean, Ann Harrison and the Executive Director of Sustainability at Haas, Michele de Nevers.

In this conversation, we will be learning about Haas’ vision for leading the effort to reshape how business schools think and teach about sustainability, climate change, and the exciting courses and offerings at Berkeley Haas.

Dean Ann Harrison on the MBA students:

32:49 - One other thing I really love about our MBA students, and I should say our Berkeley Haas MBA students, is that they solve problems in real-time that are important for the world.

That's where our students get their energy. That's why we need them. We need their courage to engage in these kinds of transformational changes that will save our planet. And the answers aren't just going to come from the government, they're not going to come just from the amazing research of our faculty. We're all going to have to work together on this.

Sustainable values have been in business for centuries (Dean Harrison):

09:54 - If you look back 100, 150 years ago, in fact, business leaders were not following a shareholder maximization model. They were really following more a model of stakeholder capitalism. They contributed to their communities. They clearly saw beyond the bottom line. They understood that if you want to be successful over generations, then you need to think about the wellbeing of your community, your nation, your people, and your physical environment and natural capital. They thought about inclusion. 

Where is sustainability needed most? (Michele)

34:18 - When students say to me, I want to work on sustainability, what should I do? I say everything. We do need new startups in renewable energy. We do need impact investments. But perhaps more importantly, we need our students to lead a transformation in existing legacy companies like oil and gas companies or consumer product companies or banks, and the financial sector or steel, cement, et cetera.

There are so many opportunities for our students to make a difference, and there is a reason for optimism. And I think our students are among those reasons. 

• Dean Ann E. Harrison’s Faculty Profile at Haas School of Business
• Dean Ann E. Harrison on LinkedIn
• Michele de Nevers on LinkedIn
• Michele de Nevers on Twitter

H@H: AtB Ep 2 – Co-presidents of Blockchain @ Berkeley Darya Kaviani and Ratan Kaliani, some of the most connected blockchain students who can be found across campus, chat with hosts Paulina Lee and Paul Bryzek and share their extensive knowledge in the Blockchain space. Like a fire hose, these guests provide a fast stream of knowledge on tap! This episode is packed with blockchain fundamentals, evolution, startups, and how this innovative technology continues to define the rapidly changing web3 space.

When to and not to use blockchain?

• Do you want your system to be interoperable long term? Is decentralization a core component of your system? Do you want your data to be immutable?
• There isn’t a point in having a blockchain system without giving ownership to your community at some level.
• One of our former heads of consulting created this incredible flowchart and published it which essentially walks you through the process of narrowing it down to do I even need a database to if I should be using blockchain as that database.

On innovative startups that have come out of Blockchain Accelerator

“In all Accelerator companies of which there have been 85 total over the past three years since they started, I started back in January 2018, have raised over $420 million in follow on funding since joining the accelerator, the vast majority of the companies had raised no money before joining.” – Ratan Kaliani

On the educational opportunities through B@B

“We have an edX that has had over 200,000 students internationally, and we teach two classes here on. Our fundamentals course, as well as our developers’ course. And our objective with the education department is really to make blockchain technology as accessible to as many communities as possible around the world.” – Darya Kaviani

On Launching B@B Grants

“We just launched B@B Grants at blockchain.berkeley.edu/grants which we’re really excited about. We partnered with BitDAO, which is help funding the initiative. Our first wave is over $250k of dilutive and non-dilutive grants”. - Darya Kaviani

H@H: AtB Ep 1 - Professor Maura O'Neill chats with hosts Paulina Lee and Paul Bryzek to share her extensive expertise and knowledge in the Blockchain space, originating with her early work in mobile money payments as she served as Chief Innovation Officer under the Obama Administration. Listen as Professor O’Neill takes us on a journey through the web3 space, how geo-political events including the Russia-Ukraine escalation are impacting the future of blockchain.

Maura’s 3 Big Trends in Blockchain:

1. Supply Chain Transparency
2. Crypto: “Bitcoin is to crypto what the US dollar is to global financial markets.”
3. NFTs: “NFTs are the answer to the question, ‘how do we create new intellectual property protection schemes?’”

On why business school:

“You know what I'd encourage people, listeners, is I just knew in my gut, I didn't know why, but I knew that's where it should be. And I'd say it's the best decision I've ever made in my life.”

On being appointed by Obama as the first Chief Innovation Officer:

“The idea is the more stable and prosperous and fair and free, we can help other countries to be, and really build that capability, the less likely that we'll have failed states.”

On why the Fed is taking a strong look at Stablecoins:

“And I know we're having unprecedented inflation, but we're not having 10,000% inflation as they were in Venezuela, when their currency became completely worthless”