Microsoft VP encourages students to explore international, entrepreneurial careers
Kok Heng (Geoffrey) See, W '09, C'09
Issue date: 11/20/06 Section: News
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On 13 November 2006, Charles Stevens, former corporate vice president for Microsoft, shared with Wharton students the best places to start a career. He reflected on his international career, which included setting up Microsoft's operations in Japan and China, and gave advice to students on career options. He encouraged Wharton students to gain work experience in developed and developing countries, to take risks in choosing their first job, and to explore entrepreneurship within a large corporation.
Mr. Stevens met Steve Ballmer, current CEO of Microsoft, when he was studying at Harvard Business School, and joined Microsoft upon graduation. This was a risky move at that time, as everyone believed that profits were in hardware, and not software. Mr. Stevens' contrarian approach eventually paid off as the software industry took off. Stevens also enjoyed a close working relationship with Mr. Ballmer in business development, and credited this experience with training him to think like a CEO. Mr. Stevens believed that starting one's career in such a department is the best place for a fresh graduate, as it provides many opportunities to interact with senior management, and trains the graduate to think like a CEO, CFO or COO.
Mr. Stevens also joked about how he became responsible for developing Microsoft's operations in East Asia. He mentioned that Mr. Ballmer came into his office one day, and asked him to visit Japan, on what Mr. Stevens thought would be another normal business trip. He did not realize that he would end up staying in Japan for over three years, or that his next assignment was to tackle the enormous software industry challenges of China. Mr. Stevens never regretted taking on these international challenges, as the exposure to developed and developing market conditions outside of the United States was exciting, and contributed greatly to his personal development. Mr. Stevens advised Wharton students entering the financial industry to spend at most one or two years in New York before exploring overseas assignments.
When asked about what he enjoyed most in his career, Mr. Stevens focused on his entrepreneurship within Microsoft, where he set up the Unified Communications Group and the Enterprise Storage and Management Group. Mr. Stevens said that such entrepreneurship, often overlooked, provides advantages over creating a start-up. While the entrepreneurial excitement exists in both approaches, entrepreneurship within a large organization allows the entrepreneur to avoid the hassle of approaching venture capitalists for funding as long as they have the ear of senior management. Mr. Stevens encouraged Wharton graduates to consider such possibilities when charting their future.
Mr. Stevens met Steve Ballmer, current CEO of Microsoft, when he was studying at Harvard Business School, and joined Microsoft upon graduation. This was a risky move at that time, as everyone believed that profits were in hardware, and not software. Mr. Stevens' contrarian approach eventually paid off as the software industry took off. Stevens also enjoyed a close working relationship with Mr. Ballmer in business development, and credited this experience with training him to think like a CEO. Mr. Stevens believed that starting one's career in such a department is the best place for a fresh graduate, as it provides many opportunities to interact with senior management, and trains the graduate to think like a CEO, CFO or COO.
Mr. Stevens also joked about how he became responsible for developing Microsoft's operations in East Asia. He mentioned that Mr. Ballmer came into his office one day, and asked him to visit Japan, on what Mr. Stevens thought would be another normal business trip. He did not realize that he would end up staying in Japan for over three years, or that his next assignment was to tackle the enormous software industry challenges of China. Mr. Stevens never regretted taking on these international challenges, as the exposure to developed and developing market conditions outside of the United States was exciting, and contributed greatly to his personal development. Mr. Stevens advised Wharton students entering the financial industry to spend at most one or two years in New York before exploring overseas assignments.
When asked about what he enjoyed most in his career, Mr. Stevens focused on his entrepreneurship within Microsoft, where he set up the Unified Communications Group and the Enterprise Storage and Management Group. Mr. Stevens said that such entrepreneurship, often overlooked, provides advantages over creating a start-up. While the entrepreneurial excitement exists in both approaches, entrepreneurship within a large organization allows the entrepreneur to avoid the hassle of approaching venture capitalists for funding as long as they have the ear of senior management. Mr. Stevens encouraged Wharton graduates to consider such possibilities when charting their future.
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