Meet Derek Bridges

While many EMTM students are engineers and scientists from technology-driven companies who turn to the program to sharpen their business skills, Derek Bridges believes that "the bigger opportunity at EMTM is for businesspeople to understand the role technology plays in every business and industry. It's very valuable to be able to make decisions around how to capitalize on emerging technologies; and this is quickly becoming where the challenges of business are going to be in the future."

Why EMTM?

Bridges began EMTM in the fall of 2004, having selected the program because, he says, "I felt comfortable looking at decisions around marketing, finance and sales, but when it came to strategic decisions around the application of technology, I felt there was a gap in my own experience and knowledge. This was an area in my own professional development that I felt could be improved." At the time, Bridges was president and chief executive officer of Delta Dental of Kansas, which doubled its business under his leadership between 2001 and 2004 — moving from fourth to first in overall market share for the state.

Then, in February of 2005, Bridges was named president of WellPoint Dental, the dental insurance division of WellPoint Inc (NYSE-WLP), the nation's largest health benefits company. Transaction volume at WellPoint Dental, which serves 5 million individuals, drives the firm's need for technological sophistication. The firm receives 50,000 customer service calls a week and processes 10 million claims each year.

"Technology touches every aspect of our customer service, and that role is increasing all the time," says Bridges. "The decisions I make around the application of technology are as important as anything I do — which is contrary to what you'd think for an insurance company. We're not a technology company, but technology drives a lot of our underlying challenges in how to meet and exceed shareholder expectations."

Career Impact

Because Bridges already held an MBA, he was able to waive some core business courses and take more electives, including higher level Wharton courses, which he describes as "an unbelievable experience." Within EMTM's technology curriculum, he selected the telecommunications track, focusing on practical topics related to systems and networking that had direct application to his new position at WellPoint Dental. "Through EMTM coursework and projects, I rapidly learned new disciplines and approaches to problem solving," says Bridges. "The quality of the professors was unparalleled, and the caliber of students made a huge difference in the program. I benefited from being surrounded with highly technical people who look at problems differently than I do."

Now that he has completed EMTM, Bridges says, "I'm better able to communicate and lead the people with strong technical backgrounds who are quickly becoming a larger part of our workforce. I'm able to ask the types of questions necessary to make good decisions around the application of technology, which makes me a better leader. EMTM taught me how to use technology to decrease administrative costs, improve customer service, and differentiate my company from competitors."

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