Liat Sverdlov, EMTM’07

Aspiring to Impact… Preparing for Leadership

An Israeli native, Liat obtained a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and began her career at Kulicke & Soffa, a supplier of semiconductor assembly equipment. Her first position in the company was advanced software engineer; after enrolling in EMTM she was promoted to lead a global 14-person team of software engineers, technologists and contractors working to develop equipment and software for semiconductor manufacturing. Liat always knew she wanted to work in technology, but she aspired to a bigger role in a company where she could impact an entire business: That’s where EMTM came in. "I wanted to be more outfacing, working with people and looking at the bigger picture." After completing the program, Liat joined McKinsey & Company as an associate in the Business Technology Office. She now works with a variety of firms across industries such as healthcare and financial services to tackle specific strategic issues involving technology.

Why EMTM?

To grow her career, Liat knew she needed more business expertise, but since she was just starting out, she wanted to continue working fulltime and garnering her own day-to-day experience. She also knew that she didn't want to leave her interest in technology behind, so she set out to find a degree that would apply directly to her work. "EMTM was a perfect match. While on the job I interacted with engineers, at EMTM I knew I would be exposed to people with different backgrounds and the experiences they could bring to the table," she says. "In class you're not just looking at McDonalds and Home Depot. You look at companies and case studies that are relevant to your work. For example, I found the IT Strategy course extremely relevant to my current work."

Career Impact

While still at Kulicke & Soffa, Liat was surprised to find out how much there was to learn about her own industry through EMTM's technology electives. "At the time, I was working in the back end of the semiconductor industry and my Microelectronics class really exposed me to the front end. It was helpful to see with a broader perspective how the industry has evolved."

Liat found that her classes in leadership and organizational behavior have helped her manage her growing responsibilities at the firm. "I didn't realize how much I'd learned from EMTM until I began interacting with everybody on the team I was leading — immediately ideas from class came up that were extremely useful." Learning from her classmates how other companies approach self-assessment and giving employee feedback was also eye opening.

The program’s rigorous schedule and reliance on teamwork gave Liat the capability and confidence to handle large projects efficiently. “The way the program is structured forces you to work around the clock and learn how to solve problems quickly to get a fast resolution; for a consultant, these skills are important.”

In her current role, Liat relies on a host of skills and strategies to communicate with senior executives and analyze technology issues from a business standpoint. “My work now combines my passions for business and technology. I need to be able to think about issues globally so I am using finance, marketing, and organizational behavior skills all the time on many levels and in many different combinations. Without my EMTM degree I could not succeed in this position.”

March 2008

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