The ExecMBA Podcast

In this special edition of the Darden Admissions podcast, we share a recent installment in our ongoing ‘Office Hours’ faculty spotlight series, a conversation with Professor Yiorgos Allayannis. Allayannis is member of the Finance faculty and an expert in corporate finance, risk management, financial institutions and international finance. His work has examined the impact of derivatives on risk and firm value, corporate governance and its influence in a firm's use of derivatives for hedging, as well as firms' financial and operational hedging strategies. Other work has examined volatility and its implications for firm value distinguishing between earnings and cash flow volatility. In this conversation, we talk with Allayannis about what led him to Darden, teaching Finance through the case method as well as his popular elective, Financial Institutions and Markets. We also discuss a number of the cases he has written across a wide range of topics, including crypto, decentralized finance, green bonds, fintech and more.

During this episode, we share an admissions update for applicants interested in joining our Executive MBA class enrolling this August. We talk with two members of our Executive MBA Admissions Committee, Katherine Alford and Ali Torres, about our Executive MBA application process, where things stand with our incoming Executive MBA class, tips for Executive MBA applicants, where to get started if you are looking to move quickly on an Executive MBA application and more.

In this special edition of the Darden Admissions podcasts, we catch up with Professor Raj Venkatesan. Raj is a member of the Darden Marketing faculty, and he is also a co-Academic Director for UVA’s MS in Business Analytics, a partner program between the Darden School of Business and the McIntire School of Commerce. In this wide-ranging conversation, we talk with Raj about his background, what he loves about the MSBA program, how the program’s curriculum keeps pace with technological advancement, what skills will define the analytics professional of the future and more.

In this episode of the podcast, we continue our ongoing spotlight on entrepreneurship at Darden with a conversation with Matthew Boyd, a recent graduate in our Executive MBA Class of 2023, and his wife Jon’ll Boyd. Matthew and Jon’ll discuss Boyd Cru Wines, their wine venture featuring wines that are locally grown with sustainable practices in Maryland, with a niche focus on creativity and blends. They reflect upon the inspiration for Boyd Cru Wines, how things are going so far, how Matthew’s time at Darden helped them refine their business plan, how things are going so far and more.

In this episode of the podcast, we continue our ongoing series on the learning experience at Darden with a conversation with six students in the Part-Time MBA Class of 2025 who comprise Learning Team 5 – Zoe Chan, Kory Kiesel, Hieu Le, Falin Patel, Katherine Lee and JP Pitarque. The team discusses how they work together, how the Learning Team has helped them manage their coursework, the surprisingly close bonds they’ve formed during the first year of the program and more. Did you know? All Darden students are assigned a 5-6 person Learning Team, and this team is an important academic resource, particularly during the core curriculum.

In this episode of the podcast, we continue our ongoing spotlight on the learning experience at the Darden School of Business with a conversation with three Darden faculty members – Robert Carraway, Lynn Isabella and Marc Lipson. We talk with Robert, Lynn and Marc about how they prepare for class, what it’s like to lead a case discussion, the developmental impact of Darden’s pedagogical approach, their advice for incoming students and more. This episode is essential listening.

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Omar Garriott, Executive Director for UVA Darden’s Batten Institute for Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Technology. We talk with Omar about his background in education-focused technology, what led him to Darden, his plans for the Batten Institute, what he’s looking forward to in the months ahead and more. He also discusses his book, Linked, a step-by-step guide to leveraging LinkedIn and building a career in a digital world.

During this episode, we continue our spotlight on learning through the case method with a conversation with three first year students in our Executive MBA Class of 2024 – Tessa Grubb, Eboni Brown and Salah Al-Chanati. In this conversation, Tessa, Eboni and Salah talk about their reasons for pursuing an MBA, their approach to time management, the role their respective Learning Teams has played in their Darden experience, their favorite case they’ve read thus far and more. This episode is essential listening.

During this episode, we continue our spotlight on learning through the case method with a conversation with three second year students in our Executive MBA Class of 2023 – Allan Barmak, Aly Searles and John Forbes. In this conversation, Allan, Aly and John reflect upon their MBA journeys, the impact of their Darden experience, what a weekend residency is really like, how their approach to case prep has evolved over their time in the program and more. This episode is essential listening

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Rachel Smolkin and Matthew Vann. Rachel and Matthew are second year students in UVA Darden’s Executive MBA Class of 2025, and they are both journalists. Rachel is Senior Vice President of Global News for CNN Digital and Matthew is a Senior Producer for ABC News. In this conversation, we talk with Rachel and Matthew about how they decided to pursue an MBA, the impact of their time at Darden, their favorite memory from the Executive MBA program, their advice for journalists considering an MBA and more.