HBR Grads in HR

Why Did We Ever Go Into HR?
By: Breitfelder, Matthew D., Dowling, Daisy Wademan,
Harvard Business Review,
Jul-Aug 2008, Vol. 86, Issue 7/8

A career in human resources isn't the typical destination of a Harvard MBA. We're supposed to be employed as strategy consultants or investment bankers or, in the true spirit of the degree, general managers.

Daisy - Interesting HR assignment

With a British colleague, I'm scouting potential action-learning projects for the top 100 vice presidents at Goldman Sachs. The projects involve groups of six to eight VPs who tackle current business challenges. The aim is to develop their ability to lead complicated initiatives across business and geographic lines and, at the same time, generate real (read: P&L) value for the firm.



Matthew D. Breitfelder (mbreitfelder@mba2002.hbs.edu) is the vice president for management and leadership development at MasterCard Worldwide. He is based in Purchase, New York.

Daisy Wademan Dowling (dwademan@mba2002.hbs.edu) is a vice president of human capital management strategy at Lehman Brothers, in New York City, and the author of Remember Who You Are: Life Stories That Inspire the Heart and Mind (Harvard Business School Press, 2004). The authors received their MBAs from Harvard Business School in 2002.