True Blue: Mike Wade M.B.A.'03 on recruiting

I was a thirty-five-year-old established executive working for Wachovia when I started the Weekend Executive M.B.A. program at the Fuqua School of Business. At Wachovia, I was used to working in teams and leading teams that had a common perspective. At Duke, I quickly learned what it means to be "Team Fuqua" and how enriching it is when you have people from all walks of life come together to accomplish a common goal.

My first team consisted of a scientist, an engineer, and a sales executive, each with a distinct perspective that was so different from mine that I had to learn how to actively listen to them and figure out a way to incorporate our collective insights into our projects.

Those skills continue to serve me well in my current role co-leading the Securities Capital Markets Practice of Deloitte & Touche LLP. The foundation I received at Fuqua gives me confidence in the Fuqua graduates who are coming into the business world after me—and is why I actively recruit at Fuqua.

I’m on campus regularly—talking with students, hosting education sessions, meeting with professors and administrators, guest-lecturing in class, participating in the alumni council, and interviewing. I try to leverage those active listening skills I learned at Fuqua to determine whether our recruits are truly passionate about capital markets, New York, and a career as a consultant. We make every effort to find the right fit for each hire.

The talent at Fuqua is not a result of chance. I’ve gotten to know Dean Bill Boulding and his leadership team over the years and could not be more complimentary of the culture they have cultivated in both the faculty and the students. That’s why I’ll continue to come back to Duke to recruit.

Are you interested in recruiting at Duke for your company? Contact Angela Eberts, senior director of the Duke Futures program, at angela.eberts@duke.edu for more information on opportunities.