In business, being early for work, appointments, and deadlines is a good thing. For Snehal Doshi, a 2019 Scheller College of Business Executive MBA graduate, being early on the morning of September 11, 2001, saved his life.
“I went to pharmacy school in New York,” Doshi said. “I would commute from New Jersey to New York for pharmacy school every day and would take the subway. On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, I was actually running early because I had taken a different subway line. I was two subway stops away from the World Trade Center when the towers came down. Had I taken my regular E- train from Manhattan, I probably would not be living today.”
The events of Sept. 11th profoundly impacted Doshi, altering the course of his life. He joined the military on Oct. 1st of that year and served 11 years in the Army. He held a variety of ranks and jobs including military police, combat pharmacy, and ultimately hospital commander of a three-unit combat support hospital.
After re-entering the civilian world when his military stint ended, Doshi became President of PBM Operations for Safeway/Albertsons in 2013, where he integrated and led all managed care teams during the Safeway/Albertsons merger with oversight of 1800 pharmacy locations.
Doshi relocated to Atlanta when Wellstar Health System recruited him as their System Vice President of Pharmacy to integrate and standardize all pharmacy operations during a merger of 11 hospitals, as well as launching a retail pharmacy network for Georgia’s largest health system. As his corporate responsibilities grew, Doshi recognized he needed to also expand his business skills and acumen with an MBA.
“As my company continued to grow and expand, I was hitting a bit of a ceiling without a business degree. I knew an MBA could help me finetune the skills I had, while expanding my business knowledge. As I became more involved in mergers and acquisitions, I knew I needed to effectively move large teams towards a common goal, as well as anticipate what the markets were going to bring. Work/life experience and coaching can only get you so far. Although I have a doctorate in pharmacy, an advanced business degree was definitely needed,” said Doshi.
During his tenure with Fortune 500 companies, Doshi had always heard about Georgia Tech and knew its well-respected name in the marketplace. Georgia Tech’s brand recognition, as well as personal recommendations from his superiors at Wellstar Health System, led him to apply to the Georgia Tech Executive MBA program.
“Our chief strategy officer and our chief executive officer recommended I go to Georgia Tech and after researching my MBA options, I realized the weekend Executive MBA program was a great fit for me,” Doshi said. “The Friday evening and Saturday classes allowed me to earn my MBA while I was still working, the 17-month length of the program made sense, and the career experience of my EMBA classmates as well as the learning opportunities for students in the program were second to none. I felt it was the best match.”
Doshi was correct – it was the best match. As he progressed through the program, he was able to apply the newfound skills that he acquired in the EMBA program to the current merger his company was going through at the time. “While I was going through the program, we went through a merger, so I was able to leverage in real-time my education and practical application of that,” Doshi said. “I know the organizational forecasting skills I learned in my EMBA classes were critical. Having a more strategic thought process when I am developing business plans that are going to affect a large organization is probably one of the most beneficial skills I got out of my MBA studies.”
Doshi believes the Georgia Tech Scheller Executive MBA sets students up for success. “My advice is to choose the Georgia Tech Executive MBA because you want to learn from a great program with a great reputation, be open to learning from your peers, make new friends, expand your professional network, and have a fantastic international experience.”
Learn more about the Scheller College of Business Executive MBA Program