The Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business has become the newest partner of The Lisbon MBA Católica|Nova for the International Consulting Lab, an initiative created in 2011 that includes partnerships with MBA programs in Brazil, China, and Mexico. The International Consulting Lab brings together students in the Scheller MBA program and The Lisbon MBA International program to carry out a consultancy project for a company with a global presence. This year, the project sponsor is Sumol+Compal, a Portuguese food and beverages company specializing in soft drink production and bottling that aims to develop a commercial and marketing strategy for expanding its brand in the U.S. market.
James Hoadley, associate director of the Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER), acted as the primary facilitator for the program's curricular and experiential activities over the past several months. Since May, Scheller MBA students Cristina Dow, Katie Key, and Mishil Patel and three The Lisbon MBA students have been collaborating on a Sumol+Compal consultancy project. At the end of June, The Lisbon MBA students traveled to Atlanta and spent three days at Scheller before the entire group traveled to the Providence/Boston area, where Sumol+Compal has established a market entry to the U.S. Earlier this month, Scheller MBA students spent five days in Portugal to finalize and present their strategic recommendations to Sumol+Compal in Lisbon.
"We are excited to witness the launch of our partnership,” said Peter Severa, assistant dean of MBA Programs at Scheller. “This initiative adds a unique offering to the Scheller MBA portfolio of experiential and global learning courses, providing a practical and 'hands-on' experience in an international context that perfectly aligns with the core learning objectives of our program.”