Prathiba Shah, Stanford GSB’s MSx Class of 2020
Age: 37
Hometown: Chennai, India
Undergraduate Institution and Major: Madras University, Information Technology
Pre-MSx Work Experience (years, industry): 11 years in Cybersecurity across New York, London and San Francisco working for Dropbox, Morgan Stanley and EY.
Why business school? Why now?
I believe that leaders in my industry (Cybersecurity) are at the cusp of transforming from a pure technical role to a business-focused role, solving business problems. According to a NASDAQ article, $655 billion is expected to be spent on cybersecurity initiatives by 2020 across multiple industries. There is an urgent need for cybersecurity leaders who are also good business leaders to lead this market. I want to be a lead my industry into the future, enabling Silicon Valley technology companies to innovate, while protecting every-day humans.
Why Stanford MSx? What factors figured most prominently into your decision of where to attend?
When I attended the Stanford MSx tour when trying to make a decision on the school, one of the other ladies also attending the tour had a career organizing Olympic events and I thought to myself, “I never thought that a career path like Olympic events organizer existed!”
One of the key factors for me was the diversity of experiences in the class. My classmates include people who have negotiated the TPP, worked on Brexit, have been diplomats, ran for political office, CEOs of successful sustainable companies, Venture Capitalists, Doctors, Lawyers, Engineers, and so on, who bring such valuable perspectives to the classroom.
Some other factors include exposure to business leaders and the GSB alumni network. And, of course, the Stanford brand name is unparalleled.
What do you think is your most valuable or differentiating contribution to the Class of 2020?
I would like to believe that I bring unique perspectives during class as I am the only student who has done cybersecurity in Silicon Valley. Other than that, I am also very active in the outside classroom experience: I launched a Talk series called ‘MSx Talks’ along with a classmate to get students together to discuss perspectives on interesting topics, such as ‘Tech-enabled surveillance – how much is too much?’ and ‘Political correctness – a force for good?’ We also bring in industry thought leaders on occasion to discuss a specific topic. I also organized our Halloween party with a couple of friends, and the feedback was that it was one of the most rocking parties that the MSx cohort has had. 🙂
Fun fact that didn’t get included on your application?
Before joining Stanford, I went to Machu Pichu on a 4-day grueling hike up the mountains on the Inca trail. While surrounded by mountains and rivers with no modern life comforts around, I felt very content that I considered giving everything up and living a simple life in the mountains. 🙂
Post-MSx career interests?
I would like to join the Venture capital industry with a focus on cybersecurity and emerging technology space. Another option would be to join an early stage start-up in an executive role.
Advice to current prospective applicants:
–One thing you would absolutely do again as part of your application process?
Look inward and think deeply about what drives me, makes me happy, and what I would like to do 5-10 years from now.
–One thing you would change or do differently?
Before starting, I would prioritize what I want to focus on at Stanford: academic learning, external networking, getting to know your MSx cohort (~85) or getting to know the MBAs (~400). You need to do all of the above at some level, but you need to be able to understand how to prioritize. This informs how you would allocate your short time here.
–Part you would have skipped if you could—and what helped you get through it?
I am not sure I could have skipped this, but delving back into academics (the readings, the rigor required, the exams) after many years in the working world was a tough transition. What helped immensely was sharing the sense of anxiety with the cohort and understanding that everyone is also facing the same challenge and that I was not alone.
What is your initial impression of Stanford’s students/culture/community?
I am blown away every day by the caliber of students I meet and get to work with. There may be some students who are not great at Accounting but are stellar at Strategy. Everyone comes with their own set of strengths and is here for a reason.
Stanford has a very unique student culture. It is not just about growing, but growing together. There is a lot of emphasis on self-awareness and personal growth, but also on helping each other succeed. The quote ‘If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself’ describes the culture that Stanford GSB encourages.
One thing you have learned about Stanford that has surprised you?
I always knew that Stanford has great access to some of the world’s greatest leaders, but I was surprised by the degree of access. We had the CEO of Blackstone, the Chairman of the New York Times, the CEO of JP Morgan, and General H.R. McMaster, among others, talk to our class. There are influential people who pass by me and walk around campus every day. I also was surprised by the power of the stanford.edu email address and how responsive people are.
Thing you are most anxious about this year?
I am most anxious about not being able to accommodate everything that I want to do at Stanford, like attend educational events, get to know my classmates more, make industry connections, academic progress. FOMO is a very real thing here at the GSB.
Thing you are most excited about this year?
I am excited about a couple of really interesting courses that I have taken next quarter (nerd!), but also about an upcoming trip with my classmates to Japan. I am excited about all the learning and memories that I will be creating during this very special year of my life.
