Alumni Spotlight: Pierce on International Business
Bonnie Pierce (Pardee ’94) landed her first job out of school working for Schooner Capital Corporation, a Boston-based emerging markets private equity firm whose founder happened to be a Boston University alumnus. Pierce, a double terrier with a BA in history (’92) and MA in international relations (’94), says her “understanding, gained from my courses, of the political, economic, and cultural forces at play was vital” in landing that first job.
Pierce has more than two decades of experience working in international business, but says she initially had her sights set on working for the United Nations or Department of State after graduation.
“Through a turn of events I entered international business and never looked back,” Pierce said. “Eventually, I added two MBAs to my CV from Columbia Business School with a concentration in Finance and London Business School with a concentration in Corporate Strategy.”
Pierce spent more than 22 years working in institutional asset management at Schooner, SSgA, Mercer, and New Century Advisors, all with a global footprint and perspective. In 2007, she also joined the international business department at the George Washington University School of Business where she teaches courses in Globalization, International Negotiations, Strategy, Finance and Public Policy.
Two years ago, Pierce stepped out of asset management to join ndp | analytics, an economic and communication boutique in Washington, DC that supports clients’ public policy issues through impactful quantitative analysis and effective communication. Pierce works for many of the same global clients, but just on the advocacy side of their businesses.
Pierce says her multidisciplinary Pardee School education remains integral to the work she does as Managing Director at ndp | analytics.
“Much of my work at ndp | analytics revolves around advocacy,” Pierce said. “My studies in Economics, Public Policy, Negotiations, and Mass Communications, even though from ages ago, have been useful in developing advocacy strategies for my clients.”
Specifically, Pierce says the process of writing and defending a Master’s thesis remains particularly relevant to multiple aspects of her current work at ndp | analytics.
“My Master’s thesis was on food aid policy. Writing it was good practice for the white papers ndp | analytics authors today. Defending it orally was even better practice,” Pierce said. “Whether it is testifying on Capitol Hill, sharing a panel with an opponent, or just communicating a client’s position over cocktails at a reception, it is vital to understand the facts, to appreciate differing perspectives, and to tell a story.”
Pierce said her advice to current Pardee School students who are contemplating what kind of career to pursue after graduation would be to learn as much about themselves as possible.
“Learn how to communicate effectively, network your tail off, challenge your assumptions, make a difference through all that you do, and never stop learning,” Pierce said. “If you don’t know exactly what you want to do it is okay, but that can’t be an excuse. Learn as much about your natural skills and abilities as possible and leverage those.”
If students are able to determine what they naturally excel at, Pierce says, the likelihood of succeeding professionally is significantly higher.
“If you can do something that comes naturally, then any energy you apply will make you incredible at it. I always tell my students that life is a highway, you need to get on it and then pay attention,” Pierce said. “Perhaps your initial plan is destination X, but you see a billboard for something that peaks your interest and you decide to take a different exit to go to destination M. You find that M is the perfect place, but you never would have found it if you didn’t start driving in the first place. If you don’t like driving, take an Uber, just get out there.”