Newsroom

Two years ago, Alto Okamura, MBA ’19, quit his job and moved halfway around the world to earn his MBA at the UCI Paul Merage School of Business. Looking to gain new leadership skills, he brought his wife and daughter along on the journey.

Now they’re all headed back to Tokyo, Japan. 

As a new brand marketing manager at Google, Okamura represents the Google brand and aims to strengthen Japan’s economy, society and global identity. “Japan is hosting the 2020 Olympics, so it’s a time when the country is really energized. It’s opening up internationally, so it’s a great opportunity for me to return to the country.”

“At Google, you need an entrepreneurial mindset. You are constantly required to bring value to your team, community and market,” he added. “That aligns with the environment at the Merage School. Every opportunity is in front of you. It's up to you to leverage it.”

Okamura joined one of the largest Japanese advertising companies upon graduation. 11 years later, Okamura needed a change. He decided to pursue an MBA abroad, planning to strengthen his marketing skills, develop a global mindset and gain a management level position on the business side of advertising. 

New Venture Management, a course taught by Edward Hughes, lecturer and CEO of Aculon, Inc, taught him how to identify new business opportunities, develop a sound operating model and understand venture capital financing. Okamura also gained the ability to assess risk and opportunity in a high-level, corporate strategy class taught by John Joseph, associate professor of strategy at the Merage School. 

Okamura believes that his experience at the Merage School was well worth a trip around the globe. “Merage’s slogan is Leadership for a Digitally Driven World, and that core idea speaks to the school’s value. The whole world is transforming into a digitally driven place, and Merage teaches its students how to lead in that atmosphere.”

“The Merage School has a great reputation, and it has an international status,” Okamura added. “A degree from Merage gives international students a competitive edge in today’s global economy.”