TMMBA Class of 2011

Yasser Ibrahim
Senior Vice President of Artificial Intelligence, Computational Imaging and IoT Devices, Axon

It was during my TMMBA study that I was deeply inspired by the model of a leader that is simultaneously ethical and transformational without sacrificing business outcomes.

In what meaningful ways has the TMMBA program helped advance your career?

The TMMBA offered an intense cross-cutting view of the entire business landscape which challenged me to break free of my prior single-minded attachment to the technical content of my work. This augmented my capacity to comprehend and address broader organizational challenges at the intersection of People, Technology and Business.

The Dean of the Foster School, Frank Hodge, has centered our school purpose around our ability to “Better Humanity.” How has what you learned in the program helped you improve the human experience, big or small? 

I can’t agree more with Dean Hodge. It was during my TMMBA study that I was deeply inspired by the model of a leader that is simultaneously ethical and transformational without sacrificing business outcomes. This comes in very vividly, almost every day, for me as a leader in the area of Responsible Artificial Intelligence where I have deep conviction about the importance of assessing the societal impact as a pre-condition for deploying new technologies.

What is something you learned or experienced during the program that has really stayed with you and why?

The concept of Authentic Leadership which emphasizes the need for congruence between one’s values, feelings and communication style. This concept and associated body of literature helped me view my challenges/opportunities as a leader from the wider angle of Human development (for self and other). I framed the following quote from a paper I studied during my Leadership Development class: “You simply cannot be a world-class leader if you are first of all, not a world-class person, and you cannot be a world class person if you are not authentic.

Flashback: What was the hot NEW tech innovation when you were a student?

The first iPad and the rebirth of AI as household concept.

Flashback: What were the hot topics of conversation in class? Tell us how it shaped class discussions or how you view those discussions in retrospect. 

The 2007-2010 U.S. Financial Crisis. I still remember the rich discussions during and after class with the late Dr. Karma Hadjimichalakis about the tension between Compassionate Capitalism and international risk sharing induced by the financial globalization and Mortgage-Backed Assets.

For over 20 years, the Technology Management MBA at the UW Foster School of Business has fueled disruption, developing and producing talented innovators who have led the transformation of technology in Seattle and around the world. To celebrate this milestone, we caught up with alumni from across the decades to learn how the TMMBA Program experience and the Foster community has transformed their careers. Learn more about the Technology Management MBA at Foster.