MBA Partnerships have successfully supported CFDA Members through collaborative customized project based consultancies, and Summer Internships. This area of Professional Development was established in 2011 with NYU Stern’s School of Business and has since expanded to include Columbia, Harvard, UCLA Anderson, and Wharton MBA programs.

CFDA x NYU Stern

Established in 2011 in partnership with New York University’s Stern School of Business, the CFDA/ NYU Stern MBA Program provides opportunity for customized business solutions. The Spring 2015 CFDA/NYU Stern MBA Program connected top MBA teams with CFDA member companies for a three-month course for credit project opportunity.Ten  NYU Stern teams collaborated with CFDA Member organizations during the spring semester. Collaboratively, with the support of a CFDA-appointed professional mentor, each team will developed strategical retail, operational, development, and marketing recommendations.

Summer MBA Consultant Program

Have a specific challenge or project that requires specialized competencies? An MBA student can help research, develop, and propose recommendations and solutions within a particular area. An MBA can also help to identify new opportunities for growth, forecast service trends, create tactical marketing plans, and produce financial forecasts and operational strategies.

Established in 2013 with emphasis on customized project work, the CFDA facilitates MBA Intern candidate recruitment based on needs and target areas of focus partnering with Columbia, Harvard Business School, NYU Stern, UCLA Anderson, and Wharton. Successfully matched individuals are typically placed on a full time basis during the Summer months. Scope of work for these paid consultant opportunities can be structured as project-based consultancies or as valuable members contributing to a particular team or division within your company. Alice & Olivia, Carolina Herrera, David Yurman, Ippolita, Kate Spade New York, Public School, Men in Cities, and Cynthia Rowley are among CFDA Member brands that have participated in the past and benefited from MBA expertise within marketing, retail, merchandising, brand/digital strategy, planning and operations, finance and other customized areas.

Please direct all queries to Laura Toomey, Manager of Education + Professional Development | L.Toomey@CFDA.com.