After completing his education in the UK, Azerbaijan native Ali Hajiyev worked at Boeing in Seattle, Washington for nearly nine years, supporting various aircraft programs and creating marketing materials. He later moved into a customer-facing role and traveled the world as a fleet-planning consultant. During this advising role, Ali recognized the need for further education and started searching for programs that had flexibility to match his work and family commitments.
Selecting MIT Sloan Executive Education
Ali surveyed multiple executive education programs, but once he discovered the Advanced Certificate for Executives in Management, Innovation, and Technology (ACE) at MIT, he said the decision was easy, “I believe this program is the one, regardless of what type of skill you want to develop. I had searched really aggressively for a lot of business schools that would work, but when you look at MIT’s curriculum you think that is it.”
"I believe this program is the one, regardless of what type of skill you want to develop"
After completing his ACE, Ali received an exciting job offer from Silk Way West Airlines, based in his home country, Azerbaijan. He leveraged his industry work experience and the practical knowledge that he gained at MIT Sloan to succeed in his new role.
Learning Innovation
“It wouldn’t do justice to the program to pick one specific course as my favorite,” Hajiyev says, “but the philosophy of mind and hand was prominent in every single class. Every single class had some sort of simulation, role play scenarios, or a game in order for you to learn by doing.” Ali recalls Tara Swart explaining that it’s easier to learn when multiple senses are involved. “You’re not going to forget it. You’ll take it with you.”
The courses that stood out to Ali the most were Negotiation for Executives, Communication and Persuasion in the Digital Age, Understanding and Solving Complex Business Problems, and Managing Technical Professionals and Organizations. He points out that a lot of these programs go hand-in-hand even though the topics are quite different.
Course Impact
“I heard people say that I changed as a person after completing my ACE,” Ali recalls. “I’m more observant, future-looking, and analytical now. It’s hard to pinpoint a class exactly, but when John Sterman teaches you how to solve complex business problems, you try to go back to that mindset when you encounter one.”
“In particular, I remember Jared Curhan’s Negotiation for Executives course was as much of a human element course as a quantitative course,” Hajiyev says. “It’s about preparation, research and analysis. That approach is what I hold on to now.”
Digital Transformation in a Post-Covid World
For the logistics industry, the pandemic became an opportunity to develop in the area of digital transformation. To keep up with competitors, Silk Way West Airlines is focusing on digitization and analytics. Through his ACE experience, Hajiyev felt comfortable shifting his focus in his role to support the company’s digital transformation.
Keeping in Touch
Primarily, Hajiyev uses LinkedIn to keep in touch with his fellow ACE participants that he met in various courses. “MIT Sloan Executive Education ACE makes it easy with the dedicated LinkedIn group for ACE holders,” he says.
What’s more, as an ACE holder, he now receives even more benefits as an MIT Sloan Affiliate Alumnus, such as discounts on additional Executive Education programs, an MIT Sloan e-mail-forwarding-for-life address, and access to the MIT Sloan Alumni Directory.
Learn more about MIT Sloan Executive Certificates and the ACE.