Birgit Girshick is the Corporate Executive Vice President, Discovery, Safety Assessment, Biologics Testing Solutions and Avian Vaccine Services for Charles River Laboratories, a premier non-clinical contract research organization (CRO), servicing the pharmaceutical, medical device, biotechnology, agricultural and chemical industries.
In this role, Birgit is responsible for leading various product and services divisions of Charles River, assuring continued growth and alignment of the portfolio with the needs of the research community. As such, she oversees more than 50 sites in the U.S., Canada, and Europe and roughly 10,000 employees. She is a member of the company’s Executive Committee.
In 2019, Birgit decided that she wanted to make an extra effort to grow herself as a leader and simultaneously help prepare her organization for the future. She began to explore advanced management programs, assembling a list of programs offered by top schools.
Choosing MIT for practical approaches and cutting-edge topics
“I ultimately settled on MIT Sloan's Advanced Management Program because of the hands-on approaches, the philosophy, and the focus on practicing what you learn,” says Birgit. “I know I learn better when I can practice, so this was important to me. I’m not a huge business case person—I rather talk about real-world problems.”
In reviewing the program’s topic areas, Birgit also looked forward to content on cutting-edge topics, many of which didn’t exist when she earned her MBA 20 years ago, like bitcoin and artificial intelligence.
“It was important to me that I wasn’t repeating business school again,” says Birgit. “I wanted to dive into those issues that keep leaders up at night. And I wanted to be able to bring real takeaways back to my company. Our management team has been in place for many years, which is great for many reasons, but it limits how much new insights we bring to our company on daily basis.”
Birgit was also attracted to the smaller cohort that differentiates MIT’s AMP and the opportunity to connect with people. (The 2019 cohort comprised 23 executives from 15 countries.)
Making the most of the AMP experience
Birgit’s expectations for the program were exceeded. “I walked into AMP saying, ‘I know leadership, finance, operations.’ But I walked out of just about every session saying ‘whoa, I haven’t thought about that.’ Most unexpected was that it was all so interesting. I was surprised by how much there was to learn in AMP.”
"It was important to me that I wasn’t repeating business school again. I wanted to dive into those issues that keep leaders up at night. And I wanted to be able to bring real takeaways back to my company."
Birgit took full advantage of the five weeks, and her colleagues respected her time away. Despite her proximity to the office (Charles River is located just a short drive from MIT), her CEO ensured that she wouldn’t work during the program. “He said, ‘focus, and we will support you.’ And I feel like the participants in AMP who benefitted most from the program were similarly supported by their companies and CEOs.”
After the program, Birgit immediately began to make practical changes at work. “I challenge my peers and team members differently now. I don’t make decisions for them anymore. I have more tools to suggest how they can think about their work differently and how we can challenge each other to solve problems and get to the answers.”
Another revelation for Birgit—when it comes to solving problems, there is a whole world out there from which to draw. “I don’t have to come up with every answer myself. Now I enlist schoolmates for answers and input—my cohort continues to be a wonderful resource, and we connect almost daily on What’sApp. I have also leaned on professors since the program. I’m better at getting inputs externally in general.”
The next session of AMP is quickly approaching (May 26-June 25, 2020). Applications are due April 10. If you think you could benefit from five weeks away from the office, learning among global peers, and a deep immersion in cutting-edge topics, we invite you to learn more about the Advanced Management Program.