EMBA Impact

Ije Akunyili, WG’20 & Aristide Achy Brou, WG’20

Wharton Campus: Philadelphia

See how Ije’s and Aris’s careers changed with executive MBAs from Wharton.

Dr. Ije Akunyili, WG’20

Previously

Chair of Emergency Medicine and Medical Director of Emergency Services at Waterbury Hospital

Currently

Regional Medical Director at TeamHealth

Based In

Greenwich, CT

Prior Education

— University of Pennsylvania, BA in Literature
— Harvard Kennedy School, Master’s in Public Administration
— University of Maryland School of Medicine, M.D.
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Aristide Achy Brou, WG’20

Previously

U.S. Army Special Forces, Company Commander

Currently

Quantitative Trader, Energy Trading at bp

Based In

Greenwich, CT

Prior Education

— Ecole Nationale Superieure de l’Aeronautique et Espace, BS in Electrical Engineering
— MIT, MS in Operations Research
— The Johns Hopkins University, PhD in Applied Statistics
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Before Wharton

When Ije applied to Wharton’s EMBA program, she was Chair of Emergency Medicine and Medical Director of Emergency Services at a hospital in Connecticut. She wanted an MBA to gain more analytical and finance skills, as well as challenge herself in a rigorous intellectual environment.

Her husband, Aristide — Aris for short — also wanted an MBA. He had been working in the technical areas of finance, such as commodity derivatives trading teams, but wanted to broaden his understanding of the operational management aspect of businesses.

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The couple has two teenaged children, and decided it would be better to go back to school together and graduate in two years, rather than one of them going first and the other going two years later.

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At Wharton 

Diversity of Professional Backgrounds

Ije had some reservations about coming into the program as a doctor because she assumed the other students would have a finance or consulting background. “But that couldn’t be further from the truth. There were several other physicians in the program, and we created a buddy network.”

Learn More About Diversity at Wharton

International Learning

Ije and Aris took a Global Modular Course in Argentina, and Aris took another in Ethiopia, where he explored agribusiness in East Africa.

Discover More about Global Learning Opportunities
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Career Impact During the Program

Both Ije and Aris advanced their careers before even graduating the program. Aris transitioned to a job at a major trading firm to use artificial intelligence for energy trading, and joined the board of directors of Dekel Agri-Vision Plc, a tropical agro-industrial company. During her time at Wharton, Ije was promoted to regional medical director of more than 10 hospitals on the East Coast.

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After Wharton

Following graduation, Aris transitioned into a role at bp as a quantitative trader. Ije continued to practice emergency medicine on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic, in addition to her leadership role. Looking back on her experience, she said, “Wharton showed me what it takes to be a good leader during crises.”

Read About the Career ROI of a Wharton EMBA
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EMBA Impact Stories

Read more stories from alumni and learn about the impact an executive MBA from Wharton can have on your career.

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