The Recent Graduate on the MBP Industrial Advisory Board

Masood Qader (MBP '16) talks about his consulting job and experience with Northwestern's Master of Biotechnology program.

The Industrial Advisory Board (IAB) for Northwestern University's Master of Biotechnology program (MBP) is made up of experienced innovators and leaders who represent a wide range of industries and roles. The IAB also reserves three seats for a recent graduate of the program, a practice MBP first implemented to get input from those with first-hand knowledge of the curriculum on how to continually evolve the program to best prepare graduates for early-career success.

Masood QaderMasood Qader (MBP '16) recently joined the IAB as its most recent alumni representative. Qader is a management consulting professional at ZS, a global sales and marketing consulting firm, where he specializes in market research and market strategy. In that role, he leads global teams in India and across multiple U.S.-based offices, coordinates concurrent projects and communicates recommendations to internal managers and client stakeholders.

Qader sat down to talk about his role at ZS, how the communications component of MBP prepared him for his current job, and what it means to him to be a part of the IAB.

How do you like to describe your responsibilities as a Strategy Insights & Planning Associate Consultant?

My roles vary from project to project with the marketing domain and that is what drew me to consulting in the first place. For example, some of the responsibilities I have for my current projects are to:

  • Oversee research design to test hypotheses using quantitative and qualitative approaches and synthesize insights.
  • Develop an initial project timeline and manage day-to-day interactions with the client to ensure we are delivering relevant insights in a timely manner.
  • Moderate interviews to develop insights about potential improvement in current standards of care and provider/patient support programs within oncology.
  • Partner with the internal stakeholder to ensure, as a firm, we are delivering meaningful work for our clients.

How do you approach leading globally diverse teams?

The key word is communication. Although we may be working in different time zones and parts of the world, we are working together toward a common objective. I set aside time at the beginning of a project to really understand my team members' motivations, working style, and goals for the project. I do try to accommodate whenever possible, and having more context about my team members enables my decisions to create a more positive experience for everyone.

What role do the communications skills you learned in MBP play in your day-to-day job?

My experience with the team exercises during my second year in MBP have proven critical in my success today. The intentional pairing of colleagues who work differently forced me to step outside my comfort zone and embrace that there is more than one way to come to a solution. I was able to take different “roles” on the project and it helped me realize that it is just as important to be a “team member” as it is to be a “team leader”.

Why do you think it's important for MBP to put an emphasis on communications and "soft skills"?

We are working in a more globally connected world, particularly in our chosen areas of interest. The more successful we are being able to communicate across broader audience types, the more successful we will be as individuals — both personally and professionally. As students of the MBP program, we have this plethora of technical language that we pick up almost as second nature, but the ability to “translate” this knowledge when speaking to different audiences is what sets us apart.

What are your professional aspirations?

I love working to enable new technologies to emerge, particularly within the oncology domain. This could include new therapies and new diagnostics. I am currently looking to develop my own expertise in evaluating these different technologies. Looking forward, I hope to be on a team that brings on treatment or technology that changes the oncology paradigm.

What was it about MBP that first appealed to you?

What caught my eye was the internship/co-op program. At the time, I really was torn between continuing in academia and going into the industry. The program allowed me to evaluate what type of work I would be doing in the industry, which subsequently gave me the information I needed to follow my current career path.

What were the most important lessons you learned during the time in the program?

  • Objectively identifying what your strengths and areas of improvement are can help you tailor your approach to learning
  • You don’t really know how to time manage until you are balancing a full research load, interviewing and looking for a job, and taking Professor Bill Miller’s class at the same time.
  • All long meetings should have food advertised.

What excites you about now being a member of the IAB?

I am excited to actively help institute change in the very program that helped mold me into the person I am today.

Why is it important for MBP to have a young alumni presence on the Board?

It allows for a student voice in the room. As alumni of the program, we can speak to the real trials and tribulations facing the students at the ground level. Additionally, we can provide a level of insight into the impact a change to the program may have on students

Is there anything else you'd like to add?

Being a part of MBP unlocks many different resources and career paths, so to the students in the program, use your time to truly explore how you want to make an impact on the world. Also, the two years pass in a blink of an eye, but some of the relationships forged will last a lifetime.

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