Brand Manager, Ericsson North America
As a young professional, Luis Ortiz found a way to further his company’s goals and initiatives while helping individuals in need. He developed a business initiative for Ericsson that not only met and surpassed company objectives but also helped a nonprofit organization. By looking beyond boundaries between for-profit and nonprofit organizations, Ortiz crafted a creative solution to help Ericsson increase its brand awareness while assisting the North Texas Food Bank. Ortiz links his ability to create innovative solutions to his time at the Jindal School learning about marketing and advertising. His course work challenged him to redefine traditional marketing ideas and pioneer a new generation of market strategy.
Why did you come to choose the UT Dallas MBA?
I attended UT Dallas for both my undergraduate degree in psychology and my MBA. In both instances, I wanted to study at UT Dallas because of the school’s sterling academic reputation, the diversity of its student body and the beautiful, modern facilities. UT Dallas is highly regarded in both the scientific and business communities, and there is simply no other university that offers such a fantastic value.
What is your favorite UT Dallas memory?
A memory that stands out is the trip abroad to Barcelona that I took with the full-time MBA class. We learned a lot and had so much fun. Some of my most valued friendships were forged during that trip and in the program.
What UT Dallas professor inspired you the most?
From the beginning of the MBA program, it quickly became very clear to me that my interests were in marketing…. It was not until I took advertising and brand management classes with Abhijit Biswas, clinical professor of marketing, that I really found the area of marketing that I am most passionate about. I think my passion can be accredited to Biswas’ own enthusiasm and interest in the subject. He truly made learning about branding and brand management fascinating. He is so eager to share his knowledge with his students that his enthusiasm rubs off on you, and his classes are fun and interesting.
What advice do you have for college students looking to succeed professionally?
I think there are three key things students should keep in mind as they enter the business world:
- Always deliver on what you promise. You want people to be able to count on you.
- Always go above and beyond to add value. Everyone gets busy at work, and it becomes very easy to simply complete tasks to get them off your ‘To Do’ list. But, it is important to always try to be thoughtful and deliver something to a project that adds value to your team beyond what was expected.
- I would say that people inside companies often get too caught up on getting credit for projects or outcomes. The only thing that type of attitude accomplishes is to make you look selfish. As long as you are thoughtful and do what you think is best for the company, the rest will take care of itself.
