Robert Lucas ’23

As part of the advisory and asset management team at the World Bank Treasury, my work covers finance, economics, and international development. My entire career has been in the public sector, and my background is in public policy and politics. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, countries are increasingly demanding more accountability from their multilateral, global institutions. I knew a foundation in business would help me navigate this change. The EMBA program has already given me a broader understanding of the asset management industry and helped my team’s mission to improve public asset management worldwide.

So many courses at Yale SOM have been impactful. Managing Groups & Teams and Workforce covered the importance of job crafting and staff engagement. Investor laid a foundation for future finance courses, while Entrepreneurial Finance and Investing in Alternative Assets expanded my understanding of finance. Outside the classroom, Yale’s other resources are immense. During my first year, I was the first EMBA student named a fellow in the Kerry Initiative. I’ve also worked on an independent study examining asset management in federal campaigns, exploring potential reforms to improve investment disclosure. This year, I encouraged Yale to rethink its use of the Eli Whitney name and advocated for renaming Whitney Avenue, working with local media and New Haven leaders.

As a leader, I aspire to “strive toward excellence” and demonstrate “collective leadership”—the core principles, respectively, of my former bosses and World Bank treasurers, Arunma Oteh and Jingdong Hua. I’m inspired by achievements made through coalition building. Lasting change, whether in an industry or political cause, requires persistence in managing stakeholders, developing buy-in, and channeling cooperation into action. Yale SOM’s mission to educate leaders for both business and society has been the perfect framework.