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Rohit Dand (MBA ’08) was born and raised in Dallas, where he spent his high school years working for his family’s hotel and accounting businesses. After graduating from high school, Dand attended the University of Southern California, where he studied management information systems and finance. While at USC, he interned at various finance and real estate companies, subsequently spending two years consulting at Accenture.
With a diverse skill set acquired through his previous experiences, Dand says attending graduate school was the natural next step to advance his career. He chose SMU Cox for its prestigious program, prominent alumni, personable faculty and, most of all, central location.
Dand continues to work part time in his family’s business while pursuing a full-time MBA at Cox. For him, the opportunity to immediately implement classroom lessons is advantageous. He chose the full-time, two-year program because it allows him to fully immerse himself in the schoolwork and spend ample time with peers, who, he says, will likely be business partners in the future.
While many of the classes Dand has taken at Cox are similar to those he took as an undergrad, Dand says that the level of insight provided by Cox professors has surpassed his expectations. He also credits the program with giving students opportunities to interact with industry professionals and react to real-world situations.
Dand benefited greatly from Professor David Croson’s strategic management course. Applying the various methods learned from that class has helped him advance several departments within his family’s business, from quality scores to revenue management. For Dand, one of the most beneficial aspects to Cox is the school’s ability to tailor the format to student’s needs, which he has seen firsthand in many of his classes.
According to Dand, the hospitality industry is based on relationships and local networks. With this in mind, Dand chose Bank of Texas President, Tom Swiley, as his Associate Board executive mentor. For Dand, this choice was easy because his family has created a strong relationship with Bank of Texas. “The banking perspectives and career guidance Mr. Swiley has provided to me have been invaluable,” Dand commented.
For Dand, the Cox network has also proven to be extremely beneficial. The benefit is knowing that no mater where he does business, the Cox network is there.
“Before attending SMU, I tapped into the Cox network to meet with various alumni in Los Angeles,” he said. “Speaking to those individuals gave me a true understanding of the breadth of respect that SMU garners across the nation.”
Dand will graduate from SMU Cox in 2008 and currently is striving to master all aspects of the hotel business, and eventually expand his expertise to other brands such as Hilton and Marriot. While he stays busy balancing school and operating the Houston Holiday Inn Express, Dand also finds time to volunteer with the local Big Brothers/Big Sisters program and hopes that he can be an inspiration and mentor to many youth in the area.
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