The Fletcher School

Before Fletcher, Ian McGuinn worked for a financial technology company in San Francisco. He found that his clients understood the domestic market well, but they were often unfamiliar with critical international issues, such as hedging international strategies and exploring different countries for manufacturing facilities. “I realized there was a niche for understanding the global framework that I didn't see business schools addressing,” says McGuinn. “Fletcher fit in a unique way because of its melding of business and international affairs.”

McGuinn explains: “My classmates and professors have opened my mind to understand the world in a broader sense. I’m now able to track economic issues like money flows and goods and services, and I have a better understanding of the social and geopolitical issues that accompany them.”

This education led him to a unique internship with JLM, a boutique consulting company focused on the Chinese technology market: “The company was a start-up, and as an intern I did everything from writing research reports for clients to helping with sales.” He continued to work with them throughout his second year at Fletcher. During that time, JLM acquired a company in China which presented McGuinn with the opportunity to move to Shanghai for his first post-Fletcher job.