A Catalyst for Knowledge and Discovery

UCLA Anderson’s Morrison Center for Marketing and Data Analytics promotes the development and application of knowledge to relevant, practical issues in marketing and data analytics. The center recently convened the first meeting of its recently expanded advisory board.

Andres Terech is faculty director of the Morrison Center

When Andres Terech (Ph.D. ’04), adjunct professor of marketing, assumed the leadership of the Morrison Center as its faculty director, one of his top priorities was increasing the size of the center’s advisory board. It has since grown the number of board members to nine, tripling its size. The new board includes a broad demographic of leaders and executives with expertise and responsibilities in marketing and data analytics across leading international and domestic companies. As Terech notes, “We want the center to grow in its impact. Having a strong advisory board will help us expand our reach and will help guide our decisions going forward.”

Professor Terech and two members of the Morrison Center’s board — Katya Andresen, chief digital and analytics officer at the Cigna Group, and Catherine Bension (B.A. ’73, ’75), chief executive officer of SelectResources International — discussed some of their goals for the center.

Katya Andresen (left) and Catherine Bension (right) serve on the Morrison Center’s advisory board

What is the role of the Morrison Center’s advisory board?

Andres Terech: The Morrison Center’s mission is to be a catalyst for knowledge and discovery in marketing and analytics. A big role for us is to help academics in their research but also to understand and connect with industry — to understand what the relevant business issues and problems worthy of academic research are and how to complement our students’ MBA training by discussing current and relevant topics. The board is an institution that advises the center and provides guidance as to the activities we should be pursuing.

Our board members are all prominent leaders in their respective fields, and they help us connect with relevant executives when we need keynote speakers for a panel. They also connect faculty members with leading companies to conduct research on current challenges or run experiments with them to test hypotheses and uncover new insights.

By having board members who are well-connected across industries, we hope the relationships will indirectly influence companies to consider Anderson students for internships and full-time positions. Some of the board members are also interested in mentoring our students.

What types of people were you looking for when putting together the board?

AT: There were a few elements we considered when we were recruiting for the board.

First, we looked at people who had an existing connection to UCLA Anderson or UCLA.

Second, because the center is looking to expand our purview more broadly into data analytics, in other business areas beyond marketing analytics alone, we looked for leaders who have extensive expertise in data analytics. As an example, we’re partnering with Anderson’s Master of Science in Business Analytics program on many different activities, and we want to support its students’ broader data analytics needs. If you look at who we’ve recruited, they really are people who run the analytics departments at their companies and are helping their companies make data-driven decisions.

Another priority for us was finding board members from relevant, significant, well-regarded companies because one of the roles of the board is to expand our network. We wanted members from companies that were attractive to students. We also looked at the possibility of expanding our reach geographically, because we have alumni in different regions, including Asia. So, one of our board members is from TikTok.

What are the benefits for the board members?

AT:  Board members gain significant value from being part of this initiative. One major benefit is the opportunity to connect and collaborate with other outstanding executives, not only during meetings but also through ongoing interactions. This fosters a valuable network and strengthens their professional relationships, enhancing their experience and growth.

Why did you decide to join the advisory board of the Morrison Center?

Katya Andresen: After participating in a Morrison Center-sponsored AI panel last year, I was thoroughly impressed with the faculty, the students and, above all, the mission of applying analytics-informed marketing and engagement to important problems. I joined the board because I wanted to be even more involved in the areas of study that the center promotes.

Catherine Bension: Part of my decision was personal. Not only am I a UCLA Anderson alumna, but I also have my B.A. in German from UCLA. After receiving my MBA, I stayed very tethered to the school and was active on what was then the Board of Visitors. As time went on, my career and family responsibilities made it difficult for me to commit my time. In 2017 I started to interact with the school again. I had the privilege of coaching a team of students who were competing in the first-ever Business Ethics Competition. It was eye-opening. I also met frequently with second-year, full-time students to provide career advice and counseling. The result of reconnecting with my alma mater was an invitation from Professor Randy Bucklin to join the Morrison Center’s board. The opportunities to contribute are much greater today than they were at the outset.

How do you see the Morrison Center bridging the worlds of academia and the private sector?

KA: I work in health care, and it’s critical that we pair advancements in predicting health outcomes with innovation in influencing healthy behaviors. I can’t think of a more important context for getting the right message to the right person at the right time. This is the kind of challenge at the heart of the Morrison Center’s charter, and why it is close to my own heart. Data-informed marketing provides a powerful way to advance better health and vitality in more personalized and equitable ways.

CB: I am a career marketer. While at SRI, I have worked with 65 of the 200 largest marketers as they look for partners to elevate their businesses and brands to a new level of marketplace success. This requires being a “student of the business.” I liked the fact that the Morrison Center at its core connects data analytics with marketing. Many of the board members are experts in data analytics. I am an expert in company/marketer needs. My goal is to help bring a perspective not from academia but one that represents actual practitioners who will benefit from the science and learnings that come from our school. I would love for Anderson to have an elevated reputation not only as one of the best graduate schools of management but one renowned for cutting-edge science and applications of technology and data that fuel marketing best practices today.

What are your goals for the board and the center?

KA: I look forward to working with other board members to promote the advancement of marketing and data analytics at a pivotal point in technology and society. We’ve never had access to more data or seen faster strides in analytics, thanks to deep learning and generative AI, or faced more thorny questions of bias, privacy and ethics. I’m eager to work with some great minds on how we thoughtfully capitalize on all these opportunities and manage through these challenges for the greater good.

CB: It’s important that we bring together thought leaders to stage meaningful webinars and conferences that clients and practitioners benefit from and want to attend. Academics are critical at a school like UCLA Anderson, but why get an MBA if not to accelerate a career? Wouldn’t it be helpful to have more connectivity with outside companies?

I thought the center’s webinar on AI (“Beyond the Buzz: Leveraging AI for Data-Driven Marketing Decision”) was different from many I have seen recently. I enjoy learning more about practitioner pain points and areas of focus to help as we formulate an agenda. Too often, grads are all focused on the same kinds of companies and jobs, perhaps to their detriment. What they don’t know, perhaps I can help with. Rather than be the career data analytics exec on our board, I see myself as the practitioner network connection.

AT: I am honored to work alongside such dedicated individuals, and thrilled with the contributions and fresh perspectives they bring to the board. I look forward to steering our efforts toward even greater achievements, thanks to the board’s continued support, guidance and encouragement.