Public Information Session Planned March 16 for Innovative Global Wine MBA Program
Rohnert Park, California – The School of Business and Economics (SBE) at Sonoma State University (SSU) announced that its current class of Executive MBA students and faculty in wine business are embarking on a two-week international study tour from March 13 – 24 for meetings and activities with industry executives and government officials in Santiago and Viña del Mar, Chile, and Mendoza, Argentina. The purpose of the excursion is to provide students an international business perspective on their studies and companies, by interfacing with experts and professionals in Latin American winery and vineyard operations. The student group includes professional winemakers, global sales executives, winery owners, and other senior managers and executives from the California wine industry.
Graduate Programs Executive Director, John Stayton, will also host a public information session on March 16 at 7 p.m. at the Atton El Bosque Hotel in Santiago, regarding the new Global Wine MBA program, the first full-time advanced business degree focused on wine commerce.
“The business of wine is increasingly complex and global, and study tours provide an important opportunity for students to interact and learn from counterparts and industry leaders abroad. The value of exposure to foreign operations and in-country consulting is unparalleled. It helps develop a global network and perspective, new strategies and new ways of thinking, as well as leadership communication and teamwork skills,” John Stayton, Executive Director of Graduate and Executive Programs said.
Meetings in Chile are scheduled with owners, executives, and officials at Vineyard Errazuriz, Concha Y Toro Vineyard, the Chilean-American Chamber of Commerce, Vineyard Veramonte, Vineyard Emiliana, and Vineyard Kingston. The student cohort will also meet with Pedro Torrejón, Chief of Marketing and Port Competitiveness at Valparaiso, Chile’s principal shipping port and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site, as well as visit La Sebastiana, the former home of Chilean poet Pablo Neruda.
Meetings in Argentina include owners, executives, and officials at Fundacion ProMendoza, a public-private entity focused on the import and export of products, winery Bodega Catena Zapata, glass manufacturer Verallia, Bodegas Caro of Domaines Barons de Rothschild, winery Bodega Nieto Senetiner, and winery Viña Cobos. Students will also have opportunity for horseback riding and trekking in La Alejandra near the Andes.
For more information about the upcoming international study tour or the MBA for Executives wine business at Sonoma State University, or other advanced degree programs in the School of Business and Economics, please call 707-664-3501, email mba@sonoma.edu, or visit sonoma.edu/mba.
