Fisher MBAs and JobsOhio: Powering business growth together

The lasting impact of hands-on learning such as the kind that Anushika Verma gained this past semester doesn’t always jump out on a resume. But that doesn’t mean the experience and the skills Verma gained through a signature program at The Ohio State University Max M. Fisher College of Business aren’t there.

Verma (MBA ’26) was one of four Full-Time MBA students at Fisher to complete a Global Applied Projects (GAP) capstone engagement at H. & J. Brüggen KG, a German milling company and cereal manufacturer. She said the experience strengthened her sense of career readiness by demonstrating how real-world success depends on human decision-making and collaboration -- lessons she now carries forward into her career.

Brüggen presented Verma and her three teammates with a challenge to identify a U.S. location ideally suited for expansion and tasked the MBA team with validating assumptions and clarifying where and how to enter the market. The team delivered a three-phase solution that evaluated viable state options, developed a site-selection comparison tool, and assessed state and local incentives to inform U.S. expansion decisions. 

Designed to prepare graduates for professional success, the GAP program blends experiential learning, strategic collaboration and cross-cultural engagement. The collaboration with Brüggen was one of two GAP projects sponsored by JobsOhio, offering students a one-of-a-kind chance to sharpen their career skills through hands-on application and cultural immersion.

Verma, along with fellow teammates David Cascante, Daniel Serpa and Caroline Smith, undertook a 14-week consulting engagement that blended sustained virtual collaboration with an immersive weeklong, in-country experience in Lübeck, Germany, culminating in a final presentation to organizational leadership in April.

“Even now, as an MBA student moving from Colombia to the U.S., I believe that immersing yourself in a different culture pushes you out of your comfort zone and facilitates growth,” said Serpa. 

For Smith, what began as remote, analytical work became a tangible, high-impact initiative once the team arrived in Lübeck. 

“While our initial phases laid the groundwork, the in-country experience revealed that the 'needle' only moves when professional strategy aligns with familial trust, cultural immersion and financial primacy,” she said.

Reflecting on their close work with the team of MBA students, Carlotta Brüggen, project manager for sustainability and corporate development, and Jens Meyer, director of quality assurance, shared the positive experience from the program. 

“The MBA students formed a harmonious team for us,” Brüggen said. “They provided structured and substantive updates.”

The program and underlying partnership is a win-win for all involved.

“Fisher’s longstanding partnership with JobsOhio reflects a shared commitment to strengthening Ohio’s economic competitiveness through building workforce connections that foster globally engaged talent,” said Aravind Chandrasekaran, interim dean and John W. Berry, Sr. Chair in Business at Fisher.  

“By supporting the Global Applied Projects capstone, JobsOhio is helping connect our MBA students with real-world, international business challenges that directly reinforce Ohio’s innovation, growth and global reach. This collaboration ensures our graduates are prepared not only to lead organizations, but to contribute meaningfully to the state’s long-term economic vitality.”

In Bazas, France, another team of Full-Time MBA students engaged with Lucas Robotic Systems. Facing the challenge of entering the U.S. market, the company sought clear guidance on where and how to establish a manufacturing foothold in the Midwest. 

For GAP team members Naren Barade Sivaji, Matheus Fagundes, Namit Mishra and Sanjay Kumar Sanapathi, the opportunity was deeply impactful, with the team delivering a comprehensive go‑to‑market strategy that included market sizing, customer segmentation, competitive and regional analysis and state‑level economic conditions. The team provided Lucas Robotic Systems with actionable recommendations on entry models and the most viable locations for expansion.

“What initially appeared to be a standard client engagement quickly became a lesson in influence, access and relationship-driven consulting,” reflected Mishra, an incoming associate at McKinsey & Company. 

The experience proved to be a turning point in his understanding of stakeholder management and intercultural competency in practice, insights Mishra now carries into new teams and opportunities.

For Fagundes, the experience was defined by the relationships he built with his team. 

“I achieved the goals of the project and discovered that I can apply creative thinking in any situation or industry,” he said. “But most importantly, I truly got to know my colleagues, and that, for me, was the real achievement.”

Jonathan Lucas, director of Lucas Robotic Systems and the team’s point of contact, was impressed with the team’s ability to source data and conduct a global analysis on the robotics and automation market.

“They split the work very well and had interest in our product,” he said.

 Since its inception in 2013, GAP has worked with approximately 55 host companies and provided real-world work and consulting experience to more than 300 graduate students at Fisher. 

“The GAP program has long served as one of our signature offerings that helps our students connect the dots of what they’re learning in the classroom while also providing an opportunity for them to put those lessons into meaningful action,” said Dominic DiCamillo, senior director of Fisher’s Office of Global Business. “Alongside JobsOhio, we’re committed to ensuring our students – and our program partners – benefit from the incredible power of strategic academic-industry connections designed to grow our state’s economy.”

The projects with H. & J. Brüggen KG and Lucas Robotic Systems were made possible by a longstanding collaboration between Fisher and JobsOhio, which works to empower world-class corporations, entrepreneurs and talented individuals to build their businesses and careers in Ohio. This successful partnership highlights Ohio State’s commitment to its modern land‑grant mission by connecting industry and academia to develop talent that fuels Ohio’s long-term economic growth.

"The GAP Program provides a unique opportunity for European companies with a low-risk way to evaluate and accelerate their entry into the U.S. market,” said JobsOhio President and CEO J.P. Nauseef. “For the seventh consecutive year, the program is delivering access and prime talent from the state’s flagship university while the MBA students and future business leaders get exposure to the economic development support and partnerships that are available to international companies on this side of the Atlantic.”