Jillian Alexander

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About Jillian Alexander

Professional biography

As an Associate Professor, Jillian Alexander inspires students by sharing her passion for building thriving companies and strong regional economies. She brings proven methods and insights gained from more than 25 years of successfully managing and leading high-profile strategic initiatives, positioning companies to remain or become MARKET LEADERS and TREND-SETTERS, close ACCRETIVE DEALS, and achieve beneficial EXIT.

Jillian teaches her students about a wide variety of industries and business activities, including making business decisions, assessing opportunities and risk, neuroeconomics and consumer behavior, innovating products and services, designing and building organizations, strategic sourcing, distribution channels, production and operations strategy and planning, forecasting and evaluating performance, advertising & publicity, inventory and supply chain management, managing people as well as customer and vendor relationships, raising capital, managing cash flow, and financial reporting. She instructs her students in the use of relevant methods and frameworks -- not only “how to”, but also “why” and “when” to apply them; and makes students aware of the limitations of other widely-taught and used, yet often inappropriately applied, techniques.
 
In addition to teaching, Jillian is an entrepreneur and the Managing Director of international award-winning Conduit Consulting LLC, a Strategy, Transaction Advisory and General Management Consultancy firm she founded in 2002. In her previous roles as Vice President Corporate Development at SONY Pictures Entertainment and, Vice President Corporate Development & Strategic Planning at eMemories, and Practice Area Manager and Senior Consultant, Strategic Change Practice at Price Waterhouse LLP / PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC), she advised on and managed complex repositioning, restructuring, and reorganization strategic initiatives. That built on her early-career in progressively more responsible Sales Management roles with Fortune 500 Retailers, followed by Production Management and Marketing Management roles with Film/TV/Commercial Advertisement companies. Jillian has extensive experience managing projects, relationships, and business activities; and has attained substantial knowledge of a wide array of industries, business processes, and regions which she continually refreshes. Her clients have included public corporations, private enterprises, non-profit organizations, and government agencies in all life-stages spanning the Agribusiness, Biopharmaceutical, Consumer Electronics, Energy, Entertainment, Financial Services, Healthcare, Internet, Media, Paperboard, Professional Services, Real Estate, Retail, Telecommunications, Travel, and other diverse industries. Read more here.
 
Like many SMC students, Jillian worked and lived with roommates throughout her undergraduate degree so that she could graduate debt-free. Jillian studied Marketing at Arizona State University, then completed her product design and marketing studies and received her B.A.A., cum laude, in Fashion Design from the American College for the Applied Arts. After nine years managing in Retail, Media, and Entertainment industries, Jillian returned to school to round-out her skills and knowledge, earning an M.B.A. from Cornell University’s S.C. Johnson Graduate School of Management where her studies concentrated on Finance and International Business. Her professional qualifications include Certified Merger & Acquisition Advisor, CFA Institute-Regular Member and Certified Human Resource Consultant.