Biography
Ridhima Sharma’s experience in consulting and technology showed her that strong technical solutions are only part of what it takes to lead a business. As a senior consultant at Old Republic Commercial Risk, Ridhima worked on large-scale transformation programs to primarily help insurance companies modernize core areas. “I had built a strong experience in consulting and technology, but the more I sat at the intersection of discussing with different project teams on billing, finance, product and tech teams, I realized that delivering the right technical solution wasn't enough,” Ridhima says.
She decided to apply to Goizueta’s Evening MBA program to help her build those key business skills needed to succeed in her role. “I thought Goizueta would be a good fit for me to become a better business leader and to grow into my roles and responsibilities,” she says.
During the program, each EvMBA student has the opportunity to participate in Goizueta’s signature IMPACT program, a hands-on learning experience where students work with real-world clients to solve actual problems. “Whatever I had learned up till now – strategy, finance, marketing, you name it – everything just came together,” Ridhima says. “I had to work on a real problem with the real client and get all of this working together under real constraints.”
The EvMBA program also offers leadership development opportunities, including workshops and seminars to help students prepare for leadership roles. For Ridhima, her definition of being an effective leader changed significantly after entering the program. “Earlier, I used to feel a good leader is the one who knows it all, and I lack that,” she says. “But then I realized it’s asking the right questions, being empathetic and trying to understand different perspectives. When I joined Goizueta, there were people from different backgrounds in my class and understanding their perspectives made me very thoughtful about how I want to communicate, influence, and lead. That's really helped me grow as a leader.”
These different perspectives have helped Ridhima grow as a leader, expand her network, and build lasting relationships. “When you're learning, everybody has different perspectives, so that helped me be a well-rounded thinker and gave me different perspectives,” she says. “I'm from tech and consulting, which is a different background from other classmates in this program. They've helped me a lot in my learning experience, and then you also get lifetime relationships.”