President, LINUS
Sometimes, it鈥檚 the offer you don鈥檛 accept that winds up changing your life.听
As an MBA student, Kristin Apple wound up interviewing for an internship at a consulting firm specializing in innovation and strategy鈥攁n opportunity she credits to her professors, who encouraged her to explore that path.听
鈥淚n my second semester, I took a course in new product development鈥攁nd even though I did my undergrad in marketing, I had no idea that the type of work that I learned about in this class existed,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 turned down the offer, but started looking closer to Boulder to see if there were other companies that did this kind of consulting work.鈥澨�
In fact, the start of her 11-year career with Egg Strategy鈥攚hich ended with her as managing director of its health vertical鈥攕tarted 鈥渨ith me just calling to see if they needed an MBA intern, and they said yes,鈥� Apple said. 听听
鈥楾he love continues鈥�
And, as she put it, 鈥渢he love continues with Leeds.鈥� Apple and her family moved to Boulder for her MBA, and still live near campus, giving her plenty of options to stay connected to Business Buffs. That鈥檚 not just giving guest lectures鈥攊t鈥檚 her book club, the friends her kids make and the talent she鈥檚 been able to hire at LINUS, a strategy and innovation consultancy focused on the life science, health and wellness industry.听
鈥淲e鈥檙e always looking for talent from Leeds,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e curious, they鈥檙e driven, they go above and beyond.鈥�
And she knows firsthand the incredible faculty students get to learn from.听
鈥淭he reason I chose Leeds was the close-knit community鈥攁nd it has paid dividends that I never even imagined.鈥�
Kristin Apple (MBA鈥�08)
鈥淚 chose Leeds because it was a small program, so I鈥檇 be able to get to know all my classmates and develop relationships鈥攂ut I didn鈥檛 realize how much of a meaningful impact that my professors would make on me and my career,鈥� Apple said.听
That career has put her on the front lines of a healthcare industry undergoing rapid transformation, thanks to technology, regulation and the aftereffects of the pandemic.听
鈥淚 love focusing on what鈥檚 next and asking how can we deliver healthcare in a better and more meaningful way,鈥� she said. 鈥淗ow do we use what we鈥檝e learned during the pandemic to be healthier, to be more informed and to alleviate the burden on our front-line clinicians?鈥�
As she and her company continue to help innovate in this industry, she鈥檚 grateful to do so with a group of thought leaders and scholars just a short walk away.
鈥淭he reason I chose Leeds was the close-knit community鈥攁nd it has paid dividends that I never even imagined,鈥� Apple said.