{"id":13437,"date":"2018-06-29T13:07:05","date_gmt":"2018-06-29T13:07:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/?p=13437"},"modified":"2023-07-14T16:36:47","modified_gmt":"2023-07-14T23:36:47","slug":"alum-profile-datar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2018\/06\/29\/alum-profile-datar","title":{"rendered":"UW Bothell MBA gave Microsoft leader a mindset"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"
Aseem Datar \/ Marc Studer photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

By Douglas Esser
\nAseem Datar, a leader in Microsoft\u2019s fast-growing Azure cloud-computing platform, said his MBA experience at the University of Washington Bothell was uncomfortable, which is exactly what he wanted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnything that makes me uncomfortable, that I don\u2019t know about, drives me to work in that space,\u201d said Datar, who first came from India to earn a master\u2019s in Electrical Engineering in 2002 at the University of Washington. The following summer, he interned at Microsoft and then became a permanent employee in 2004.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As an engineer, he was driven to learn more about business and so entered the two-year program for the MBA, which he received in 2009. The opportunity to keep learning and up your skills, Datar said, is “one of the beauties of being at Microsoft.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A career path in program management, planning, marketing and sales led to Datar\u2019s current position as chief of staff for Jason Zander, the executive vice president for Azure. Since 2014, Datar has led the team responsible for operations and business growth for Azure. The commercial cloud business has been growing at better than 90 percent a year. Providing massive computing power, Azure\u2019s data centers deliver more than 200 services to more than a billion customers across the globe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Datar had heard about the UW Bothell MBA program from colleagues at Microsoft. And while the program did require an investment of time, he liked the flexibility of having classes on the Bothell campus at night, plus weekend meetings. \u201cIt was a fantastic experience, fairly taxing, but I wouldn\u2019t trade it for the world,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another attraction, Datar said, was being part of a close cohort of students. \u201cIt was not just the professors but also my classmates.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About 40 people went through the program together. Some others from Microsoft but also from T-Mobile, Boeing and a lot of startups \u2014 \u201ca mix of energies that people brought to the table.\u201d Datar is still in contact with friends he made.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also remains in contact with professors, such as Sandeep Krishnamurthy, dean of the School of Business. External guest speakers also left a lasting impression, Datar said, including Jim Donald, who was CEO of Starbucks at the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There were aha moments when Datar learned something new and thought, \u201cHow can I apply that?\u201d But the real value of the UW Bothell MBA was the mindset, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was less about the concepts and more about a way of thinking that the MBA cultivated in all of us,\u201d Datar said. \u201cIt\u2019s not a content skill, it\u2019s a life skill \u2014 the ability to go deep and wide at the same time: Ask why we\u2019re doing things a certain way. What\u2019s the crux of the issue? How do you get down to the bottom of deep understanding?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Datar, who is still under 40, said he feels fortunate to be front and center during a digital transformation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s phenomenal to be in this industry at such a big inflection point. The cloud computing space continues to solve massive challenges in the industry. I think we\u2019re at the point of complete transformation,\u201d Datar said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From 2011 to 2015, Datar taught some MBA classes at UW Bothell, but with a challenging job and \u201ctwo young ones\u201d at home, time is precious. His favorite sport of cricket has taken a back seat. He still talks with some UW Bothell MBA classes and likes to hear what students are thinking, what tools they are using and how they have advanced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Datar also serves as an adviser to the Delta Sigma Pi professional business chapter on campus. His advice to anyone considering an MBA? Make yourself uncomfortable.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Aseem Datar, a leader in Microsoft’s fast-growing Azure cloud-computing platform, said his MBA experience at the University of Washington Bothell was uncomfortable, which is exactly what he wanted.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_is_archived":false,"_archived_contact_email":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[209,202,200],"tags":[233],"school":[417],"class_list":["post-13437","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-alumni","category-campus-news","category-profiles","tag-mba","school-school-of-business"],"acf":{"related_links":{"toggle_visibility":false,"link_1":null,"link_2":null,"link_3":null,"link_4":null,"link_5":null},"highlight_box":{"toggle_visibility":false,"title":"","content":"","button":null,"button_style":"angled-purple-button","button_screen_reader_text":""},"contact_type_1":{"toggle_visibility":true,"contact_title":"","email":"","phone":"","box":"","address_line_1":"","address_line_2":"","location":""},"contact_type_2":{"toggle_visibility":false,"contact_title":"","email":"","phone":"","box":"","address_line_1":"","address_line_2":"","location":""},"social_media":{"toggle_visibility":false,"facebook_url":"","instagram_url":"","linkedin_url":"","twitter_url":"","youtube_url":""},"blog_archive_sidebar_visibility":false},"yoast_head":"\nUW Bothell MBA gave Microsoft leader a mindset - 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