Corporate Alumni Connections: Ford Thirty Under 30
Julia Marcu ’11, ’13 — DeGroote School of Business
Ashmita Randhawa ’14 — DeGroote School of Business
Ford has named its fourth class of Thirty Under 30, a unique philanthropic leadership course that matches younger employees with nonprofits to address challenging social issues. This year, the fellows will work with community development corporations to develop potential solutions for neighbourhood concerns such as affordable housing, economic development, beautification, and basic resident services. Ford Motor Company Executive Chairman Bill Ford launched Thirty Under 30 in 2016 as part of the company’s continuing efforts to develop future employee leaders who are also dedicated to community service. The Ford fellows will be introduced to design thinking, an increasingly popular process with mindsets, tools, and methods used to define and address complex problems. The design thinking curriculum was developed through a partnership with Henry Ford Learning Institute, and the program is managed by Ford Fund, the company’s philanthropic arm.
Two of the 2019 class of Thirty Under 30 Ford fellows are McMaster University alumni: Ashmita Randhawa ’14 and Julia Marcu ’11, ’13.
Ford’s Thirty Under 30 is a yearlong course in leadership and civic engagement that matches nonprofits with Ford employees under age 30 in the U.S., Canada and for the first time — Mexico. These Ford fellows take time away from their jobs as engineers, finance, legal, manufacturing, purchasing, HR and marketing professionals to better understand how nonprofits operate, then work collaboratively to address major issues, strengthen communities and make people’s lives better. They also provide nonprofits with a different perspective on how to best engage new generations of donors and volunteers through technology, hands-on activities, and other means. Julia feels that being a part of the 30 Under 30 Program is one of the best highlights of her career thus far! “It’s such an honor to be recognized and to be part of an innovative program that focuses on philanthropy. The 30U30 Program offers a unique opportunity to make a difference in the Toronto community and see the positive impact that our work can have, which is truly rewarding.”
Julia Marcu ’11, ’13 works in Finance at Ford of Canada and says, “It’s important to be a part of the community because: supporting one another is the only way to create positive change.” The reputation of the Commerce program at McMaster drew Julia in and she was sold after seeing the beauty of the campus! She loved that she could attend the same school for her MBA program, yet it felt like a different experience because of the DeGroote campus in Burlington.
Ford’s Thirty Under 30 Class of 2018 was the first to go international, hosting a cohort from Canada and tackling the issues surrounding housing and homelessness. The class of 2017 completed a deep dive into hunger and food insecurity issues, while the inaugural class in 2016 focused on basic needs and developing strategies to better connect younger generations with nonprofits. The 2019 class of Thirty Under 30 — selected from more than 300 applicants — will work on community development initiatives in southeast Michigan, Ontario and Mexico City. This year’s nonprofits are: CDC — Central Detroit Christian Community Development, Detroit; Grandmont Rosedale Development Corporation, Detroit; Habitat for Humanity of Huron Valley, Ann Arbor; LifeBuilders, Detroit; TNO (The Neighbourhood Organization), Toronto; UNI (Urban Neighborhood Initiative), Detroit; and Techo, Mexico City.
“I think Ford is more than a mobility solutions company. It is a partner to the communities and governments in designing future cities and improving the present ones.”, says Ashmita who is in the Marketing, Sales and Service department at Ford of Canada. Ashmita chose to go to McMaster because she was attracted to the MBA program primarily due to its co-op program, which was relatively unique for that time. She was changing tracks from engineering to business and felt it was important to explore different industries, roles, and work cultures, to discover the best match for herself. Looking back, she is glad she did because through it she placed at Ford for her third and final co-op term, and was hired immediately afterward and has continued to work at Ford since.
For current students and recent graduates, a piece of advice Ashmita would share is to have the courage to be yourself, to forge a path that is true to you and to not be just another rat in the race. She says that the only way to do that is “by first understanding yourself — your strengths and values, what gets you energized, what issues you care about and so on.” Doing this will drive you to seek opportunities where you will want to fervently pursue excellence and do work that is truly stimulating and meaningful to you.
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