Ricardo Shelley can testify that the Vanderbilt degree isn’t just respected around the U.S. but around the world. His career has taken him to several Latin American countries, and he also worked for the Europe/Middle East/Africa (EMEA) group during his long tenure at The Coca-Cola Company.

“I knew I wanted a degree from a top-tier school,” Shelley says. “[Vanderbilt] clearly has a very strong reputation in Latin America, and I believe that’s also true across Europe.” 

Shelley actually flew in for classes from Bogotá, Colombia and then Caracas, Venezuela during his time in the Executive MBA program. He was part of a cohort known as the International Executive MBA (IEMBA), which met for classes in both Miami and Nashville. (While the IEMBA is no longer offered, Vanderbilt’s unique Global Immersion Track still provides opportunities for EMBAs to obtain international experiences.) Shelley made the move from Colombia to Venezuela as part of a career switch from the Kellogg Company to Coca-Cola, where he’s been ever since.

But Shelley has continued building his career and moving around within Coca-Cola, serving stints in the Mexico business unit, the corporate strategy group, the Latin America group, and the EMEA group. He credits the Vanderbilt Executive MBA program with helping him make the pivot to these more strategic roles. “I think the Owen degree gave me confidence in my thinking, confidence in my analysis, [and] confidence in my proposals,” he says. “It really opened up the opportunities for me across most areas.”

Recently, Coca-Cola acquired the British company Costa Coffee, the world’s second-largest coffee chain after Starbucks (and one of the largest in Europe). Shelley put his international experience to good use when he accepted a position as managing director for Latin America in the coffee company, which has operations in 32 countries. “It’s very exciting and quite challenging,” he said of his new role.

Even as Shelley has changed locations and careers, he’s maintained ties with Vanderbilt and has attended several alumni events in Atlanta and Nashville so far. “To this day,” he says, “I’m still in touch with several of my colleagues across multiple industries and across multiple countries.”

I think the Owen degree gave me confidence in my thinking, confidence in my analysis, [and] confidence in my proposals. It really opened up the opportunities for me across most areas.