Reda Chafai
BUS ’05, MBA ’10
Residence: Palatine, Ill.
Occupation: President, Capsim Management Solutions Inc., a Chicago-based company that delivers online business simulations and rich learning environments for both academic and corporate clients. I began working there as a business training analyst in 2007 and have since held a number of positions that have helped me in my current role as president. When Capsim started in the 1980s, it delivered business simulation-based training to corporations. Our first testing ground in the university market was DePaul in the ’90s. I did my first Capsim simulation as a DePaul undergraduate, and I currently use simulations in teaching strategy as an adjunct professor in the college’s Department of Management & Entrepreneurship.
What I like best about my job is: I know many companies say it, but we truly want to make a difference. I think the reason we are still around in this rapidly changing environment is that we are determined to keep making learning more accessible, relevant and applicable.
The biggest challenge I face in my job is: Sifting through all the available opportunities and working out what to say “yes” to and what to say “no” to. Some of the things we reject look so good and tempting, but like every company, we have limited resources—time, people, expertise, cash. It’s my job to allocate the resources to the opportunities that have the best chance of success and best align with our strategy.
My DePaul experience helped me to: Face the different challenges that come with managing teams, making executive decisions and aligning tactical decisions with a strategic direction. What I was taught at business school, and what I teach at business school, is what I do every day at work. It is an amazing opportunity for me, as a teacher and a leader, to see how the theory and the practice work together.
Advice for new graduates:
- Never stop learning.
- Aim as high as possible.
- You’ll be surprised by how much you can achieve.
- Give back in any way you can.
- Nurture the network you build as a student.
By Jaclyn Lansbery
