Khalif Oliver
![Picture](/uploads/4/0/4/7/4047021/8341218.jpg)
Please list your different professional career titles:
The North Highland Company
6/2010 – 3/2011: Consultant
4/2011 –Present: Senior Consultant
How has Kenan-Flagler prepared you for your career?
The rigorous and challenging academics at UNC Kenan-Flagler has given me an edge in my career, because I was quickly able to get up to speed and become a Subject Matter Expert (SME), to the point where my clients come to me to onboard their own employees. However, the two skills I gained from UNC Kenan-Flagler that have set me head and shoulders above many coworkers in a similar position are leadership and relationship fostering.
I participated in various leadership trainings at UNC Kenan-Flagler and served as an officer in various organizations—including Executive Vice President of the Alliance of Minority Business Students (AMBS). Thus, I was well prepared to be a work stream lead on one the 5 major initiatives of North Highland for 2011. Additionally, I stepped in as project manager of the entire initiative when the other two PMs became
inundated with other responsibilities. This meant leading a team of individuals at all levels of the organization—from consultant to Vice President. Also, as a consultant, the ultimate value I bring to my clients is the ability to translate my knowledge to their employees in a way they can make the right decisions to effectively and efficiently run their businesses years into the future. I learned relationship building skills from various activities I participated in, beginning with an awesome study group, but also including a STAR project, Legacy Cup events, two independent studies, and travel abroad to 5 of the 7 continents. If I could interact with business school students in academic and social settings, members of other departments at UNC and external companies, and students and citizens of countries all around the world, surely I can build strong relationships with employees of Fortune 500 companies.
What do you do?
As a consultant, I provide guidance to companies so that they achieve measurable, repeatable results in the shorter term, while continually planning for long term strategy and success. At the end of the day, I do whatever is best for the client; in many cases this comes in the role of providing objective analysis from an external perspective with expertise in a functional area. Additionally, I have served as an analyst and a team lead within the client to help implement and deliver on their projects. Sometimes it even means bringing to light fallacies and miscues I can see coming before they impact the company—to get them to take a step back and revisit their decisions—instead of just delivering on a project that may not be in their best interest.
What has the UNC Kenan-Flagler network helped you to achieve in your career?
First I will speak to the network of UNC Chapel Hill overall. I literally got my job because of a UNC Alumnus who is an employee at North Highland. The CMC reached out to him as he was up to UNC (from Charlotte) for the Dean’s Speaker Series, and he decided to perform
informational interviews—2 weeks later I had an offer letter. But as to the UNC Kenan-Flagler network, I have actually been lucky enough to give more to it than I have received. I was the first UNC Kenan-Flagler MBA hire at North Highland in sometime, but now North Highland has formalized their MBA internship and fulltime recruiting at UNC Kenan-Flagler. I have participated in all aspects of this effort including planning events, participating in career fairs, and interviewing students; this has led to 2 interns and 3 full-time hires from UNC Kenan-Flagler over the past year. North Highland is continually impressed with the quality of students they encounter at UNC Kenan-Flagler—both in terms of skills and cultural fit, and the great network that I am a part of plays a major role in this.
What does the Consortium mean to you?
For many prospective MBA students, the consortium means financial assistance for MBA school, which is in itself amazing. However once students become a part of it, they all realize what I know it as—an amazing network of great people (not just top MBA students). This is reflected in the Consortium as minorities who are driven to excel in life, those that have excelled and are reaching back to help the next generation, and companies who value the powerful combination of talent AND diversity. That’s what the Consortium means to me—a triangulated effort to support and bring to light the greatness of past, present, and future Graduate Students in Management.
The North Highland Company
6/2010 – 3/2011: Consultant
4/2011 –Present: Senior Consultant
How has Kenan-Flagler prepared you for your career?
The rigorous and challenging academics at UNC Kenan-Flagler has given me an edge in my career, because I was quickly able to get up to speed and become a Subject Matter Expert (SME), to the point where my clients come to me to onboard their own employees. However, the two skills I gained from UNC Kenan-Flagler that have set me head and shoulders above many coworkers in a similar position are leadership and relationship fostering.
I participated in various leadership trainings at UNC Kenan-Flagler and served as an officer in various organizations—including Executive Vice President of the Alliance of Minority Business Students (AMBS). Thus, I was well prepared to be a work stream lead on one the 5 major initiatives of North Highland for 2011. Additionally, I stepped in as project manager of the entire initiative when the other two PMs became
inundated with other responsibilities. This meant leading a team of individuals at all levels of the organization—from consultant to Vice President. Also, as a consultant, the ultimate value I bring to my clients is the ability to translate my knowledge to their employees in a way they can make the right decisions to effectively and efficiently run their businesses years into the future. I learned relationship building skills from various activities I participated in, beginning with an awesome study group, but also including a STAR project, Legacy Cup events, two independent studies, and travel abroad to 5 of the 7 continents. If I could interact with business school students in academic and social settings, members of other departments at UNC and external companies, and students and citizens of countries all around the world, surely I can build strong relationships with employees of Fortune 500 companies.
What do you do?
As a consultant, I provide guidance to companies so that they achieve measurable, repeatable results in the shorter term, while continually planning for long term strategy and success. At the end of the day, I do whatever is best for the client; in many cases this comes in the role of providing objective analysis from an external perspective with expertise in a functional area. Additionally, I have served as an analyst and a team lead within the client to help implement and deliver on their projects. Sometimes it even means bringing to light fallacies and miscues I can see coming before they impact the company—to get them to take a step back and revisit their decisions—instead of just delivering on a project that may not be in their best interest.
What has the UNC Kenan-Flagler network helped you to achieve in your career?
First I will speak to the network of UNC Chapel Hill overall. I literally got my job because of a UNC Alumnus who is an employee at North Highland. The CMC reached out to him as he was up to UNC (from Charlotte) for the Dean’s Speaker Series, and he decided to perform
informational interviews—2 weeks later I had an offer letter. But as to the UNC Kenan-Flagler network, I have actually been lucky enough to give more to it than I have received. I was the first UNC Kenan-Flagler MBA hire at North Highland in sometime, but now North Highland has formalized their MBA internship and fulltime recruiting at UNC Kenan-Flagler. I have participated in all aspects of this effort including planning events, participating in career fairs, and interviewing students; this has led to 2 interns and 3 full-time hires from UNC Kenan-Flagler over the past year. North Highland is continually impressed with the quality of students they encounter at UNC Kenan-Flagler—both in terms of skills and cultural fit, and the great network that I am a part of plays a major role in this.
What does the Consortium mean to you?
For many prospective MBA students, the consortium means financial assistance for MBA school, which is in itself amazing. However once students become a part of it, they all realize what I know it as—an amazing network of great people (not just top MBA students). This is reflected in the Consortium as minorities who are driven to excel in life, those that have excelled and are reaching back to help the next generation, and companies who value the powerful combination of talent AND diversity. That’s what the Consortium means to me—a triangulated effort to support and bring to light the greatness of past, present, and future Graduate Students in Management.