Mark Hali moved from sports to the pharmaceutical industry.

Mark Hali has already accomplished what most people hope to achieve in a lifetime. He's played professional basketball, started multiple companies, endorsed commercial products, and is now climbing the corporate ladder in the pharmaceutical industry. And, with the knowledge and connections Hali has gained since joining Georgia Tech's Global Executive MBA program, he hopes to accomplish much more in years to come.

As the youngest of 12 children raised in a family of educators, Hali has always understood the need for cross-cultural communications, and he brings this appreciation with him in all that he does. "When I was growing up, my family was always traveling, which taught me to respect different cultures," Hali says.

As a professional basketball player in North America and in Europe, Hali was able to improve his cultural knowledge. He played with teams in Austria, Mexico and Slovenia in addition to his time in the Charlotte Hornets' camps. "Living in multiple countries further enhanced my respect and understanding of cultural differences," he says. "When my sports career concluded, it was only natural for me to use this knowledge in the business world."

Currently a senior oncology sales professional with pharmaceutical giant Sanofi-Aventis, Hali believes his Global Executive MBA education is helping him do his job better. "This program has given me the confidence to articulate what I already know," explains Hali. "It has taught me how to convey my ideas using the language of business, a language everyone understands. The professors are the best of the best, and they are able to maximize each student's potential and ability to add value to the class," he says.

© 2012 Georgia Institute of Technology