For Amit Bedi (EMBA ’24), leadership isn’t confined to a single office, time zone, or even hemisphere. As a principal technical program manager at Collins Aerospace, Bedi directs interdisciplinary safety and reliability teams whose work spans India, France, Canada, the United States, Japan, China, and Australia—a global network shaped by the complexity of modern avionics and strengthened through the strategic lens he gained at the Carson College of Business.
Finding the strategic edge
When Bedi chose to pursue his online Executive MBA (EMBA), he already had a decade of advanced systems engineering experience. Yet he felt a crucial piece of the puzzle was still missing.
Bedi realized technical depth was no longer enough for his responsibilities. He needed business fluency to lead change, articulate vision, and influence decisions based on sound business principles. The EMBA offered through WSU Global Campus gave him that language and the confidence to use it.
“I wanted to bridge the gap between technical execution and high‑level business strategy,” he says. “The Carson College EMBA’s focus on strategic leadership made it the perfect fit for my global responsibilities at Collins Aerospace.”
Turning work into a leadership laboratory
Working in a fast-paced environment with teams that spanned the globe, Bedi needed a program that fit his schedule while challenging him to stretch his capabilities.
“The program’s flexibility allowed me to apply classroom concepts in real time,” he says. “My daily work became a laboratory for leadership theories—from agile transformation to strategic planning.”
This immediate integration of theory and practice allowed Bedi to accelerate improvements on several major avionics programs and translated directly into initiatives that boosted operational efficiency by 30 percent.
Bedi credits his cohort for late-night collaborations and spirited debates about technology and strategy that sharpened his thinking.
“In two years, I learned more than I did in 10 years on the job,” he says. “I gained perspectives even my senior directors didn’t have.”
Leading transformations at Collins Aerospace
Since earning his EMBA, Bedi hasn’t just advanced—he’s accelerated.
The degree positioned him to step confidently into leadership roles, from serving as cochair of the Change Control Board to helping lead DEI initiatives supporting 20 global ambassadors. His work earned him recognition as an RTX CORE champion in 2024, one of the organization’s most respected honors.
Bedi also played a key role in integrating AI and advanced technology into program management by identifying business cases, participating in internal pilots, and helping his organization understand the role of generative AI in future operations.
The business acumen he developed became a catalyst for new ways of thinking within his teams.
“We traditionally teach engineers to try to think like pilots,” he says. “Now I’m teaching them how to think like business leaders.”
Bedi says the result is improved decision-making, reduced spending, and enhancement of his organization’s long-term competitiveness.
Community, service, and the global Cougar network
For Bedi, the value of the Carson College experience extends far beyond the classroom.
The network he built within the program opened doors he never expected, including an invitation to join the board of directors for a university AI program in Colorado—an opportunity sparked directly from his participation in the college’s annual EMBA Leadership Conference.
Bedi also remains active with organizations such as Sewa International and the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh, where he channels the program’s emphasis on resilience, service, and global citizenship.
As the aviation industry—and the world—navigates rapid change driven by automation and AI, Bedi believes leaders must evolve just as quickly.
“We’re moving toward a world that needs broader thinkers—people who are jack‑of‑all‑trades in the best sense,” he says. “AI will take on many of the deep technical burdens, but organizations will need leaders who can see the bigger picture.”
To him, the EMBA is one of the most powerful ways professionals can prepare for that future.
“If you want to move from managing tasks to influencing strategy, don’t wait for the perfect time. It doesn’t exist,” he says. “I’m proud that the path I took through WSU helped me get here.”