Post by Stanford University Graduate School of Business

“I was doing well and growing in my career, but I wanted to be at the frontier of excellence.” José Tomás Arenas, MS ’26, built his career finding connections in unexpected places. Whether transferring ideas across domains or identifying opportunities across industries, he has always believed innovation happens when different worlds collide. At Falabella, a multinational corporation in Chile, Arenas put that philosophy into practice. “I've always tried to find non-intuitive connections between how different industries do things,” he says. “I mixed AI and medicine and brought that knowledge to logistics. I enjoy using creative thinking and complex concepts to solve supply chain problems.” After years of looking beyond his own industry for inspiration, Arenas set his sights on Silicon Valley. “You always look at pioneer models at other companies and see how things are being done elsewhere,” he says. “I’m convinced that coming to Silicon Valley, with the biggest companies and brightest minds, was the best way to see the very best practices and trends in technology.” At Stanford GSB, Arenas is expanding more than his technical toolkit. "I wanted to prepare myself for working with executives and on boards of companies… to learn more about team dynamics and effective communication strategies,” he says. “I knew the MSx program could help me translate what I learned in the classroom to the real world." As Arenas continues to seek new frontiers, his vision is set: “I’m trying to do more and give more,” he says. “It’s important for leaders to have vision, discipline, and empathy. These are all skills I’m honing at the GSB.” https://brnw.ch/21x47Xe