It's official!

I'm going to Mattel this summer. More specifically, I will be joining the strategy group at Mattel in El Segundo, mostly likely the corporate strategy group. Mattel won out over Genentech and Amgen, although it was tough to select the toy company over the top biotech firm (Genentech, that is).

I'm really excited about the opportunity. One of the biggest determinants in this decision was the chance to step out of the healthcare world and gain some other experience. As much as I love healthcare and find the biotech industry fascinating, a summer internship seems like the best time to try something new. If I don't do it now, I'm afraid I'll get the urge at 40 when I (hopefully) have a family to worry about.

But the type of work and the people I'll be working with also played a big part in this decision. As I said, I'll be doing strategy work, working in the corporate strategy group (instead of the brand or international strategy groups). I don't know my projects yet, but some of the previous summer projects included working with the CFO to determine dividend policy, cutting $100 million in costs without cutting jobs or work with the CEO as he prepares to give a keynote speech to investors at an annual toy fair. The people are also great. Most of them are former consultants who are very bright. It should be a great environment to be in for 10-12 weeks for the summer.