Anticipating traveler needs before they arise
Marc Sella ’20 MBA, MS is a senior manager for product strategy at Expedia Group (EG), a role designed to understand consumers’ travel wants and needs three to five years from now and ensure the company’s offerings are streamlined to satisfy those desires. “I think of us as the innovation hub of the product organization here at EG,” Sella said. “It's been so freeing to say, ‘What should we be thinking about? what are we not thinking about, what are some of our blind spots?’ and have a chance to dive into that.”
That chance was created in part through Sella’s decision to attend Northwestern’s MMM Program: MBA + MS Design Innovation — a dual-degree designed for cross-functional leaders who build at the nexus of business strategy, human-centered design and technology application. It was a decision that came about unintentionally.
Sella had a background in business and, at the time, was a product manager at Capital One. He felt comfortable with his business knowledge, but he wanted to find an opportunity to dive deeper into strategy. “I happened to be in Chicago for a long weekend visiting some friends and I thought, ‘Why don't I just go up to Northwestern and check out their MBA program?’” he said. “I heard the MMM Program pitch and I was like, ‘This is what I need to be doing.’”
Empathy drives innovation
Wanting to learn how to better understand user needs and build products based on user empathy, the MMM Program delivered that — and more. In his current role with EG, he leans heavily on his MMM Program-built ability to conduct user research and provide the company with details about what customers and potential customers actually want. He also gained key insights that shaped his own view on innovation.
“People say innovation is only for creative people,” he said. “Actually, it’s a process. Anyone can be creative. Anyone can be innovative if they have the right tools and the right framing. Finding the ways to kindle that across your entire team is something that you do a lot in the MMM Program, and I think it’s a really powerful skill to take away from the program.”
His post-MMM Program journey started with Wayfair, where he also interned during his time in the program. He helped streamline previously disparate operating systems between Canada and the United States, allowing users to manage all their North American operations from a single account. “Seeing adoption take off when that feature launched was incredible,” he said. “I turned some heads when I proposed breaking age-old infrastructure, but I was compelled to solve the user’s needs.”
After nearly two years at Wayfair, Marc moved to Grubhub. He worked in the company’s new-verticals business there and helped launch its first grocery partnership, scale its alcoholic beverage business and explore opportunities for pet- and office-supply delivery. He enjoyed his three-plus years at Grubhub, but when his current position at EG opened up in September 2025, it was too enticing to pass up.
“I really liked the idea that every two or three months I could go into a new space, go deep on strategy and then apply what I learn later as I look to be a product leader over the next few decades of my career,” he said. “I really like the freedom of this opportunity.” Sella applies what he learned at Northwestern to his current work on a daily basis, and every day, he is grateful for his unexpected introduction to the MMM Program.
“I’m super appreciative for my experience in the MMM Program,” he said. “I’m happy my personal travel schedule landed me in Chicago, where I could find the MMM Program. I have not regretted that decision once in my career.”
Read next: Connecting the dots
Northwestern’s MMM Program is a fully integrated dual degree between the Kellogg School of Management and the Segal Design Institute at the McCormick School of Engineering. Students earn both an MBA and a Master of Science in Design Innovation.