Meet INSEAD’s MBA Class Of 2019 - Poets&Quants

Education is treated as the great equalizer. It exposes the possibilities, challenges the norms, and compels people to reflect, act, and grow. However, education doesn’t take root in the comfortable. To last, it demands openness and trial-and-error – choosing purpose over pretense, discussion over diversion, and revision over routine. Few things make people more uncomfortable than leaving home.

Mark Twain once wrote, “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” Perhaps he was envisioning INSEAD, immortalized as “The business school to the world.” INSEAD is certainly a far-flung enterprise. Students can choose between campuses in Fontainebleau, France or Singapore – with a short-term option in Abu Dhabi as well. It is also a large operation, attracting over 1,000 MBA candidates each year over two intakes. However, it’s not the locations that bring out their best in MBAs. Instead, INSEAD requires a new way of thinking and interacting – thanks to a class boasting 94 countries.

SO DIVERSE THAT YOU FORGET THAT YOU’RE IN FRANCE

At INSEAD, you don’t need to travel the world to learn how to practice international business. Just show up for classes, walk the halls, join the clubs, and take part in the field trips. Here, 96% of students hail from outside France. That creates a dynamic that’s different than anywhere else, say INSEAD alumni.

“At INSEAD, your classmates will come from different backgrounds and will think differently,” explains Sukru Dagdelin, a 2018 P&Q Best & Brightest MBA from Turkey who returned to Bain & Company after graduation. “Be ready to have debates with them to create innovative ideas. You might be inspired by your Iranian female group mate, while discussing a go-to-market strategy for an e-commerce platform or you might get valuable organizational behavior insights from a medical doctor in your class. In other words, having an ability to work with completely different profiles is a must to be successful at INSEAD.”

Virginie Fougea, director of MBA admissions at INSEAD

Dagdelin’s classmate, Fatoumata Sy – another 2018 P&Q Best & Brightest MBA – observes that she felt overwhelmed sometimes by how culturally diverse the program is. “Even after having lived more than 17 years in France,” she muses, “whenever I arrive at INSEAD campus, I am in a new planet with no cultural boundaries, and such a unique diversity that I sometimes forget that I am in France.”

‘PEOPLE DON’T  APPRECIATE HOW TRULY INTERNATIONAL WE ARE’

In many corners, the term “international programme” is overused, says Virginie Fougea, director of MBA recruiting and admissions at INSEAD. In her experience, INSEAD takes this designation to another level, with the school taking pains to ensure no region or culture dominates the classroom.

“People don’t really appreciate how truly international we are,” she explains. “I think they only realize how diverse INSEAD is when they visit the campuses or talk to our alumni or recruiters. Our students definitely live it in their day-to-day lives and activities on campus. I wish more people could experience first-hand exactly what “international” means at INSEAD. Regardless of religious beliefs, cultures, nationalities, orientations, and political inclinations, everyone helps everyone; students can be whom they truly are, without the need to hide a part of their personality to succeed. It is easy to feel a sense of belonging and inclusion here: students arrive as strangers, by the second week, they are friends, and at the end, they have become a family.”

The Class of 2019 is no different. Who are some of the students who bring unique perspectives and different cultural backgrounds to the table?  Start with Siddharth Handa, an engineer from India who holds a unique claim to fame: He built his own car. How did that happen? As an undergrad, he put together a team for SAE Baja, where 100 international teams design and test their vehicles – a discipline that requires budgetary and project management acumen as much as engineering prowess. Not only did Handa’s team raise $30,000 in sponsorship, but his team ultimately won first prize, besting teams that he describes as “better-funded and more experienced.”

“It instilled in me the confidence that I can achieve anything I set my mind to. And frankly, how many friends could bring up ‘building their own car’ when meeting new people at a bar!”

“I CAN PUT A 250 POUND PERSON ON MY SHOULDERS…IN HEELS”

Handa didn’t stop there. After graduation, he co-founded The Baker’s Dozen, one of India’s largest artisan bread companies. His biggest feat? In just three months, he increased production by five-fold in order to shift from being a retailer to a supplier. That’s not all that Handa is famous for doing.

INSEAD Campus

“I co-hold a Limca World Record (India’s Guinness Record) for “The longest plastic-refill chain” made by interlocking plastic refill chains to a length of 120m comprising 3600 refills.”

Looking for the perfect elevator pitch? You’d be hard-pressed to top West Point grad Tanja Duester:

“I can fly helicopters and put a 250 pound person on my shoulders…in heels.” How is this for responsibility? As a deputy director of aviation operations in the U.S. Army, Duester was responsible for 150 soldiers in her garrison. For her, INSEAD offered the right mix to take her from “here to there” in her career.

“My here was Army officer in the USA and my there is working back in Europe. INSEAD struck me as the perfect place to make that transformation and expand my network.”

JUSTIN TRUDEAU’S DIGITAL SAVANT

Then there’s Adel Boulazreg. In 2015, he was dubbed a “digital savant” by one media outlet. A senior policy advisor for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Boulazreg was credited with helping his boss win the election thanks to his mastery of the modern tools of politics: data, aggregation, and algorithms. This wasn’t the first crowing achievement for this 26 year-old wunderkind. He cut his teeth working for Barack Obama’s second American Presidential campaign, before moving on to help elect the Premier of Ontario and the Mayor of Toronto.

These experiences, Boulazreg notes, have prepared him for what awaits him at INSEAD. “Working in government and having grown up in Canada, I have a first-hand understanding of diversity and of multiculturalism. Through interactions with family, friends, colleagues, and diplomats, I’ve learnt that respect for others’ way of life and viewpoints is at the heart of a diverse and a multicultural society. I’ve come to understand that diversity is grounded in learning from one another through the exchange of life experiences, opening up each other to different understandings of life.”

These aren’t the only notable students in an impressive class. As an amateur golfer, Bernardo Frère was a three times Portugese Junior Champion and played for its National Team. At the Ghana Investment Awards, Benjamin Amoah-Adjei took home the Gold Award for being the Research Analyst of the Year. If you’re seeking a sales star who can beat her quota in any environment, you might want to look up Natasha Saini.

INSEAD’ students celebrating the program’s #1 ranking with the Financial Times in 2017.

“A trader in my industry is only as good as their ‘book’ (i.e. client base), ” she notes. “I asked for a move to Singapore during the worst couple years for the shipping industry in recent history (2015-2017) gave up my book from Middle East and built a new, one up from scratch hitting all my targets.”

A GLOBAL AND INTELLECTUALLY-STIMULATING CLASS

In a class this diverse, it can be near impossible to boil the student body down to a few overarching traits. Benjamin Amoah-Adjei, for one, tags his classmates as global. “Several of them have multiple nationalities and almost everyone has worked and schooled in several countries, which means they are pleasantly open-minded. The variety of personal and professional experiences I have heard have been mind-blowing so far.”

This variety, says Adel Boulazreg, makes for some provocative discussions. “Prior to even setting foot at INSEAD, we organized a pre-MBA trip to Ibiza, Spain. Over the span of the first 36 hours together, we had had five intellectually-stimulating conversations, ranging from current global affairs, to moral and ethics, and to certain principles of quantum mechanics.”

Even more, they are true to themselves – and embrace others as they are. “Everyone is so curious about each other and open to his difference and uniqueness,” adds Gauthier Joyeux, a clinical specialist from Nice. “We are all at the same level here and there is no discrimination in color, gender, sexual orientation or religion. Each individual enriches the others by its authenticity.”

To see 9 in-depth profiles on INSEAD MBA candidates, go to the next page. 

An INSEAD graduation at the Château de Fontainebleau in France, one of three INSEAD campuses

RAISING THE PROFILE OF WOMEN

This year, the incoming class brings a 711 average GMAT to campus – down a point over the previous year…but still an eight point improvement over the past three years.  33% of the 1,039 member class is female, roughly the same percentage as the past two years. However, it is an area where the program is devoting increasing attention and resources. That starts with INSEAD’s year-long iW50 celebration, which honors the contributions of INSEAD women over the past half century.

“We graduate one of the largest number of women on an MBA programme every year (about 350),” Virginie Fougea notes. “INSEAD is committed to support women leaders who will be giving back to their communities, driving economic prosperity, promoting sustainability and making the world a better place. Our faculty not only conduct research on gender diversity, but also teach on the various programmes. We know that sharing real world role models of female leadership influences how both men and women perceive women as leaders, which has implications both for gender stereotyping and for women’s professional aspirations. Having a wide and strong INSEAD women network will benefit all our future students.”

In a 2018 interview with P&Q, Dean Ilian Mihov notes that the percentage of women is heavily influenced by region, adding the school is working to bring a better balance to the classroom. “We find that from the United States, we get 40-45% women; from China, 60% women,” he says. “We realized that we have a much smaller percentage of women from European countries…We try to understand why fewer women apply. Obviously we have enough applicants, if we want to put the number to 40% or 50% we could, but we don’t want to do it just to say, “I have this number.” You want to do it in the right way.”

NOT AFRAID TO TACKLE THE BIG ISSUES

Academically, the Class of 2019 is segmented quite closely. Business-related majors account for 34% of the class, with another 29% of the seats held by students holding undergraduate engineering degrees. Economics (11%), sciences (8%), political science (6%), arts and humanities (6%), and media (1%) round out the class. In terms of professional experience, the corporate  and consulting sectorsmake up nearly two-thirds of the class at 34% and 31% respectively. At 24% of the class, finance services professionals maintain a large presence in the class as well.

In any cutting edge program, change is a constant. And INSEAD is no different. Last year, the school rolled out a revamped MBA curriculum, which included a beefed up leadership program, expanded coaching and career development, and a capstone course that pulled the 10-month program together. This year, the big news came in August, when André Hoffmann (’90) made a  $46.4 (U.S.) million dollar gift to INSEAD – the largest gift ever made to a European MBA program.

The gift will be a down payment on the school’s ambitious Hoffmann Global Institute for Business and Society.  A think tank, the institute will be devoted to solving the big issues plaguing the planet such as wealth and gender inequality and environmental degradation. Even more, it will provide resources for faculty to tackle business-related applications in technology, ethics, and social impact.

INSEAD Dean Ilian Mihov

“Many of our 21st-century challenges cannot be addressed by governments or NGOs alone,” Dean Mihov asserts in a school statement. “Business leaders must rise to the challenge — integrating sustainability, responsibility, and social impact directly into the decisions they make. This is where the Hoffmann Institute holds great potential to accelerate progress towards a peaceful, prosperous, and sustainable future.”

A BRAND NAME THAT OPENS DOORS

By the same measure,  Virginie Fougea points to the vision laid down by the founders of INSEAD, who viewed business “as a force for good” – developing leaders who can not only boost productivity and shareholder value, but also build new models to do business that would change the world.

“INSEAD is consequently launching a number of initiatives like the “Campaign for INSEAD: A force for good”, which is a global initiative to advance business as a force for good in the world, or creating “The Global Institute for Business and Society”. The institute will tie together, develop and strategise the many things that we do and can do at INSEAD that help individuals and businesses articulate and execute on these challenges. These initiatives among many others will benefit and I hope inspire future generations of INSEAD students.”

Ask the Class of 2019 why they enrolled at INSEAD and you’re bound to receive dozens of answers. Aside from diversity, the alumni network rides high on their lists. With 57,000 alumni in 175 countries, the school offers an “unprecedented network,” says Adel Boulazreg, in terms of geography, role, and industry sector. How strong is the network? According to the 2018 Economist survey of students and alumni, INSEAD ranked 1st for “Internationalism of Alumni” and 5th for “Potential to Network.” While alumni are happy to open doors for students, the INSEAD brand also gives graduates an inherent advantage wherever they want to go, says Bernardo Frère.

“INSEAD is one of the most recognized MBA programs in Europe with an incredible alumni network that not only shows the potential impact the INSEAD MBA can have in a career but also shows that it is a global school.”

INTENSE AND FAST-PACED…BUT A QUICK ROI

The program’s flexibility also plays into its appeal. For one, students can move between the three campuses – something nearly three-quarters of students ultimately do. Even more, the compressed 10-month schedule is a blessing for most. The big benefit? It reduces students’ time away from the job market. Aside from gaining a year’s worth of paychecks that they’d lose in a two-year program, the compressed timeframe also reduces tuition and living costs, not to mention the accompanying debt. The tradeoff, of course, is that the program is intense; students must juggle their studies, extracurriculars, job hunting, and networking at a whiplash pace where every single day matters.

For students like Tanja Duester, the return on investment makes it all worthwhile. “As a mother and wife,” she writes, “I did not want to be separated from my husband longer than I had to, but I did not want to sacrifice quality. Also, let us not forget the opportunity cost of no making money for a year versus two years!”

At INSEAD, the diversity of faculty and students make for a global experience,

Duester shouldn’t worry about the quality part. Ranked as the 2nd-best MBA program by the Financial TImes, INSEAD has been a hit with students. In the 2018 Economist survey, the program notched the second-highest marks in “Education Experience.” By the same token, it also finished in the Top 10 when the Financial Times asked respondents if they would recommend their alma mater. Not surprisingly, the program has received “rave reviews” for its core courses, says Paul Warren, a 2018 P&Q MBA To Watch. In fact, INSEAD takes great pride in its faculty’s research and classroom prowess, boasting thought leaders such as Renee Mauborgne and W. Chan Kim – authors of Blue Ocean Strategy.

RISING POWER IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Likewise, the program has emerged as a force in entrepreneurship, boasting alumni-built success stories like BlaBla Car, RedMart, and Azimo. The school also operates the INSEAD Centre for Entrepreneurship (ICE), which sponsors bootcamps, forums, and venture competitions, along with innovative courses like “The First Hundred Days” elective. Such programming offered that little extra to Laurenz Vorderwülbecke, who is weighing whether to tackle technology-based issues or launch an enterprise.

“The school’s excellence in Entrepreneurship and Innovation topics and the opportunity to explore these areas with like-minded classmates were essential to me,” he writes. “I wanted a school, where free out-of-the-box thinking is not only encouraged but nurtured through a curriculum that will push me to deep dive into these topics.”

Once that deep dive is over? Adel Boulazreg, for one, hopes to transition out of politics and into the public sector. While he is looking forward to the opportunities, he is – like any good politician – hedging his bets.

“I have an idea of where I want to be and who I’d like to work for, but it would be premature to have it published yet. To the company that will eventually hire me, you were the one I always intended to work for.”

What led these professionals to enter business schools? Which programs did they also consider? What strategies did they use to choose their MBA program? What was the major event that defined them? Find the answers to these questions and many more in the in-depth profiles of these incoming MBA candidates.

Student	Hometown	Alma Mater	Last Employer
Benjamin Amoah-Adjei	Aburi, Ghana	University of Ghana, Legon	Fidelity Bank Ghana
Adel Boulazreg	Toronto, Canada	University of Toronto	Justin Trudeau Administration / Government of Canada
Tanja Duester	Grenzach-Wyhlen, Germany	United States Military Academy	U.S. Army
Dina El-Abd	Cairo, Egypt	American University in Cairo	WeddingHubEG.com
Bernardo Frère	Lisbon, Portugal	Instituto Superior Técnico	Jan De Nul Group
Siddharth Handa	Ahmedabad, India	VIT University	The Baker’s Dozen
Gauthier Joyeux	Nimes, France	Ecole Centrale de Nantes	CARMAT
Natasha Saini	Delhi, India	Delhi University	GAC Bunker
Laurenz Vorderwülbecke	Munich, Germany	Karlsruhe Institute of Technology	El Retiro S.A.

Benjamin Amoah-Adjei

INSEAD

“Focused and driven, I like to work hard and make an impact.”

Hometown: Aburi, Ghana

Fun Fact About Yourself: I have been a groomsman at five different weddings, and at four of those I was actually the best man. At a point, the main conversation anyone has with you at a wedding is, “When did you say you were getting married again?”

Undergraduate School and Major: University of Ghana, Legon; Economics & Statistics

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Research Manager, Fidelity Bank Ghana

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: Won Gold Award for Research Analyst of the Year at the Ghana Investment Awards. This was after leading the research department in my firm as a Senior Analyst for 16 months. At the same event, our team won Silver Award for the Research House of the Year.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? They’re global. Several of them have multiple nationalities and almost everyone has worked and schooled in several countries. Which means they are pleasantly open-minded. The variety of personal and professional experiences I have heard have been mind-blowing so far.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key factor that led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA and why was it so important to you? The length of the programme, strong research and INSEAD’s clout with getting MBAs into the world’s top consulting firms.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? The Consulting Club. I don’t think I get the thing with case interviews yet. Hoping the club will prove useful in helping me develop some serious skills.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? I decided that I needed to speed up my career progression and to get into more leadership roles. I also wanted to change location and sort of develop a more global network of personal and professional contacts. For obvious reasons, the INSEAD MBA was a natural step in that desire.

How did you decide if an MBA was worth the investment? I come from a Finance background, so I had an Excel sheet with all the costs and potential benefits (adjusted for uncertainty of course). I did research on post-MBA incomes over the internet and spoke to alumni in some of the firms I thought I would want to work with and then applied for scholarships. Eventually, I decided the payoff was going to be worth the investment.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? HEC Paris. I know, I have a thing for France.

How did you determine your fit at various schools? For me, the length of the program was a key factor because I did not want to be in school for another two years. But even more important for me was INSEAD’s history with MBA recruitment into the Consulting Sector. In my search for an MBA programme, I did consider the rankings as an initial approach to short-listing the available options. Speaking to alumni was a good way to research culture and I found that alumni were always willing to have an honest discussion about what to expect (or otherwise) from the MBA programme.

What do you plan to do after you graduate? I’m hoping to get into Private Equity over the long term (doesn’t everybody?), but I think I’ll go through either management consulting or investment banking. I really need to develop my business skills and I think a position with one of the MBB might be really useful to that end. Nonetheless, I am more of an explorer and still open to other opportunities.

Where do you see yourself in five years? I did write something in my INSEAD applications but I’m not too sure. I do hope to find a path to Private Equity during that time.

Adel Boulazreg

INSEAD

“Level-headed analytical Canadian with a Macbethian-like ambition who attempts to make use of all opportunities.”

Hometown: Toronto, Canada

Fun Fact About Yourself: I used to play (American) football as a Defensive Back. My team went undefeated and won a province-wide championship in Canada.

Undergraduate School and Major: Bachelor of Science, Double Major, Statistics & Political Science; University of Toronto

Most Recent Employer and Job Title:
Employer: Justin Trudeau Administration / Government of Canada
Job: Senior Policy Advisor.
Prior to that I worked for candidate Trudeau, where I was dubbed: his Digital Savant and Number Cruncher.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: Helping to elect Justin Trudeau as Prime Minister of Canada.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? Intellectual. Prior to even setting foot at INSEAD, we organized a pre-MBA trip to Ibiza, Spain. Over the span of the first 36 hours together, we had had 5 intellectually stimulating conversations, ranging from current global affairs, to moral and ethics, and to certain principles of quantum mechanics.

More importantly, my classmates are fun.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key factor that led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA and why was it so important to you?

Family:

My family is a strong driver in my life, and a big determinant of my choice of having gone into politics in Canada. Political work provided me the opportunity to play a role in shaping the direction of my country, a direction that has and will continue to have a first-hand impact on my family. More importantly, the network that I will build at INSEAD and the success that (I hope) I will achieve post-INSEAD will help me to have an even greater impact on my country and, by extension, my family.

Mentor:

I have the pleasure of calling Blake Goldring, an INSEAD alumnus and a Canadian business leader, a mentor. His business success and philanthropy has motivated me to model both my educational and my professional pursuits around his paths, while shaping it into my own image.

Share Viewpoints:

Working in Government and having grown up in Canada, I have a first-hand understanding of diversity and of multiculturalism. Through interactions with family, friends, colleagues, and diplomats, I’ve learnt that respect for others’ way of life and viewpoints is at the heart of a diverse and a multicultural society. I’ve come to understand that diversity is grounded in learning from one another through the exchange of life experiences, opening up each other to different understandings of life.

Growth:

The next year will help me grow and develop as a person, and eventually into a business leader. I intend to take full advantage of the opportunities that have been and will continue to present themselves while studying at INSEAD.

Career Change:

An INSEAD MBA will help me transition out of political work and into the private sector.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? I’ve narrowed it down to four clubs: Rugby, (European) Football, Consulting, and Investment Banking.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? As much as I enjoyed my work in the political world, at this point in my career I believe that more growth is available in the private sector.

How did you decide if an MBA was worth the investment?

I looked at it from a personal development viewpoint. The 10 months at INSEAD would help fast-track my development as a leader.

Of course, I also looked at it from a pure monetary perspective and the numbers were crystal clear.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? None. I only applied to INSEAD.

How did you determine your fit at various schools? I only applied to INSEAD:

• Provides the opportunity to interact with a group of 90+ nationalities
• Minimizes time out of the job market as compared to other top schools
• Leads to the development of an unprecedented network in terms of geography and of sector
• Would help begin my development as a business leader

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? In 2012, following interactions with two homeless individuals, I decided to dedicate part of my professional career to public service, choosing politics as the avenue for public service for my parents taught me that politicians ultimately decide a country’s path.

Later that year, I worked for President Obama’s campaign. Then, in 2013, I helped elect the 25th Premier of Ontario. That was followed by helping to elect the current Mayor of Toronto and, eventually, helping to elect the current Prime Minister of Canada.

What do you plan to do after you graduate? I have an idea of where I want to be and who I’d like to work for, but it would be premature to have it published yet. To the company that will eventually hire me, you were the one I always intended to work for.

Where do you see yourself in five years? I see myself as an executive position in a Fortune 100 company.

Tanja Duester

INSEAD

“Bombastic with tact. Highly coachable, hard-working and focused. Not afraid of challenge.”

Hometown: Grenzach-Wyhlen, Germany

Fun Fact About Yourself: I can fly helicopters and put a 250 lbs person on my shoulders … in heels.

Undergraduate School and Major: West Point (United States Military Academy) Geospatial Information Systems Major

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: U.S. Army as the Deputy Director of Aviation Operations

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: Leading, managing, and guiding over 150 Soldiers for 18 months in the garrison – which in my experience is more challenging than combat because of all the distractions.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? The diversity and backgrounds of my classmates at INSEAD have exceeded all expectations. Being around this group of people is truly improving me and expanding my world view: Not a day passes without learning about a classmate’s culture and how they see things differently.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key factor that led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA and why was it so important to you? Time! Other than my classmates, the condensed program attracted me the most. As a mother and wife, I did not want to be separated from my husband longer than I had to, but I did not want to sacrifice quality. Also, let us not forget the opportunity cost of no making money for a year versus 2 years! INSEAD offered the best of both worlds.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? The Rugby Club. I was a very active Rugby player in college, so I am just excited to get back to rucking and scrumming.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? The desire for change. Though I loved the Army, I needed something different. An MBA was the perfect springboard into new professional opportunities and life as a civilian again.

How did you decide if an MBA was worth the investment? I’m following in the footsteps of veterans who made the transition before me. The ones that took on the MBA had a smoother transition into civilian life and found their footing in a new career quicker. In my opinion, having that structure is priceless. After that, it was just a question of where to apply.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? HEC Paris

How did you determine your fit at various schools? It was important to me to make a good transition and expand my network to Europe – it’s where I grew up, and I wanted to have a good chance of working there. I contacted other vets that were in various MBA programs, and I read a bunch of Poets & Quants. Ultimately, INSEAD is very focused on getting us from “here to there.” My here was Army officer in the USA and my there is working back in Europe. INSEAD struck me as the perfect place to make that transformation and expand my network. I am not going to lie, but obviously the rankings were important to me as well.

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? Becoming a mother in February changed everything. When I was pregnant and applying for the MBA while wrapping up at the Army, I had to learn to ask for help. It has made me reconnect with much of my family back in Germany – especially my mom, Susanne, who has been an irreplaceable member of my team and my go-to babysitter.

What do you plan to do after you graduate? Dive into consulting and keep expanding the new toolkit that I’m learning at INSEAD through hands-on work with clients.

Where do you see yourself in five years? Principal at a top consulting firm.

Dina El-Abd

INSEAD

“A passionate human-being seeking to constantly learn and leave a positive impact in the world.”

Hometown: Cairo, Egypt

Fun Fact About Yourself: when I get really stressed I start laughing and sometimes dancing

Undergraduate School and Major: The American University in Cairo, Mechanical Engineering

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: WeddingHubEG.com – Co-founder

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: Having the courage to abandon my full-time job and start-up a business and breaking even in less than one year, depending on my entrepreneurship intuitions.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? All INSEADers I have met have a set of common characteristics: curious, flexible and humble

Aside from your classmates, what was the key factor that led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA and why was it so important to you? I chose INSEAD for its ranking, of course, but most importantly for the diversity it offers. I was looking forward to meet people from different backgrounds to lend me new perspective.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? I’m looking forward to be part of INDEVOR focusing on social entrepreneurship as well as the entrepreneurship club to be exposed to new ideas.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? Coming from a mechanical engineering background and seeking to move into entrepreneurship, I found that pursuing an MBA will help me accelerate my business understanding and will put me in contact with investors and fellow entrepreneurs – a network I would definitely use in my future career.

How did you decide if an MBA was worth the investment? Looking at the size of the opportunity INSEAD offers in terms of networking and exposure to new ideas and investors, in addition to my positive experience with start-ups, the MBA investment was justified.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? None

How did you determine your fit at various schools? I prioritized diversity, networking and location – being the most impactful on my future career.

I knew about the culture of INSEAD through the diversity rating and meeting with alumnus and listening to their experiences.

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are?  My defining moment was meeting with my interviewers and getting the positive humble vibe full of openness I was told about by other Alumnus. Moreover, the generous scholarship I was offered through the university.

What do you plan to do after you graduate?  Grow my start-up and maybe start another one through networking at INSEAD

Where do you see yourself in five years?  Either the owner of a big business company or a venture capitalist.

Bernardo Frère

INSEAD

Describe yourself in 15 words or less: Golfer who turned into a multi-lingual travelled civil engineer specialized in dredging and offshore construction

Hometown: Lisbon, Portugal

Fun Fact About Yourself: I used to play high competition golf and played for the Portuguese National Team and was three times Portuguese Junior Champion; at some point I seriously considered a career as a professional golfer. I am also passionate about skiing in particular extreme skiing and once came extremely close to be caught in an (huge) avalanche.

Undergraduate School and Major: Instituto Superior Técnico (Lisbon Portugal) – Civil Engineering

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Jan De Nul Group, Tender and Proposals Engineer. Jan De Nul Group is a worldwide leading company in Dredging, Marine and Offshore Construction with 6,500 employees and €1.85B revenues in 2017

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: In my previous job before joining INSEAD, I was responsible for the preparation of proposals for dredging services for the offshore industry and served as main point of contact with customers. We prepared an offer for a major Oil & Gas client. After intense negotiations, changes, re-negotiations, things were looking on the right track for the award of the project to Jan De Nul Group. Unfortunately, it was time for me to leave for the MBA before we managed to sign the contract.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? Everybody is driven into maximizing the learning experience both inside and outside the classroom, not only for themselves but for everybody.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key factor that led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA and why was it so important to you? INSEAD is one of the most recognized MBA programs in Europe with an incredible alumni network that not only shows the potential impact the INSEAD MBA can have in a career but also shows that it is a global school. Also, the fact that the INSEAD MBA is only a 10-month program suited me best.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? The Energy Club – I believe the energy sector is key for modern societies that are facing enormous challenges due to more demand in power, the needs for sustainable energy, and climate change.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? As an engineer, I realized that I somehow didn’t master the hard and soft kills that would help me successfully run a business. An MBA would help me develop those skills, both inside and outside the classroom, by being among extremely driven and bright classmates and excellent professors. Also, an MBA would give me self-knowledge and flexibility which will be key to be able to accommodate my family goals and needs throughout my career. After the INSEAD experience, I believe I will have the capacity to perform in a variety of functions and geographies while keeping the heading of my professional career.

How did you decide if an MBA was worth the investment? Working as an expatriate civil engineer, I managed to save a considerable amount of money having already in view the idea of doing an MBA, thus reducing the risk and allowing for a long-term view on whether or not the MBA was worth the investment. Considering this long-term approach and that I wanted to pivot my career, I decided that the tuition fees and cost of opportunity of the INSEAD MBA wouldn’t mean so much if I look over an entire career and would bring excellent value for money.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? I only applied to INSEAD

How did you determine your fit at various schools? As a married man and now a recent father, I prioritized the location of the school, the duration, and the recognition. I knew I wanted to stay in Europe and have a one-year program, having said that INSEAD was an obvious choice.

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? I became a very proud father only two weeks before the start of the MBA program. This changed me as I realized that not only do I have an added responsibility, but that my behavior and actions will have a huge impact on my little daughter. As such, I aim to lead by example and that my daughter will see me as someone who always strove at his best to reach his goals, both personally and professionally.

What do you plan to do after you graduate? I am planning to remain in the energy industry, but not on the contractor’s side; at this point in time I am still undecided if I should aim for the Wind Energy sector or Oil&Gas. I understand these sub-sectors may appear opposites but both are key for the energy mix of our societies and both have extremely interesting challenges.

Where do you see yourself in five years? I see myself in a general management position in company within the Energy sector that is working in providing society with sufficient power while keeping a focus in sustainability. I also see myself as the father of three wonderful kids.

Siddharth Handa

INSEAD

“I am a serial entrepreneur, an organic farmer, a loving husband and a loyal friend!”

Hometown: Ahmedabad/ Mumbai

Fun Fact About Yourself: I co-hold a Limca World Record (India’s Guinness Record) for “The longest plastic-refill chain” made by interlocking plastic refill chains to a length of 120m comprising 3600 refills.

Undergraduate School and Major: VIT University, Bachelor of Technology in Mechanical Engineering

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Co-founder at The Baker’s Dozen – one of India’s largest artisan bread companies

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: In 2014 almost two years into business, my start-up The Baker’s Dozen (manufacturer and retailer of artisan breads) was facing financial difficulty. My co-founders and I decided to redirect the strategy from establishing more own-brand retail locations to expand in modern-trade instead (supplying to supermarkets). Translating this thought into action required me to re-engineer the 40-member 3-shift production unit and gear towards scaling up to 5x capacity within three months. This required me to increase the workforce by 50%. Achieving this transformation in a tight start-up budget and time-constraints helped the business achieve profitability and chart a new trajectory of growth! All of this while retaining the deliciousness taste of our breads!

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? Versatile, because they are equally comfortable networking in large crowds and going on a solo trip; Achievers, because they don’t rest on laurels; and Limitless because they introspect, distill insights, and put them into action.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key factor that led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA and why was it so important to you? INSEAD’s goal to leverage diversity as a source of learning in a rigorous 10-month program resonated with me. The fact that it is a stand-alone institution and not part of a larger university helps INSEAD continuously reevaluate their purpose, leading to continuous improvement in their offerings.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school?
Technology in Business, Business in Asia/ Europe, Travelling, Diving,

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career?
I started my business when I was 22. After five years of a steep learning curve, both personally and professionally, I could sense my growth plateau. Through these years I found my scope of work narrowing and becoming less challenging. In order to make an orbital jump in my thinking and career, I decided to pursue the INSEAD MBA.

How did you decide if an MBA was worth the investment?
Initially, since I didn’t wish to take a long break from work, I had pursued a short management program at IIMA. But after finding it less impactful, I learnt something about myself: I can emerge as an improved version (of myself) only by completely immersing myself into a long-term management program.

What other MBA programs did you apply to?
IIMA, ISB, SBS- Oxford, LBS

How did you determine your fit at various schools? As I received admits from the other schools I applied to, I visited their faculty, students, and alumni, to have an open discussion to help me with my choice. I could clearly see that they held INSEAD in high regard and this helped vet the pedigree of the school in the global professional world.

The application process of INSEAD helped me dig deep into my subconscious and discover my truer self. The interviews with alumni were delightful conversations and the fine balance of an interview interwoven into a conversation impressed me.

Lastly, the flexibility offered in the INSEAD program to study with peers across continents and explore multiple career paths in an efficient 10-months sealed the deal for me.

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are?
In my second year of undergraduate studies, I partnered with a few colleagues to participate in SAE Baja – an automotive competition in which 100 international teams participate. I was excited to design and build a car with my own hands! For this year long project, as a team we maintained our grades by day and toiled in the garage by night.

Strategically pitching to companies and raising $30,000 in sponsorship helped me understand the commercial aspects of the process.

We were up against teams from universities better funded and more experienced. Making the final presentation to the audience and winning 1st prize in India and outperforming many better-equipped teams at a global level was a defining moment for me. It instilled in me the confidence that I can achieve anything I set my mind to. And frankly, how many friends could bring up ‘building their own car’ when meeting new people at a bar!

What do you plan to do after you graduate? Post-INSEAD, I would like to take a young ambitious company from ‘zero to one’ and instill a culture to inspire and innovate.

Where do you see yourself in five years? In five years, I see myself as CEO of a billion dollar tech start-up, and as a happy dad.

Gauthier Joyeux

INSEAD

“I am a passionate, 29 year-old, freshly married healthcare engineer who wants to transform the world.”

Hometown: Nimes, France

Fun Fact About Yourself: I have been a math teacher in a French secondary school.

Undergraduate School and Major: Ecole Centrale de Nantes (French engineering school), Major in Bio-engineering and Nanotechnologies

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: CARMAT, worked as Clinical Specialist

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: I feel my biggest professional accomplishment is the relationships I built with the patients and physicians I worked with at CARMAT. It is for me a great sign of recognition and respect from the physicians and of trust from the patients. I worked hard in developing and maintaining these relationships as I felt there were key for a successful partnership in the long run.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? Open-mindedness: everyone is so curious about each other and open to his difference and uniqueness. We are all at the same level here and there is no discrimination in color, gender, sexual orientation or religion. Each individual enriches the others by its authenticity.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key factor that led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA and why was it so important to you? International: as INSEAD slogan says, it is “the business school for the world” and that corresponded to the future impact I wanted my career to have: a global, international impact to help shape the world.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? I want to get highly involved in the healthcare club to help my fellow MBAs to discover its potential so they can have an impact in that field in the future as I trust in their abilities.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? After 4.5 years of successful experience at CARMAT, where I had the chance to work hand-in-hand with top level physicians around the world on one of the most innovative products, I wanted to diversify and acquire the necessary business skills to be part of shaping the future of healthcare in the world.

How did you decide if an MBA was worth the investment? It was almost obvious to me that I had to go through the MBA to be able to transition and gain worldwide recognition and visibility. All the opportunities and human experience it represented was enough to take that leap of faith.

How did you determine your fit at various schools? When evaluating the best program to apply to, I considered several criteria. Obviously, the FT rankings (available online) give a good idea on the overall impact and quality of the program (and its faculty) you choose. However, I also considered the location (MBA websites) and was looking for a place that would fit me: a diverse environment, a clear desire to do good (talking with alumns), anda strong alumni network who can offer the possibility to move abroad after completing the program. I also went on campus to have a better appreciation of the overall atmosphere of the place.

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? One of them was when I chose the “engineering and healthcare” elective in my 1st year of engineering school. Coming from a medical family, I was curious on seeing the healthcare world from a different side. I was immediately convinced by this new approach and new from that moment on that I wanted to work in healthcare, to help physicians save and improve lives.

What do you plan to do after you graduate? After the MBA, I wish to continue my career in healthcare. However, I would like to switch to a more business-oriented job. I am considering many options as we have the chance at INSEAD to meet people with rich and diverse backgrounds: entrepreneurship, private investment, management consulting.

Where do you see yourself in five years? In five years, I see myself at another turning point, having acquired strong business experience and 10 years overall professional experience. If I have the chance, it could be an opportunity to start my own company or keep growing in the one I already work in.

I see myself working abroad and/or with many different countries and actors from the healthcare world.

Natasha Saini

INSEAD

“Oil trader attracted to clean energy and  social enterprise. Squash and DOTA player, caricaturist.”

Hometown: Delhi, India

Fun Fact About Yourself: I was a radio reporter as part of my brief journalism career and some of those clips are still floating around on the internet

Undergraduate School and Major: Delhi University, BA Honours Economics; University of Warwick, MA International Political Economy

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: GAC Bunker Fuels, Marine Fuel Trader

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: A trader in my industry is only as good as their ‘book’ (i.e. client base). I asked for a move to Singapore during the worst couple years for the shipping industry in recent history (2015-2017) gave up my book from Middle East and built a new, one up from scratch hitting all my targets.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? The consistency in our diversity. All of us are similar in that our journeys have taken us through such different places and experiences that there are no cliques. A second very interesting quality I find is that people are not only willing but eager to have their opinions challenged and to continuously update them.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key factor that led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA and why was it so important to you? The very high standing that INSEAD enjoys in the eastern hemisphere (Ranking #1 with no obvious contender for miles)

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school?  INDEVOR – the organization for social enterprise

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? I wanted to switch from my very niche job as a physical commodity trader in the oil industry to a broader commercial career in the energy industry or social enterprise. Making this career switch with 6-7 years of work experience is a very difficult task in itself and even more so in the sort of economic and political environment we are compelled to be part of. I therefore needed two things: A) a solid business knowledge base and B) a network that I could learn from as I explore the various paths I might take and that I could also reach out to in the years to come in my professional and even my personal life.

An INSEADer once said that he was there to recruit his ‘personal Board of Directors’ and I like that analogy enough to borrow it for this purpose. I was looking for a learning community that would help me shift career gears in the short term as well as one that I could count on for my life ahead as well. Therefore, an MBA at this stage made perfect sense for me.

How did you decide if an MBA was worth the investment? One would typically do a cost-benefit analysis for this sort of an investment as did I. In my case, the value of getting that second real shot at changing my career and choosing to do something that aligns with my value system and excites me was extremely high, which made the decision significantly easier.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? I applied to LBS

How did you determine your fit at various schools? In the first place, I knew that if I invested in an MBA it had to be top brand name. Therefore, I did not look beyond the top ranked Business schools. I also wanted to work in Asia and therefore prioritized schools with a strong reputation and network in the region. I reached out to professionals in the energy industry and in consulting in Southeast Asia and requested a few coffee chats where possible to get a candid view on how the school is viewed at their companies from a prestige and a recruitment point of view. I also reached out to students and alumni to get their honest opinions of their experience and I made sure to ask them what they did not like about the school as well.

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? There isn’t one defining moment that I could point at; various events through my life have led to important turns.

To pick one I would say when I left India ten years ago and moved to the UK that was the beginning of my international journey – I went on to live in Dubai and then in Singapore and now in France. The immense load of cultural information I came by through travelling was amazing and also made me appreciate how much of a privilege it is to have the opportunity to travel. It is not something my parents could easily afford and I have been incredibly lucky to get these chances in my life. I learnt how different the working cultures in each country were and learnt of a fair few prejudices along the way too which were also small lessons in what not to do!

What do you plan to do after you graduate? I would like to work in Consulting ideally in the energy and social impact practices.

Where do you see yourself in five years? Hopefully I’ll be on my way to Partner at a top xonsulting firm having worked on some very fulfilling energy and social impact projects. I also hope that I would have been able to expand the network and work of the NGO I currently work with – Meraki Foundation –  and we would have made further leaps and bounds in the Indian education space for low income families.

Laurenz Vorderwülbecke

INSEAD

“Curious and open-minded, technology enthusiast, interested in continuous challenges and autonomy.”

Hometown: Munich, Germany

Fun Fact About Yourself: As a kid, I used to eat onions like apples. I would just bite off big chunks

Undergraduate School and Major: Karlsruhe Institute of Technology – Industrial Engineering and Management

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Technical Consultant at El Retiro S.A.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: Having a positive impact on the lives of the employees on the farm in Paraguay. The farm is so remote that no public infrastructure exists: no running water, no electricity and barely any internet. I am therefore proud of all the improvements that I implemented, such as a stable solar-powered electricity grid, clean water, and improved communications capabilities. Getting the opportunity to watch these changes impact the daily lives of the employees has been one of the most meaningful achievements of my time in Paraguay.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? Sympathetic, open, approachable, humble, and down-to-earth. In addition to being from diverse backgrounds and very successful in their jobs, basically everybody I met so far at INSEAD is incredibly fun to hang out with. It is a great confirmation of the impressions I got of INSEAD during the incredibly pleasant alumni meetings before starting the program.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key factor that led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA and why was it so important to you? The school’s excellence in Entrepreneurship and Innovation topics and the opportunity to explore these areas with like-minded classmates were essential to me. I wanted a school, where free out-of-the-box thinking is not only encouraged but nurtured through a curriculum that will push me to deep dive into these topics.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? I am looking forward to all of the Technology and Entrepreneurship activities. In particular, I’m excited about the Entrepreneurship Club and Technology, Media and Telecom Club as well as Silicon Valley and Israel Treks. The treks offer a great way to spend time with energized people in highly engaging situations and network with alumni as well as companies in the field I’m interested in.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? I want to start my own business in the future and have a positive impact on people through it. I hope for this MBA to be a boost towards that goal. Even though I was fortunate enough to have significant responsibilities early on in my career working in small companies in different countries, I feel I still need to learn and acquire more skills and experiences. My line of thought is that the extraordinarily dense and accelerated MBA experience and learnings that will help me in gaining or working towards these skill in an accelerated timeframe. Furthermore, I expect to meet a lot of entrepreneurial people and exchange ideas. It is also a great personal growth opportunity to have all the different experiences and cultures around you in the pressure cooker called INSEAD.

How did you decide if an MBA was worth the investment? I looked at what I hope to achieve at INSEAD, how much that is worth to me, and compared it with how much effort and time it would take me to do it somewhere else.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? Stanford, MIT, IESE, Kellogg

How did you determine your fit at various schools? First, I short-listed business schools based on ranking, recommendations, and other unique features. Then I looked up the curriculums, focus areas, and electives to get an idea of what is important to each school. You can also find a lot of information on the school’s culture, people, and daily life on the internet on various personal and professional blogs such as Poets & Quants, Clear Admit or GMATClub. Furthermore, I spoke to a few alumni in my network to get an idea of their experience and their impressions & thoughts on the school and its culture.

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? A personal family tragedy affected my family and indirectly influenced what I am like and what is important to me. It made me think hard about problems, care deeply about others, and taught me never to judge too quickly. You never know their story.

What do you plan to do after you graduate? Currently, I don’t have a firm plan for what to do directly after the MBA. I will probably travel a bit, meet up with some newly-made friends and relax after the MBA experience.

Regarding my career, I will see what opportunities present itself during the MBA and what opportunities present themselves. I am not fixed on one path to reach my goals.

Where do you see yourself in five years? I would love to be working on solving challenging internet and technology-based problems with a team of dedicated, smart, and aspiring individuals. I hope to lead them or have founded the enterprise.

The post Meet INSEAD’s MBA Class Of 2019 appeared first on Poets&Quants.

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