Prior to starting my MBA, I was an Institutional Banker at Citibank in Mexico City. I crossed oceans in 2019 to pursue my MBA degree, hoping to make a career change into Management Consulting.

The full-time MBA program at the Business School, unlike traditional MBAs, created an experiential learning environment for me to learn by doing. Most importantly though, it offered timely opportunities for me to apply my learnings directly to real life business cases and problems faced by Australian companies, such as PwC, KBR Inc., NSW Government agencies and Austrade to name a few. I was able to use cutting edge business processes like systems thinking, feedback loops, flexible workplace maturity assessments, design thinking, and the double diamond model.

My key takeaway from the MBA is a proficient understanding of the overarching processes required to turn business insights into transformative corporate solutions. This has provided a solid foundation for me to expand my career aspirations from being a subject matter expert in Institutional Banking to becoming a more strategic thinker, better people manager and more responsible leader.

Since day one, the MBA Career Services team worked closely with me in developing a personalised career management plan, which continued to evolve as I progressed through the MBA.

Sure, prior to my MBA – as a financier at Citibank - I analysed firms’ financial performance with a risk management lens. However, the MBA double barrelled my risk management skills with a strategic perspective, allowing me to understand the broader strokes of markets with strategic frameworks, financial strategies, and analytics learnt in MBA units like:

• Strategies for Growth
• Financial Management
• Data Analytics and Modelling

One of the highlights is that the MBA Careers team helped me to align my professional experience and MBA learnings into an attractive value proposition for prospective employers, which secured me a role as a Researcher with Tenzing Private Equity. In this role I researched end-market dynamics and helped evaluate potential investments in tech and tech-driven business.

Throughout the program and beyond, I have been well equipped in preparing my career prospects with valuable careers guidance and employment opportunities offered by the dedicated MBA careers team.

While I was completing the MBA, I served as the President of the MBA Consulting Club and also revamped the club with the support of my peers.

Over the past 12 months, the MBA Consulting Club has showcased the consulting landscape in Sydney through events involving consulting industry leaders engaged in open discussion forums on a range of topics including: 

• Artificial intelligence
• Consulting processes
• Diversity and inclusion
• Interview techniques

The club has also established an Advisory Council comprised of industry leaders that help steward club members into consultancy roles. This has not only helped me develop runway relationships with industry leaders to advance my own career goals, but it has also offered me some unique opportunities to work on some meaningful projects. I've had the opportunity to lead in uncertainty - my fellow MBA students and I provided strategic advice to affected businesses in the height of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Learn more about the full-time MBA, or book an individual consultation to discuss your options.