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MBA blog
Business students
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This is the Financial Times Business Education MBA blog. MBA students from business schools around the globe are blogging about their experiences.
What is it really like to study for an MBA? How do the students juggle their work load and their personal life? What do they hope to achieve once they have gained an MBA? Read the FT's MBA blog to find out.
Subscribe to the RSS feed
Like us on Facebook
@ftbuseducation
This is the Financial Times Business Education MBA blog. MBA students from business schools around the globe are blogging about their experiences.
What is it really like to study for an MBA? How do the students juggle their work load and their personal life? What do they hope to achieve once they have gained an MBA? Read the FT's MBA blog to find out.
Subscribe to the RSS feed
Like us on Facebook
@ftbuseducation
To comment, please register for free with FT.com and read our policy on submitting comments.
All posts are published in UK time.
Contact linda.anderson@ft.com about the MBA blog.
Read posts by previous MBA bloggers.
See the full list of FT blogs.
All posts are published in UK time.
Contact linda.anderson@ft.com about the MBA blog.
Read posts by previous MBA bloggers.
See the full list of FT blogs.
Meet the MBA students
Sonal Yadav, Brigham Young University
Age: 30
Nationality: Indian
Background: With a degree in media and communication from Delhi University Sonal has worked in India in a business development and human resources role. She is eager to develop her HR abilities.
Tristan Tucker, University of Queensland
Age: 26
Nationality: Australian
Background: Tristan is midway through his MBA programme which he plans to complete in July 2014. He currently works as a programme manager for one of Australia’s largest energy suppliers. He is eager to apply his MBA to solving problems associated with energy distribution.
Galina Kanevsky, WHU Otto Beisheim School of Management
Age: 36
Nationality: Israeli
Background: Galina studied at the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem as an architect. But after seven years’ experience she now wants to switch to the field of project management.
Kishore Adiraju, MIP Politecnico di Milano
Age: 30
Nationality: Indian
Background: Kishore has a degree in mechanical engineering and a strong interest in supply chain management. He wants to start up a venture that simplifies supply chains for Indian farmers to help them realise better margins.
Madhavi Rao, MBA/MS dual degree at Ross School of Business and School of Natural Resources and Environment at the University of MichiganAge: 28
Nationality: American
Background: She is a strong believer in business as a driver of social and environmental change which led her to pursue her dual degree. She is eager to pursue an entrepreneurial product management role
Jennifer Soffen, Harvard Business School
Age: 26
Nationality: American
Background: Jennifer has a BA from Cornell University and worked as a product marketing manager at Google. She plans to use her MBA to tackle the digital divide - giving more people the access and ability to use information technologies.
Hammad Hussain, IMD
Age: 33
Nationality: Pakistani/British
Background: Hammad has 11 years' experience in process consulting in the oil and gas, technology and telecommunications industries. He wants to develop energy opportunities in Pakistan.
James Doherty, Esade Business School
Age: 28
Nationality: American/Irish
Background: James has worked for five years as an export strategy consultant for the Swedish Trade Council in Chicago. Post-MBA he is eager to continue his career either in strategy consulting or in the non-profit sector.
Lynne Hoey, IE Business SchoolGlobal MBA +
Age: 32
Nationality: British/American
Background: Lynne is a chartered accountant and has worked in the UK and US for global organisations and currently works in New York City as a credit officer supporting SMEs and mid-corporate businesses. Post-MBA she hopes to work in social finance.
Helen Casey, Imperial Business School EMBAAge: 27
Nationality: British
Background: Helen has a masters degree in occupational psychology. She is director of a specialist property company and has worked with UK-based property-networking groups looking at how social media can be used as a business tool.
Karen Allardice, Melbourne Business SchoolAge: 29
Nationality: Australian
Background: Karen has a double degree in law and mechanical engineering from Monash University. She has worked as a lawyer in Dubai and for the past 18 months has worked for Boston Consulting Group. In time she hopes to start her own social enterprise.
Kyle Wu, Thunderbird School of Global ManagementAge: 31
Nationality: American
Background: After graduating from The Ohio State University Kyle worked in news producing at ABC News for Good Morning America. He then went to Taiwan to improve his Mandarin and learn more about Asian culture. His objective for his MBA is a cross cultural US/Asia career.
Thomas Pedrick, University of Cape Town Graduate School of BusinessAge: 28
Nationality: British
Background: Thomas has a degree in archaeology from University College London and considerable experience in the publishing industry. He has a deep interest in emerging markets and believes South Africa is an ideal setting to learn the skills necessary for doing business in these markets.
Lubica Valentova, HHL Leipzig Graduate School of ManagementAge: 28
Nationality: Slovakian
Background: After graduating with a law degree from Comenius University in Bratislava Slovakia, Lubica worked in sales. She is eager to improve her hard skills such as accounting.
Diana Mak, Guanghua School of Management, Peking UniversityAge: 29
Nationality: US
Background: Diana has a degree in psychology from Wellesley College in the US and is currently completing her international MBA. She worked at Morgan Stanley’s global wealth management division for five years before working as a volunteer teacher in China’s Huan province.
Katie Sherning, Cranfield School of ManagementAge: 27
Nationality: New Zealander
Background: Having completed an undergraduate degree in civil engineering at Canterbury University, New Zealand, Katie has worked as an engineer and project manager on infrastructure projects for the public and private sectors. Her MBA will help her to understand and manage the commercial aspect of large infrastructure projects.
Andre de Haes, Stanford Graduate School of BusinessAge: 25
Nationality: Dual: French and South African
Background: Andre has an undergraduate degree from Oxford University and has worked as a consultant in McKinsey. He has spent the summer working at a European venture capital firm to learn more about the start-up opportunities in Europe and the way VC investment decisions are made.
Eunice Benedicto, Durham University Business SchoolAge: 35
Nationality: Filipino
Background: Eunice is an accountant and has more than 10 years' experience in auditing and accounting and currently works for American Airlines in Texas. Among other things she was attracted to Durham because of its charity consulting project.
Benjamin Bechtolsheim, UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business SchoolAge: 24
Nationality: American
Background: Benjamin has a degree in political science from Brandeis University in Massachusetts and has worked in international development in Africa. He intends to use his MBA in socially responsible corporate practice.
Stephen Garden, London Business SchoolAge: 27
Nationality: British
Background: Stephen holds an undergraduate degree in business and has worked in account management at Fujitsu and Verizon. He is midway through his MBA and hopes ultimately to become an entrepreneur. He is currently on exchange with the University of California Berkeley.
Derek Laan, Sungkyunkwan Graduate School of Business-Kelley School of Business, Indiana UniversityAge: 25
Nationality: American
Background:After graduating from Purdue University Derek moved to Korea to teach English at an elementary school and hopes on graduation to work in international marketing for a large Korean company.
Nicole Hawkins, Fuqua School of BusinessAge: 26
Nationality: American
Background: Nicole has a degree in finance and real estate from Temple University and has been working in the affordable housing industry in an asset management function. She wants to work in international development in developing economies.
Liliana Diaconu, Brandeis International Business SchoolAge: 26
Nationality: Moldovan
Background: Liliana is midway through programme and spent her summer interning with Accenture in Boston. She was attracted by Brandeis' international focus and is eager to pursue a career in consulting.
Wing Lee, CeibsAge: 27
Nationality: British
Background: After studying for an economics degree at Edinburgh University Wing trained and qualified as a chartered accountant with Ernst & Young before returning to Hong Kong to work for Merrill Lynch. He hopes his MBA will help him to develop a strong network in the region.
Brigitte Roediger, University of Stellenbosch Business School, part time MBAAge: 26
Nationality: South African
Background: Brigitte has a degree in financial analysis and marketing communications from the University of Stellenbosch. She is the assistant brand manager at a wine farm near Cape Town and will continue to work as she studies which will allow her to repay her business school loan.
Linda Groarke, Open University Business SchoolAge: 34
Nationality: British
Background: After being made redundant Linda set up her own consultancy. She subsequently moved to New York where she now works for an investment bank. She chose the OUBS as it allows her to study anywhere in the world while continuing to work full time.
Noel Hanssens, University of Hong KongAge: 32
Nationality: Australian/Belgian
Background: After earning a degree in information technology from Charles Darwin University, Noel has worked as a project manager in the strategic policy and performance area in the Australian public sector.
Previous MBA bloggers