"It offered me the chance to get to know new people from different backgrounds, industries and cultures. Each day was full of new information and surprises."
Felipe Diaz
Nationality: Chilean
Programme: Full-time MBA, 2020
Pre-MBA: Senior Project Manager, IT and Logistics, CCU, Santiago, Chile
Post-MBA: Senior Consultant, Enel X. Co-Founder, Wisetechs, Santiago, Chile
Current industry: Energy
Transitions made: Industry, Function
What was your situation before you joined the MBA?
I was one of the youngest Senior Project Managers working for the IT department at CCU, a beverage producer that is a joint venture of Heineken in Chile. I was responsible for delivering IT and logistics projects. I decided to study for an MBA to develop the skills and knowledge I needed to not only pursue more senior positions, such as CIO roles, but also develop my own company.
Why did you choose the Business School’s full-time MBA programme?
There were several aspects that attracted me to the Business School, from its excellent reputation and broad-ranging cohort to the international electives and London location. The last of which was a big factor, as it is somewhere I really wanted to study. I love the city, it is a multicultural melting pot, full of opportunities.
The first few months were some the most exciting and richest experiences that I’ve ever had. It offered me the chance to get to know new people from different backgrounds, industries and cultures. Each day was full of new information and surprises.
In terms of study, I particularly focused on strategy as it is inherent to any discipline and an area that I hadn't had the opportunity to explore in my previous technical roles.
Strategy enables you to think differently and develop the tools and frameworks to stand out among all the rest. Later, I pursued this even further through the elective modules, which enabled me to investigate advanced strategy management. Also, I chose consultancy management, and during the MBA, discovered that this was an area that I wanted to pursue further.
The Careers Team is outstanding and helps you to think about your future, look at the possibilities and plan how you can achieve your goals in the long term. They helped me to find a Business Mastery Project (BMP) that would enable me to practice consultancy at Swoop, a fintech company based in London.
There, I conducted a market analysis of the fintech industry and provided recommendations on what new products they could consider adding to the marketplace.
It was very rewarding. So much so, that after completing my BMP, Swoop offered me the opportunity to work for them as a full-time consultant.
What impact has the programme had on your career development?
The MBA has had a huge impact on my career progression. First, it enabled me to develop the skills, knowledge and confidence to launch myself as a consultant – something I hadn’t considered before starting the MBA.
Today, I’m working as a consultant for global energy provider Enel. So, the MBA has enabled me to secure a senior role, with global responsibilities. In addition, the experience gave me the motivation to start my own company. I am now co-founder of Wisetechs, a digital development company.
Already, we have several contracts signed. I’m looking forward to seeing how it will grow over the coming years and very happy to have this chance to build something of my own.