Getting the X factor
“Just before taking the Masters in Finance (MiF) at London Business School (LBS), I was a senior analyst at RBC. While I was there, I set out to gain the experience I felt I’d need for a successful application: a good amount of responsibility managing a team and experience working with top management."
“I visited several top business schools before deciding where to study. My number one reason for choosing LBS was the network. The US business schools are very US-centric: you build links mostly within the American investment community. Hong Kong and Singapore based universities are great for networks with Asian companies. But LBS gives you unique access to entrepreneurs, fund managers and industry contacts in the UK, US and the Middle East as well as Asia."
“My MiF class was made up of four types of people. First, those sponsored by companies to gain specialist skills, senior guys with experience that they’d share. They become long-term friends in different geographies."
“Second were finance professionals from different parts of the world looking to work in London. All these MiFs from different markets bring their knowledge and their networks. Before LBS, I would have struggled to find an international network of personal contacts in different sectors. Now, after LBS, if I want to do a transaction in Singapore I can just call one of my classmates."
“The third kind of MiF is someone who wants to advance their career. In large banks, you reach a point in your career where you’re competing with another colleague in your firm for a partner-level job. At that point the only thing that distinguishes you is the degree you have. And at that point people say, ‘Let’s get the guy from LBS.’
“Then there were people like myself, looking to change career trajectory. I wanted to make a shift out of a markets role in banking to a corporate finance role in private equity/venture capital. My knowledge base was quite strong and I wanted to stay within the financial sector, not make a massive career shift.”