Pablo Morales
- Programme: Sloan Masters in Leadership and Strategy
- Nationality: Brazilian
- Job Pre-programme: Sales Director, Brazil
- Job Post-programme: Senior Director, Head of Strategic Partners for North America, Europe and Latin America
Originally from Brazil, Pablo built a career spanning over two decades in technology, sales and business development, including work on the early commercial rollout of the internet. He joined the Sloan Masters in Leadership and Strategy at London Business School to expand his focus beyond technology into leadership and global collaboration. Today, he leads across regions and cultures, continuing to draw on the global perspective and relationships he developed at London Business School.
What did your CV look like before London Business School?
I studied computer science and began my career in the telecoms industry in the 90s; I worked on the commercial rollout of the internet in Brazil, back when it would take two hours to download one picture! I then went into software, and after a few years I moved to a tech company that specialised in the financial sector where I was lucky enough to learn about AI a decade before it became a hyped topic. When I moved to London to join London Business School, I had over 20 years of experience in sales, marketing and business development.
"The programme deconstructs you, guides you to understand where your strengths are, and then helps you to build your leadership on top of that."
What drew you to the Sloan Masters in Leadership and Strategy?
After so many years of work, I knew that I needed something else to boost me to the next level, maybe not related to technology, but to culture, people, interaction and leadership. I wanted to expand myself, and the diversity that London Business School offered was attractive. I wanted to see what other people around the world were doing in their careers. I went from being connected to my peers in the technology industry to meeting people from the oil sector, the sports industry, television, government, healthcare, finance …
My biggest surprise was …
When I was doing my research into masters, I found many programmes that were meant to turn you into a “model executive”, and shape you in a certain way. The transformational realisation from the Sloan is that London Business School takes a fundamentally different approach. The programme deconstructs you, guides you to understand where your strengths are, and then helps you to build your leadership on top of that. Instead of becoming a specific type of executive, I could understand what kind of executive I was.
Is there a particular skill or mindset from London Business School that you draw on in your work today?
It transformed what I thought a leader was supposed to be. I remember having to introduce myself without my job title and company on day one. You start to think deeply about who you are when you don’t have certain labels. The diversity also made me more tolerant and more inclusive: today I listen far more than I ever did before. I observe and understand challenges much more calmly, and with more humility. I let people come up with solutions and find creative ways to turn bad situations into good ones. I would say that before, I trusted in the process more than I trusted in people, and today it’s the other way around. I think it’s crucial that people feel empowered – I'm now a huge fan of quiet leadership over loud leadership, because that's how people can flourish and come up with their best work.
Is there a specific turning point in your career that you’d attribute to your time here?
After London Business School, my previous employer, FICO, asked me to rejoin the company as a director in Latin America. I moved back to Brazil for what was a much more senior position than the one I had held before. From Latin America, I then started managing people in North America, then Europe, and then the position never stopped growing. I wouldn’t have been prepared for a position like that before London Business School. After the Sloan programme, it was relatively easy for me to come back and to lead people from so many different countries and cultures, and to give them a voice. I felt like I was back at London Business School, with all these people not only from different places but of different ages and with different views.
"Today I listen far more than I ever did before. I observe and understand challenges much more calmly, and with more humility."
What’s your fondest memory of living in London?
London has a special place in my heart, and I’ll never forget how warm the welcome was at London Business School – not only was I starting a new programme, but it was my first time ever visiting London, and I felt that I was coming home. More broadly, London is a mix of everything that you could want in life: the culture, the history, the people, the hard work and the innovation, the technology. Once we were done for the day, I would really enjoy going to the park with my cohort with a bottle of sparkling wine and some cheese. Socially, it wasn’t what I would have done in Brazil, but I enjoyed that cultural shift. Plus, I could mix business and pleasure by meeting with the cohort at a pub over a pint, which I can’t complain about.
How have your London Business School connections influenced your journey since graduating – and what’s next?
I’m sure that the bonds I built during the programme will last forever – we’ll always have that shared experience of London and the School. One of the most meaningful outcomes was co-founding a company, London Analytics, with a fellow Sloan alumna, Kira Begunova. We came from completely different industries, which made the collaboration really surprising! I remain a board member today, and the company continues to build technology for the financial sector.
Looking ahead, I feel deeply connected to London and the London Business School ecosystem. I can’t say for certain that I won’t return – the city, the people, the alumni network, investors and ideas make it an environment that’s hard to stay away from. I’m sure London Business School will continue to play a role in my next chapter.
If you had to describe your overall experience in three words, what would they be?
Transformational, inclusive, and reshaping (yourself). It’s all about finding your true self. It’s hard to be exposed to all of this culture and diversity and to come back the same way that you were before. If you’re not interested in changing then don’t apply, because it will definitely change you!
