Rodrigo Fuentes Zacarias

“The world is evolving so fast, and LBS keeps up”

Rodrigo Fuentes MBA2016 sums up the reasons he chose London Business School (LBS) with one word: diversity. “Of course LBS is at the top of the rankings in the UK, and I had heard great things about it, but I chose LBS because I knew it would give me more diversity than any other place. Other schools have diverse profiles but none of them match LBS.”

His study group spanned four continents, with members from the US, the UK, Germany, Thailand and India. Coming from Chile – which he describes as “a long way from the rest of the world” – he says that an LBS MBA has opened doors for him, and being awarded the Gonzalo R Garcia MBA1993 Scholarship validated his decision. His job at Amazon in London would have been out of his reach without it. “The MBA has validated me in a global environment. I know now I am from a global community. I feel empowered because I learned from the best, and studied with the best.”

He says that for him, the MBA has three components: content, faculty, and classmates. “The content is one thing, and it’s important”, he says, “but it’s the faculty that make a massive difference to it. Their delivery is exceptional. You can tell right away that they know exactly how to manage an audience and make an impact. And your classmates are as important as the degree you walk away with, because you also walk away with a lifelong relationship with them. I was so impressed with the quality and profile of everyone at LBS.”

Coming from Groupon in Chile, Rodrigo wanted to step away from the familiar and look at his future with a fresh perspective. “There’s a lot of high-level management back in Chile where MBAs are strongly preferred. If you don’t do an MBA, you can’t get there.” The MBA has given him the ability to reflect on his journey so far and begin to forge the path ahead. For now, that path is in London – the city “at the centre of everything.” Doing the MBA was for personal growth and development, rather than a change of career, but despite his motivation being personal, professionally, the world has opened up for him. “The LBS brand is very important”, he says. “The world is evolving so fast, and LBS keeps up. That’s why this programme is so valuable.”