To enrol, he left behind a senior project management career with Hewlett-Packard (HP), the multinational IT giant, which he had built up since entering the company in 2007.
He has been based in Manila, in the Philippines, for his entire career with HP, and describes the Filipino working culture as “eating, karaoke and family”.
He thinks there are distinct advantages to studying at business school in Australia, such as the diversity of the MBS cohort. When he graduates, he wants to work in the tech or fast-moving consumer goods sectors.
How did you first secure your job at Hewlett-Packard?
I got my job through a job fair organised by my university back in 2007. I graduated with a degree in economics but I decided I didn’t want to get stereotyped by working for banks and financial institutions.
Luckily back then, HP started to open up business analyst roles in the Philippines. I was part of the first wave of business analysts that HP hired for their global SAP projects in Manila.
What are the key lessons you've learnt throughout your career there?
Attitude determines altitude.
There were a lot of times when having a business background in a technology-driven environment could be so daunting and challenging that the exit door seemed appealing. Working with IT engineers required me to step outside of my comfort zone - I had to think the way they think.
However, that didn’t mean I had to drop my business background. It eventually became my value proposition for HP, as a lot of our clients were keen to speak in the language of business. Ultimately, this ability to bridge technical speak and business speak soon helped me rise to the ranks of a project manager.
What's it like working in the Philippines?
It’s crazy, but definitely fun. We don’t have the most popular transportation mode to get to work – our light rail system is getting more attention these days – but we have our own way of being fun.
The Filipino working culture is best described in three words: eating, karaoke and family.
Filipinos can find reasons to celebrate and eat with their colleagues at work, [and] end their working week with hearty karaoke – because Filipinos genuinely try to build family-like relationships in the office.
Plus, there is always another island to discover with your officemates during holidays. As we say back home: “It’s more fun in the Philippines”.
Why did you decide to begin an MBA program, and what made Melbourne Business School stand out?
I realised that as a project manager my career options were limited to the implementation side of things. I wanted to go beyond the upstream side of the business, which is the strategy aspect.
Too often project managers are so consumed with implementing their own projects that they forget to see the bigger picture. I decided that to push my career forward in strategy, an MBA [was] a must.
I went for Melbourne Business School primarily [because] of its one-year program – if I wanted to learn, I better learn it fast – and because of the associations towards Melbourne – modern, sophisticated, artistic and most importantly, home to the best Australian education.
This decision also coincided with my scholarship provision – MBS has partnerships with my sponsor, the Asian Development Bank.
What are the unique advantages of studying at a business school in Australia?
Australia has always boasted [of] its environment of diverse cultures. In my cohort of 52 people, 28 countries are represented, which provides an endless array of opportunities to learn and see the world from different perspectives.
Furthermore, Australia has always been known for quality of education, [and] you get to tour around an amazing country, which has a lot to offer in terms of travel, food, and culture.
You are already in a senior management position – what can an MBA add to your career?
I have always been interested in strategy. I believe that this is the crux of the entire MBA learning – pulling together different bits and pieces in a way that makes sense, to arrive at an ultimate goal.
I believe that without my MBA I would still have that parochial mind-set when approaching business problems. The entire MBA journey has challenged my previous ways of thinking – my consistent interactions with my classmates and networking with really interesting MBA alumni have made me see the world in a way I could never have imagined alone.
Looking back a year [ago] when I started my MBA, I could shake my head in disappointment as to how “content” I was with what I knew then.
What do you hope to do once you have completed your MBA?
I am keen [to take on] roles where I can create value for an organisation using my skills in strategy and marketing, whilst building on my project management background.
My post-MBA mission is to help organisations in either the technology or FMCG [fast-moving consumer goods] industries identify where their growth would come from, by unleashing the power of their brands.
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