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BCG Consultant On How An MBA Will Boost Your Career

BCG consultant Stephanie van den Boogaard is being sponsored by her company to study an MBA at HKUST. Here’s how business school is making her a better consultant

SPONSORED BY

Wed Apr 14 2021

BusinessBecause
For many MBA graduates, management consulting is the ideal end-goal, with a career in consulting offering sky-high salaries and the opportunity to combine everything learned on an MBA to lead projects across an array of sectors and functions. But Stephanie van den Boogaard is already there.  

She’s a management consultant at big three firm, Boston Consulting Group (BCG), and currently an MBA candidate at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) Business School. Stephanie is being sponsored by BCG to study her MBA.  

She joined BCG in November 2017 as an associate, after an undergraduate degree in engineering and management and then master's in systems engineering, policy analysis, and management from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. She gained experience in the public sector, retail, social impact, and people and organizations.  

Stephanie then earned fast-track promotion into her consultant role in August 2019, enrolling on the HKUST MBA in August 2020.   


Develop intercultural management 

Stephanie says she’s quickly developing her understanding and appreciation of the diverse elements of consultancy—important when your job revolves around working with a huge array of clients from different backgrounds and cultures.  

The MBA classroom at HKUST is made up of students from finance and accounting, HR, IT, marketing and sales, logistics, and other professional backgrounds. The average age of a HKUST MBA is 29, and 96% of the class are of non-local nationality.  

“I think it definitely has made me more open-minded and more aware of the culture, the norms, and values of doing business in Hong Kong, and also about the rapid development in this region,” she explains.  

By engaging with fellow students from across the globe, Stephanie is also building her abilities in problem-solving and refining her communication skills. She says that meeting people from different backgrounds and cultures naturally developed her awareness of different perspectives. 

“I think being able to put yourself in the position of someone else is very important as a consultant, because we work a lot with different kinds of clients and complicated situations,” she asserts. 


Fill gaps in your business knowledge

Having studied engineering before joining BCG, Stephanie was after an MBA to fill some business-specific gaps in her knowledge.  

The MBA at HKUST offers one of the most flexible curricula in Asia. Core courses make up only a quarter of the full degree and students then pick electives across career tracks in consulting and strategic management, business technology and analytics, finance, general management, and marketing.  

“On the program, we have several courses in accounting and corporate finance, which were all completely new to me,” says Stephanie. “That really helped me to understand the basics.” 

In her corporate finance class students were put in groups with peers with varying degrees of finance experience. The finance experts were there to offer guidance and advise their fellow classmates on the intricacies of the industry. 

The HKUST MBA core curriculum also covers financial accounting, marketing strategy and policy, and managerial microeconomics.  

Students are also taught about the latest business and technology trends, with modules covering blockchain and cryptocurrency, big data, and artificial intelligence. There’s even a strategy consulting module taught by a former management consultant at McKinsey.  


Focus your career

Shifting location and choosing HKUST for her MBA has allowed Stephanie to learn about the Asian markets and the ways businesses work, network, and interact in Hong Kong. But dramatically changing location and assimilating into a new culture is not without its challenges.  

“Being very far from home, in a pandemic, it's not always easy,” says Stephanie, “but it also really makes me appreciate where I come from, and how fortunate I am to be able to do this. And it's also something that you don't really realize when you're going to work every day, but it changes your life completely.” 

For students looking to transition to the east, HKUST offers immersive opportunities to learn Mandarin and to build proficiency in Chinese. The school’s Business Chinese for MBA Students elective focuses on language skills in a wide range of business settings for students who have a certain proficiency in Mandarin. 

Stephanie explains that studying an MBA while being a consultant at BCG has allowed her the time to consider where she wants to focus her energy as she builds her career as a consultant—a year after being a consultant with the firm she has to decide on her practice area. 

“The MBA has helped me take a step back and think what really interests me,” she says. “I’d like to move forward in the sustainability and societal impact practice area of BCG, so that would be my plan.” 

She adds that focusing on Asia and Hong Kong has also given her perspective of a new market that will aid her professional development in the future.  

“I think if I want to continue longer-term within BCG that international experience will be very valuable, not just in terms of the learnings from the MBA, but also because I’ve built my professional network while in this region.” 

Student Reviews

HKUST Business School

Mohammed

Verified

28/07/2023

On Campus

Excellent Supporting Staff

HKUST campus is a very scenic place. However, the best part of the university is the professors and administrators. I have had numerous instances where I have approached them outside their office hours and asked them for help. I have always received full support, and they have helped me escape some very tricky situations. I will miss the faculty and especially the UG Hall 5 Residence Master. I am grateful for his help during my undergraduate program. I will recommend people choose HKUST for their bachelor, master, or Ph.D. studies. Do experience the hall life and you will never regret it.

Student

Verified

10/06/2022

On Campus

Stressful university

Vibe Students in HKUST is really competitive, they study really hard. Environment Nice sea view and modern campus Teaching Many professors are from mainland, whose accent are difficult to understand sometimes. Harsh grading from most of the professors from my department Opportunities HKUST provides many opportunities and guidance for students on careers and extracurricular activities

Student

Verified

29/04/2023

On Campus

Hard working and motivational

Major selection activities are very competitive. 1st/2nd year students work hard to get into popular majors they want. If you enjoy working in a competitive environment, this is a great place. Great ocean view with sports facilities and activities ready for you. Many programmes and social clubs available to boost your cv, learn practical skills for future jobs and interviews.

Student

Verified

2/05/2022

Blended

Good for academics but not that good for student life

Professors and teaching staffs definitely know what they are teaching and have strong knowledge in their discipline; Academics can be quite tough and stressful for students as everyone works very hard and course grades are rather competitive; Student societies exist but are not extensive. Activities are also mostly non-existent.