Professional Aspirations:Think about the decisions you have made in your life.

After graduating from UC Berkeley, my double major in Economics and Public Health gave me tremendous flexibility and confidence to explore opportunities in two fields that I was passionate about. After an internship in healthcare and experiences in finance and technology, my adventurous and innovative spirit drove me to Singapore in search of a unique experience remote from my comfort zone. Working at Gerson Lehrman Group (GLG) in Singapore for the last two years, I have overseen the Southeast Asian consultancy and corporate segment, strategizing research solutions for my clients’ business issues. I have enjoyed working with consumer goods strategy teams at firms like McKinsey and Bain, and corporations including Mars and Diageo to tackle the emerging markets of Southeast Asia. Although performing market sizing and consumer analytics for clients is stimulating, I have realized that I am more passionate about implementing strategies than about providing advice to clients. I want to lead teams to implement the strategic conclusions I currently develop with my clients. Ideally my role would focus on Southeast Asia, a region that burgeons with opportunity as growth continues, and a region I’ve come to love and understand intimately through working at GLG. An MBA will provide necessary industry insights and also allow for real-world application experience via cases and internships to make this change to the client side possible. My experience with collaborating across teams, developing strategies, love for exploration and an MBA will prime me for leading a strategy team at a consumer goods conglomerate.

In addition to connecting in-person with Singapore-based alumni, I found the August Singapore Stern information session exceptionally insightful. I know I will thrive in the intimate environment that the Stern block community provides where my peers and I can share our diverse experiences and backgrounds to grow and learn together. Hearing from alum Mark Filio and Jimmy Ung about Stern professors' accessibility and how developing relationships with faculty can yield great opportunities both inside and outside the classroom deeply resounded with me. I look forward to establishing similar relationships with Stern’s world-renown faculty, leveraging their insights in courses including ‘Competitive Strategy in the Marketplace’ and ‘Customer Insights’ that will help me with market sizing and product development after I graduate. Moreover, having top consumer product firms such as Kraft and PepsiCo actively recruit at Stern will be invaluable for employment opportunities. Active participation in the Asian Business Society will connect me with peers of similar cultural background and keep me abreast of opportunities in Asia. Stern Adventures will provide me with a break from studies with kayaking and skiing opportunities. Stern’s abundance of academic and professional opportunities plus a prime location in the midst of a vibrant, multicultural metropolis makes it the ideal place to pursue my MBA.

Upon graduation from Stern, I envision myself joining a food and beverage (F&B) multinational such as Kraft or General Mills as Director of Corporate Strategy. One of the many projects that solidified my passion for the industry was working with Mars to define the target buyer for a product launch in Indonesia. Partnering with a renowned demographer, we analyzed decades of data to note trends in consumption, expected population growth and potential changes in disposable income. As Director of Corporate Strategy, I look forward to working with regional teams on similar exercises that are standard for consumer goods firms and include cross-team development of products, creation of new factories, and product marketing. To tackle new opportunities, I will first identify the return on investment through careful quantitative analysis of input costs, customer purchasing power, competitive pricing, etc. I will build from similar revenue assessments I’ve done while supporting South Asia sales at GLG and also at my previous positions in tech and foreign exchange. In the past, I have been entrusted to leverage my analysis to devise and communicate strategic plans to management and will leverage this experience as Director of Corporate Strategy. Through leadership positions both in professional and extracurricular settings, I have found most success managing by empowering others, which I will continue to do while being given increasingly more management responsibility. Although F&B is only a segment within the consumer goods sphere, my experience leading F&B strategy will help me develop fundamental skills relevant across consumer goods, which is the industry I plan to stay throughout my career. Stern will refine my existing capabilities and experience and will catalyze my successful entrance into F&B, which will serve as a strong foothold to continue the climb to my long-term aspirations.