Guadalupe Castiñeira de Dios, INSEAD MBA Class of 2018D
Age: 30 (29 when I applied and started at INSEAD)
Hometown: Made in Buenos Aires
Undergraduate Institution and Major: Universidad de San Andrés (Argentina), Bachelor in Business Administration
Pre-MBA Work Experience: I did a brief stint in auditing and assurance before spending more than 6 years working in the cosmetics industry, working at a Brazilian multinational where I moved through many different areas, including market intelligence, strategy, and M&A.
Why business school? Why now? Business school seemed the best way to achieve my long term goal of becoming CEO of a global company. I choose to do this because I think it will give me the tools I need to grow as a leader and a person. It already is helping me build a worldwide network and live internationally. As to why now, it just felt like the right time. My career has progressed to a level where I felt ready to do an MBA and make the most of it as well as to truly contribute to my peers.
Why INSEAD? What factors figured most prominently into your decision of where to attend? I want to be a citizen of the world, so diversity was one of the main factors for me. I wanted to be immersed in a program where I could meet and learn from people from all over the globe, with all kinds of backgrounds, and who had very distinct worldviews. I have to say that INSEAD absolutely lives up to this in a way that I can’t imagine any other business school doing so.
Another factor that definitely set INSEAD apart was the school’s focus on business as a force for good and for improving the world. This is something I believe in and have been happy to realize is fully embraced by the INSEAD community and the way it strives to not just be “The Business School for the World,” as its motto says, but the business school for a better world.
Lastly, when I was shopping for schools I was lucky enough to be able to visit INSEAD, and once I did I immediately knew I wanted to come here. I just felt an affinity to the place and the people. I felt welcome and at home. One of the issues that concerned me somewhat about going to business school in the first place was what the environment would be like, at a place filled with competitive over-achievers: all captains, no sailors. I was worried that it might make for a toxic environment of sorts, of people stepping over each other. INSEAD is nothing like that. Yes, we are all over-achievers, but instead of competitiveness, what I get from my fellow students is cooperativeness. When people ask about your background or what you want to do after the MBA, it is not out of a desire to compare credentials, but out of genuine curiosity and openness. We are all like kids in a gigantic candy store, and you can feel it in the air. That’s what I felt when I first visited INSEAD. So I stopped shopping and decided to only apply to this school.
What do you think is your most valuable or differentiating contribution to the Class of 2018D? One of the most useful things I bring to the table is the fact that I have lived and worked in different parts of Latin America and that I have experience working at local, regional, and global levels within a company and understand how things change at each different level. I have designed strategy, executed it, and seen it work out—or not. I have also had interactions from the ground floor of the factory up to the CEO of a +7k employee company and have a grasp of how each of these levels think and why.
Also, during 2017 I was part of the team that structured the EUR 1 billion acquisition of The Body Shop by Naturao—the Brazilian multinational I was working for—and I also did project management for the immediate post-deal integration of its Latin America operations. (I took part during the first 100 days, since I had to get started at INSEAD right after that.) This was an almost one-year-long project in which I was involved from start to finish and then a little extra. This experience and its takeaways is not just valuable to me, as a personal milestone, but it is definitely something my peers are interested in. I’m very happy to share with them as much as I can about it, within the limits of confidentiality, of course.
Fun fact that didn’t get included on your application? One passion that didn’t make the cut when writing the essays is my total geekiness. Marvel, DC, Star Trek, Star Wars, LOTR, ASoIaF… you name it. If it’s geek-worthy, I love it. It shows in my fashion choices (my t-shirts include references to characters from Harry Potter to Green Lantern), my choice in décor (I very much miss my Batman poster, which stayed behind in Brazil), and in the fact that I brought a few of my board games across the Atlantic with me (and have already played them with my fellow geeks at INSEAD).
Post-MBA career interests? Directly after the MBA, I aspire to getting a managerial position in Europe, either in strategy, business development, M&A, or international expansion. I wish to work for a multinational with a large global footprint and possibly do an industry shift. Long term, I wish to go into general management and eventually become a CEO. However, I am an explorer at heart and am looking forward to being surprised during my year at INSEAD, so this will be better defined in a few months.
Advice to current prospective applicants:
–One thing you would absolutely do again as part of your application process? The essays or, more precisely, the soul-searching process of preparing to write the essays. We all have a personal story we tell ourselves and a few others about who we are, who we can be, and what makes us be the way we are. I thought I had that story pretty clear before starting this process and, in a way, I did. However, writing the essays—relatively brief pieces—really makes your prioritize and think of what matters most. It is a fascinating exercise in self-knowledge.
–One thing you would change or do differently? I would start preparing earlier and draft a clear plan. I started prepping in mid-February and before cracking the first study prep book, I had already scheduled my GMAT test for the end of the month because, how hard could it really be? Of course, that did not go well, and I re-thought my strategy. I hired a tutor and booked a few weekly sessions with her, and we drafted a plan together (which I highly recommend, especially for those who, as in my case, don’t know where to begin).
One more thing I would do differently—and which I highly suggest doing if at all possible—is to take some time off to prepare. I was not only working full time all through the preparation for GMAT and the application process, but actually working very much over-time and planning my wedding, which, incidentally, took place 10 days before the Round 4 application deadline for INSEAD. I cut it a little too close and would advise against it.
–Part you would have skipped if you could—and what helped you get through it? The GMAT. No question about it. It’s a necessary evil, but an evil nonetheless. What helped me through it was my husband, who kept telling me I would kick its ass, my tutor, Paula, who I highly recommend to anyone preparing in Brazil (https://www.aulasparagmat.com/), and the burning desire to be over with it. Another thing that helped was understanding that I didn’t need to be amazing at it, but just do well enough. That took some pressure off, and anything that takes pressure off you during this very stressful process—be it exercising, meditation, eating chocolate, or dancing around your apartment when no one’s watching—helps. I’ve done all of those and vouch for them.
Greatest highlight so far at INSEAD? At the beginning of the year, we get sorted into groups designed to maximize diversity between them. They are unchangeable, and you work within this group for basically all group assignments during P1 and P2. Some students fear this before starting at INSEAD, but I have to say that my group is simply amazing. We are all extremely different and challenge each other on a daily basis. I am learning from and with my group mates every day, and it is one of the most rewarding experiences I have had so far at INSEAD—and there have been a lot of those. Thank you Andy, Darren, Ron, and Stefan! You guys are the best!
One thing about INSEAD that you didn’t expect before arriving? I knew the school would be diverse, but I could never have imagined what it actually means to be in such an environment. It is thought-provoking and hardly a day goes by when I’m not questioning and testing my preconceived notions of the world. It is a setting unlike any other I have ever experienced, and I am afraid I can’t do it justice in writing, but it feels like entering a different world altogether. What is most fascinating about it is that hundreds of other people have entered it at the same time, and we are going through this collective, yet deeply, personal journey. If any of what you’ve read here sparks your curiosity or makes you feel a sense of thrill, I encourage you to consider INSEAD.
Thing you were most anxious about at INSEAD? It’s just one year! With so much to do and so little time, the FOMO is unavoidable, and that is a major source of anxiety right now. I’m trying to choose wisely and focus on what I am doing right now, instead of all the other parties/treks/lectures that are going on.
Thing you find most exciting about at INSEAD? Can I just say everything? It feels like it! Actually, I’m excited about the opportunity to better understand who I am and what matters most to me. I have a feeling that this may be not just the best year of my life, but the best year for my life.
