Waïna Landauro, IESE MBA Class of 2020
Age: 30
Hometown: Waterloo, Belgium
Undergraduate Institution and Major: Louvain School of Management, Supply Chain Management & Marketing
Pre-MBA Work Experience (years, industry):
I worked for three years as an IT manager for a solar power startup. The company manufactured solar power kits, allowing rural communities in East Africa to get access to electricity. The job was quite intense and I was travelling a lot between London, Guangzhou and East Africa. After three years, living with my suitcase, I decided to go back to Brussels and created my own tech startup in the real estate sector. It was a great experience and it won a few prizes but, alas, “Azurent” didn’t make it.
Soon after, I created my own IT consulting firm and helped companies bring their operations and accounting in the cloud. Lots of my clients were in Thailand and it allowed me to stay in Bangkok for several months while executing projects for my clients.
Why business school? Why now?
I have had great international experience in my career until now, but not really a chance to get a job where I could really leverage it. I am at a moment in my life where I am looking for a relevant and consistent corporate experience. I have been involved in relatively small IT projects. They had a great impact, but only on the people concerned. I would love to help create and design a product that helps thousands of lives on a daily basis.
I also want to understand the world economy better. Why are interests fluctuating? Or why is a company merging with another? Or can we solve the unemployment crisis? These are some questions that I want to be able to answer coming out of business school. The economy drives the world and it matters to me to understand it better.
Why IESE? What factors figured most prominently into your decision of where to attend?
First of all, I love Barcelona. It’s a great place to be, and according to me one of the best cities in Europe. It has it all: The beach, large tech companies like Amazon, Google and Facebook, good food and the sun.
IESE is ranked very well and it matters to recruiters and companies. I also saw that lots of companies I eventually want to work for recruit regularly there. IESE is relatively affordable compared to other US schools and European schools and they offer good options for student loans and scholarship. Another factor that appealed to me was the case method. The Socratic way of discussing cases was for me a deal maker in terms of academic approach.
Finally, the campus is a huge perk. If you ever come here, I invite you to go to the terrasse of the North Campus, breathtaking!
What do you think is your most valuable or differentiating contribution to the Class of 2020?
I believe I’m bringing my international experience to the table. During my career, I have worked and experienced business culture in more than six countries. It was not always easy, but I really enjoyed it and I am sure it will be helpful in my contributions to the class.
I worked for a social impact company in the past. I know what it is to start a business from scratch in the bush of Uganda and I know lots of my classmates are interested in pursuing some kind of social entrepreneurship venture. I would be able to give them some insights in that area, too.
Finally, I have had my own business, consulting on IT projects. I can probably help other entrepreneurs get started and give them advice on how to look for funding and how to get their first clients.
Fun fact that didn’t get included on your application?
I started my first business when I was 10. I was collecting glass bottles from the neighbours and getting some change for the service. The business collapsed soon after we burnt all our revenues on candies.
Post-MBA career interests?
Because of my IT, accounting and international experience, I would love to join the fintech industry. Providing automation for private companies and cheap reliable services for the consumer market is, I think, at the core of retail banking. The disruption of this market that has been feeding for too long on information asymmetry is a challenge I’m willing to take on. I also have first-hand experience watching the development of Alipay, Wechat Pay and Line in Asia and I would love to help bring such brilliant solutions to the European market.
Advice to current prospective applicants:
–One thing you would absolutely do again as part of your application process?
Visiting the campus was for me essential. I visited a few schools I was accepted to and IESE was the one that spoke the most to me.
The place is absolutely stunning. The class I attended really impressed me and I just clicked with the crowd. IESE also did a great job at introducing me to people I would find interesting in the crowd of first-year students and really made the campus visit an unforgettable experience.
–One thing you would change or do differently?
I believe I decided too late where I wanted to go. It cost me a huge amount of stress and a deposit. I am convinced I made the right choice, but taking all the factors into account was difficult. Don’t be like me and focus directly on your objective.
–Part you would have skipped if you could—and what helped you get through it?
The wait is an absolute torture. You put everything you had in the essays and the GMAT and you need to wait to know if you’re good enough for your particular school.
The worst part is that you can actually follow if schools send some results on websites like Clear Admit, which makes it even worse. It was very difficult to cope with. I must say I was hitting the refresh button my email box a lot! Fortunately, I enjoyed my work and it helped me think about something else.
What is your initial impression of IESE’s students/culture/community?
I was expecting more Spanish students. Currently, only about 17 percent of my section is from Spain. The diversity of the section is really impressive. Don’t get me started on the diversity of backgrounds. I can’t give all the résumés answering to this question, but among others, we have a venture capitalist specialized in Indian fintech startups, a US Army cybersecurity expert, a bunch of consultants and bankers, a US Coast Guard, an interpreter turned entrepreneur and I want to say sorry to the 60 others I’m forgetting because they are as valuable as the ones I cited. IESE’s culture is very inclusive and this patchwork of cultures and backgrounds is a mind opening experience.
One thing you have learned about IESE that has surprised you?
The school goes above and beyond to get you the job of your dreams. The centre for career services has organized a huge amount of events and is basically on standby for students to go to them and ask for advice. We’ll see in a year if I actually landed the job of my dreams, but they seem to know what they are doing. The clubs are also an incredible help for resources and tips on how to network and getting the perfect resume and cover letter. I was really surprised how much emphasis IESE puts on helping you in your professional career.
I was also surprised by the difficulty of dealing with the Spanish administrative system. Don’t underestimate it, it’s time-consuming and can be very frustrating at times. If you plan to come to Barcelona, make sure you get everything in order.
Thing you are most anxious about in your first year?
Definitely the amount of work. At IESE apparently we do three cases a day, every day. That will amount to around 200 cases during the first year alone. The rumours are that IESE’s program is very demanding and stressful. I mean, you don’t get to be a top 10 school by letting your students roam around with no purpose. I hope to find my own pace and to learn how to deal with cases in an efficient manner.
Thing you are most excited about in your first year?
That one is easy. It’s all about meeting new people and learning new things. I am really excited to know more about my section and leverage their knowledge. The first year will be intense, to paraphrase the dean “during the first year you belong to us.” But I’m okay with that, the adventure just began and it is already better than I could have imagined.
I also have a blog about IESE that might be relevant to future prospective students: www.iesemba.com.
