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Real Humans of the INSEAD MBA Class of 2025

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Peter Carvill, INSEAD’s MBA Class of 2025

Age: 29
Hometown: Dublin, Ireland
Undergraduate Institution and Major: University College Dublin – Business & Law (BBL)
Pre-MBA Work Experience: Business Development Representative at Salesforce (2023-2024); Corporate Lawyer at Dentons (2022-2023); Trainee Solicitor at William Fry LLP (2019-2022); First Mate on superyacht M/Y BLUFF (2018); Senior Sailing Instructor at Rathmullan Sailing School & Mullaghmore Sailing School (2017)
INSEAD Campus & Graduation Year: INSEAD Singapore/France, Class of July 2025

Why did you make the decision to attend business school? Why now?
While I enjoyed my role in corporate law, I wanted to expand from my legal experience and become more involved in leadership, strategy, and overall business management. In my legal role, after completing funding rounds for early-stage companies, I often felt a strong desire to continue working with these companies to help achieve their goals, grow and prosper. This recurring feeling made it clear that I needed to pivot and become more directly involved in business. At 29, I felt it was the right time to pursue an MBA to make a smooth transition into a new role and industry. Delaying it further might make this shift more difficult.

Why did you choose INSEAD? What factors figured most prominently into your decision of where to attend?
I chose INSEAD because it’s one of the top business schools in the world, with a strong reputation that attracts the best professors, students, and a powerful alumni network. I wanted to benefit from these assets—learning from leading professors, collaborating with exceptional classmates, and connecting with a global alumni network. Additionally, INSEAD’s global reputation, diverse student body, and strategic campus locations in Singapore and France perfectly align with my career goals, particularly in international business, EU regulatory trends, and geopolitical risk.

What do you think is your most valuable or differentiating contribution to the Class of 2025?
I bring a diverse personal and professional background to the INSEAD class. Although I’m from Dublin, my family is from Northern Ireland and I spent a lot of time there during my childhood. This gave me exposure to varied political and socioeconomic environments and helped me form close friendships with people from different backgrounds and beliefs.

I’ve always enjoyed teaching, and my experience as a sailing instructor and club manager reflects my caring nature and desire to help others. My approach to leadership isn’t the type that would feature in a Tom Cruise film, but it’s practical, supportive, collaborative and something I hope I can contribute to my classmates.

I’m also passionate about debating and mooting, where I enjoy breaking down complex topics and communicating them clearly—skills I’m eager to share with my classmates. Working with the European Commission in Brussels in 2022 and 2023 strengthened my interest in aligning corporate and societal goals. The experience of negotiating with and presenting to delegates from across Europe sharpened my communication and negotiation skills. Additionally, I get psyched when discussing business ideas and start-ups, hopefully this energy can be put to good use!

Tell us a fun fact about yourself that didn’t get included on your application:
A sailing race finally made me confront the hard truth: I had to give up beer. For nearly two years, I ignored the signs of gluten intolerance. But during our 2022 SB20 World Championship campaign, my teammates and I needed to lose a significant amount of weight to improve our chances of success. We switched to one meal a day, and with this focus on food, it became clear that gluten was the culprit. It was something I knew deep down but had been trying to ignore—mainly because I didn’t want to give up Guinness!

Post-MBA career interests: My post-MBA career interests include roles that bridge the gap between multinational corporations and government bodies, focusing on aligning corporate and societal interests, particularly in the fields of international trade, regulatory affairs, and geopolitical strategy. A position in Government Relations or International Affairs would be ideal.

Advice for Current Prospective Applicants:
–What is one thing you would absolutely do again as part of your application process?
Remember, top schools are incredibly competitive, and getting into any one in particular can be challenging. To increase your chances, apply to several schools at the same level. If possible, include a fallback option that’s a level below your preferred schools. That way, if things don’t go as planned, you’ll hopefully have a backup.

–What is one thing you would change or do differently?
Talk to people who have already been through the MBA application process. There are many factors to consider—different application rounds with varying implications, the choice between the GRE or GMAT, how schools value your past experiences, and the specific benefits of each program. Without guidance, all this information can be overwhelming. Having someone who’s been through it can provide clarity and steer you in the right direction. Sometimes, just knowing you have support can make the process feel more manageable.

–What is one part you would have skipped if you could—and what helped you get through it?
If I could have skipped one part of the process, it would have been the maths section of the GRE. Typically lawyers spend their careers avoiding calculations at all costs. Bringing myself up to a level where I could score high enough on the math sections for top schools was a challenge. Revisiting concepts I hadn’t touched in years was tough (taking the GMAT/GRE right after high school would have been much easier!). Thankfully, my partner was incredibly supportive throughout. She kept encouraging me when my maths scores seemed to plateau and was very understanding of the time spent improving my scores. 

What is your initial impression of the INSEAD MBA students/culture/community?
My initial impression is that everyone here is interesting, smart and driven. If you’re generally used to being the smartest or most interesting person in the room you better get used to some fierce competition. 

On a serious note, there is a feeling of possibility here amongst everyone. These are the places where minds meet and significant things happen – there’s an exciting and electric atmosphere. 

What is one thing you have learned about INSEAD that has surprised you?
One thing that has really surprised me is the incredible diversity and how valuable it is. I was at a dinner last week where I was the only person not from Asia, with classmates from Korea, Japan, China, the Philippines, and Indonesia, among others. I haven’t had much exposure to people from these regions before, and we had an incredible night. This diversity is truly an asset, and it’s something I’ve come to appreciate even more since attending INSEAD.

What is one thing you are most anxious about in your first year?
Balancing study, social life, and sleep—apparently, you can only choose two. It’s a tough call, especially since I’m a huge fan of sleep, but unfortunately, the other two are non-negotiable!

What is one thing you are most excited about in your first year?
This experience is what you make of it. It can be just an interesting year, or it can be a defining moment in your life. I don’t know what will happen, who I’ll meet, what initiatives I’ll get involved in, or how they’ll shape my future. The possibilities and uncertainty are incredibly exciting.

Christina Griffith
Christina Griffith is a writer and editor based in Philadelphia. She specializes in covering education, science, and criminal justice, and has extensive experience in research and interviews, magazine content, and web content writing.