Inside the London MBA

The summer internship

It's been almost a month of summer break already and my life is so different now. I'm already a third through my internship with Booz & Company. They are the management consulting firm that separated their operations from the U.S. Government consulting business, Booz Allen Hamilton, earlier this year. There's a lot of buzz around the change and they say there's a different kind of energy now that they are an independent, more nimble firm. Either way, I'm learning loads.

The first week was a worldwide Summer Associate Orientation spent in the US. 7 from LBS (and strangely, 6 from Stream B) made it out for several days of training, networking with such a diverse & smart group of people, and relaxing in the warm NY sun. Since I've started working at the London office, it's been non-stop. Coincidently, my team is made up of two other LBS alums who have been great at coaching me through the work. It's amazing how much of an "expert" I've become in an financial services industry I barely noticed before. More importantly, I'm picking up and practicing the consulting methodologies needed to convey my message and sell an idea. The next steps after crack-a-case training.

Speaking of crack-a-case... despite the break, there is still activity going on with all the campus clubs. I'm signed up to get training to become a case giver for the Consulting Club next fall. Student Association has been quite good at making sure all the clubs are submitting their activity and budget planning for the year. We've got a lot planned the Responsible Business Club - let's see how much we can get done!

Meet the London Business School Everest team

For those of you that have been reading our blog for a while, you may remember how we told you about the London Business School team who succesfully climbed Mount Everest in May 2007. In doing so, Tori James became the youngest British female to reach the summit as well as the first ever Welsh woman, and Omar Samra (MBA 2007) became the first ever Egyptian to climb Everest. To mark the one year anniversary of this achievement, team leader Ben Stephens (MBA 2007) and his girlfriend Tori James will be sharing their experiences of the world’s highest mountain.

Find out what life in the ‘death zone’ is really like and view some spectacular photography and video footage of the expedition, at

"Everest: our climb to the roof of the world"
Thursday, May 29, 2008
6:30 pm – Pay Bar
7.30pm - Talk
Unicorn Theatre, London, SE1 2HZ (near London Bridge)

Tickets £12.50 when you buy online
Tickets available on the door subject to availability (£15)
More details and tickets available at http://everest2007expedition.eventbrite.com

Some other MBAT notes

I should also add a few lines on my MBAT experience. Awesome!

I was part of the x-country race in which twelve of us ran seven kilometres across hills and mud around the HEC campus. I was also the captain of track & field events: 100, 400, and 1,500 meters; long jump; shot put and relay. In both: x-country and track & field, London Business School came first.

Indeed, there were some very skilled people out there, for example: Christian Wentzel got medals in the 100-meter race, relay, long jump and shot put, while Karen Milligan came second in x-country and first in the 1,500-meter race. People like Peter Biskup also did a great job putting the teams together and coordinating the events on the day.

It is by far one of the best events of my MBA experience and strongly encourage you all to be an active part of it in any way you can.

Bringing home the gold

An LBS three-peat it was at MBAT this year - our annual European MBA "Olympics"

For me, the experience was not quite what I had expected it to be. The nine hour bus ride over wasn't as long as I had dreaded. With stops before the border crossing (and almost leaving a couple people behind), a train container ride under the channel, some inter-bus activity (to be left unnamed), and lots of laughs.

The first night there, the teams all danced to the tunes of No Donuts for Hilda, our official band. I turned in early to make sure to rest up for the next day's activities. Spent the morning watching the badmitton tournement, along with the basketball team (kick another school's @ss), and the rock climbing team scaling up the wall of the gym. Around 11, I headed over to the lake, where the football, tennis and rugby games were happening. Also where our big red Booz(e) bus was parked.

The women's football started playing our first game at 11:30 - two beautiful goals by the unstoppable strikers - our team captain, and our macroeconomics professor :)  A bit after half-time, I subbed in for who usually is my defense partner. Less than two minutes into the game, I found myself on the floor, having attempted to take on the opposition, holding onto a very sorely sprained left knee. That was it, I was out of the games, and out of the whole weekend's competitions.

Heartbreaking to say the least. All those Saturday morning football trainings. All those 50 hours of salsa preparation. But after coming to terms with it, I realized things could've been worse and I should enjoy the good weather and the relaxation of being a spectator. I could even be one of the judges for the salsa competition.   

Luckily, one of the salsaros' girlfriend was a pro dancer, and learned in 4 hours what we learned in 4 weeks. No one could even tell she was the sub. And our team brought home the bronze! Tough competition, I'd say. I'm happy to see that the team did their best show ever.

And the Women's football team? The next games, they finished 9-0 and 6-0. 5-1 in the semi-finals. And 3-0 in the finals on Sunday! They brought home the gold!  And so did the men's football team too!! 

Though I didn't get to participate as much as I had anticipated, I know I have lots to look forward to next year. With Apples (my awesomest study group mate) and Stella (a fellow Texan) as the new Student Association sports reps, we're bound to have an even better time!

Victorious again: UCLA case competiton

The case teams from London Business School are on fire this year. Our team had another massive victory at UCLA, Anderson winning top honours over 15 other schools including Chicago GSB, Oxford Said, USC Marshall, NUS, HEC , IESE and many others.

The team (all MBA2009s):

Rodrigo Ormaechea
Abhishek Kapur
Ilias Anagnostopoulos
Arturo Silva-Santiesteban

http://www.anderson.ucla.edu/x19893.xml

This is particularly good news for the consulting club which worked hard to get teams together and increased participation at such competitions as compared to previous years.

Duke Duke Duke!!!!!

Somewhere in a land far far away, a team of brave warriors came together to take on the biggest challenge of them all.....the 2008 MBA World Rugby Championships.

These warriors landing on foreign shores, training hard and training well in order to achieve what had for so long eluded them - a place in the grand final of the World Champs.

Following an intense period of training both on and off the pitch, the LBS Rugby Football Club fielded two extremely capable and prepared teams for the 2 day event hosted by Duke University in Danville. Given our performance from the previous year, we started from a medium position in the seedings, with both teams pitched against competent opponents.

Both the Red (Warrior) Team and the Blue Team fought hard through terrible weather conditions in their initial matches, successfully securing positions in the quarter final and knocking out the Harvard 'B' Team, an important step in reclaiming the club position following the HBS dominance at the previous London tournament. Due to the fantastic playing skills and points accumulation, LBS 'A' (Blue Team) managed to finish top on the first day, and was seeded in the number one spot going forward to the final day activities.

The final day was a question of survival, with many members of the Red and Blue team broken and new recruits actively sought for some of the most prestigious positions on the field. These brave new warriors fought with verve and vigour, taking with them the team spirit into battle and successfully suppressing formidable opponents including Wharton 'A' who had already assumed a position in the final, only to be thrashed by the more capable and passionate LBS Blue Team.

Despite their dominance at the London tournament, HBS were nowhere to be seen in the final and an all-European showdown ensued with London pitched against the 2007 winners, UCD Smurfit in what was to be an epic battle. Running bravely through the mud the LBS warriors fought hard against a team of younger, fitter and well drilled opponents. Although at the final whistle the score-line reflected a Smurfit victory, no-one watching the match or leaving the field could be in any doubt as to the passion and thirst for the game shown by the LBS RFC.

The female RFC also did astonishingly well, almost bringing home the crown but unfortunately pipped at the post by North American teams who had a legacy of success and a much stronger level of experience.

The first final in ten years and a fantastic positioning of all teams in the final 16 is something to be extremely proud of. If you are going to join ANY of the clubs next year, then make sure it is the RFC. A brand of brothers (and sisters) who will go out of their way to support each other, battle for each other and show the true spirit of LBS...friends for life and without doubt the best network there is in any business school bar none.

Warriors Unite!!

      

LBS Men's Rugby Club

The Responsible Careers Conference is coming up!

Our team has been working on this since September. And wow, have we come a long way since then. It's going to be a great program, with attendees from the entire UK MBA Community. You can check out the agenda details and buy your tickets here: http://www.londonresponsiblebusiness.org.uk

People, Planet, Profits: How Responsible Business Impacts our Careers

The Responsible Business Club would like to invite you to its annual conference. The event is an opportunity to meet business leaders and learn how their careers have increasingly focused on issues of responsibility and sustainability. You will also be able to connect with many prominent organisations that are looking for support in responding to the call for responsibility in business.

Topics include:

  Business & Climate Change   Emerging Markets   Business & Government   Sustainable Finance   Careers Fair       

Organisations participating include:

ARUP, Unilever, Cadbury-Schweppes, Cisco Systems, Accenture, UNDP, HSBC, and Standard Chartered Bank.

Short break

During the past weekend some nice events took place. First of all of course the annual London Business School Rugby tournament. The Rugby club really runs this school – those of us who participated took an early sitting in the Finance exam (yuk 7.15 is too early for Modigliani/Miller) and then took a coach to pitches near Heathrow. The London Business School male teams A and B faced Harvard A and B as well as INSEAD while the female team faced Wharton, Columbia and two more teams. The wind was chilling but at least it was not raining.

I played in the B team in the second row scrum. I still don’t really understand much of what is going on so my strategy was to hit anyone really hard who was not wearing my colour. That sort of worked – and I learned that it is beneficial not to have your hand on the ground (people can step on it) and not to fall down (people step on you). But it was great! The girls even won the tournament!

The next weekend my girlfriend and me flew to Munich and went skiing in St. Anton am Arlbergand in Obertauern – both among my favourite skiing areas. The snow was really good and even off-piste skiing and mogul slopes were great. The Sunday we spent in a beergarden in Munich at leisurely 22 degrees before flying back to London.

Last week the rugby team played the alumni - and the students left no doubt on who was better! A great dinner and drinks evening / night followed - all very classical in black tie / suit / dress outfit.

Next up is the Lisbon trip organized by the Portugal trip. There are multiple things happening every weekend – the challenge is to choose which one to take!

Enjoy,

Don

The last laps of the MBA

Everytime someone has asked me "how is it going?" in recent weeks, I have had pretty much the same thought. This is a great time in the MBA for most second year students. Things seem a lot more relaxed now and most of us are beggining to plan our breaks and our future months in London or wherever we are going to be working post MBA. The typical subjects are:

-start dates i.e. when we all go back to corporate life

-future housing - for those staying in London this is probably a big one because staying around school, although very attractive has the huge downside of being expensive

-the big break

I have been planning my holiday for the last few weeks and we have shortlisted a few candidates. Luckily staying in London gets you close to so many great destinations that we are spoilt with choice. We pondered over Costa Rica for weeks but then had to drop it for multiple reasons. We have now set sights on Africa.

A few of us decided to scout around some burbs for future accomodation. We ended up picking Hampstead for our first outing. Of course we ended up not seeing any flats because the ladies decided to go shopping on the high street. We were also blessed with the opportnuity to eat the best Crepes ever, See attached pic for proof. This place has been serving crepes in Hampstead for 40 years and the awards they have received are well justified.

One other thing many of us are looking forward to is the upcoming Portugal trip. We will be going there with the Portuguese club in March. It's a shame that I missed most of the cool trips that happened in the first year. But I was determined to go for at least one such trip before graduating.

Anyways, It has already become very evident that this time is going to be severely missed and I want to make the most of it while I can.

'Crack-a-Case'

The Consulting Club continues to deliver one-on-one 'crack-a-case' training sessions, getting students ready for consulting interviews on campus. We have delivered over 700 sessions during the first four weeks of the 10-week term. The sessions, delivered to first-year students by second-year MBA students, demonstrate the commitment of our student community, career services and the Club, to help others achieve their dream jobs. Last Friday, five of us, who last year prepared to achieve a full-time offer in top consulting firms, hosted a second workshop on how to structure a case interview. This is an example of the Club's efforts and the eagerness of fellow students to help out. I am really proud of our training initiatives and hope we can continue to make a difference.

Focus

I haven't written much despite all the activity since I've been back, I know. Part of my new year's resolution was to become extremely focused on my internship search. I came back to the milkround reviewing CVs and cover letters, over and over, between friends and classmates, with current consultants, with career advisors, etc etc.

Although they say that networking is not as important for consulting firms as for banks, I've found that it is the only real way to understand the differences in the work and cultures of each company. Plus, I've managed secure some speakers and leads for the Responsible Careers Conference.

Ah yes, that is coming along quite well too. We have several panelists confirmed, the keynote speaker (woo hoo!) secured, and my team getting all fired up. I remember feeling so nervous about it last September, when I got the position of Conference Chair, and now I can see it all coming together. Great feeling.

True that my social life has changed. It hasn't gotten "worse" though, as one might imagine. I've been working late nights at school with a good support group - all with the same intensity of drive and focus. Many dinners from Ali Baba and the Light of India.  Lots of laughs and great friendships brewing in the these study rooms. It's two months of this, I tell myself, and hopefully I'll be reaping the rewards soon enough. A trip to Portugal is booked for March, and spring break comes right after.

Speaking of spring break, the Kenya Trip has been disbanded due to the unstable situation there. The Africa Club promises they will still host a trip there once things settle down. It was disappointing that our plans to visit Kenya fell through, but really the largest disappointment for me is that the political situation has escalated to where it is now. I wonder to myself, what is it that we should be doing about it from here? What can we do about it once we're important business people in big companies and governments in the future? Just something to think about, as we refocus our attention to another holiday destination...

Still Jet Lagged But Enjoying My Year 2

I came back from Mexico three weeks ago to dive into my Brand Management course. It was a very interesting and cool block week. Two weeks ago, I started two more electives: Financing the Entrepreneurial Business and Venture Capital & Private Equity. Although there is overlap, each course has its own style, cases and passionate professors. I am revisiting Finance concepts I had managed to forget and partnering with people I like and can learn from for group work.

Last term was difficult for various reasons: came back exhausted from two summer internships, did lots of work for the Consulting Club and even took somehow part of the Milk Round for full-time jobs. This term, having spent a full month of freedom and love in Mexico, I feel revitalised (though with a never-ending jet-lag).

I am devoting my time to school work, my second year project, running, the club and myself. I will give swimming and tennis a try too. 6 1-hr swimming lessons at 7:00am on Mondays at the school's pool for £30 seems not bad though too early for the least exciting day of the week.

Last Wednesday we had one of our best Consulting Club meetings at the Hob Goblin by school (see pictures). We laughed a lot, had a good meal and a few drinks. I have enjoyed and learnt a lot from my contribution to the club. This role is by far one of the best experiences I have had at London Business School.

This term is looking really good. We are all set with job offers and only a few courses. I am having a fantastic time!

The end of the second autumn term

My second autumn term at London Business School ended a couple of weeks ago. I am now in Mexico, enjoying a great life! (see my sisters and mom in picture)

Last term, I invested most of my time in activities related to the Consulting Club, lectures and travelling. There was some running and even some learning about opportunities in Private Equity and Venture Capital (surprisingly, the job search never ends)

My experience as head of training for the Executive Committee of the Consulting Club was really worth it. The club is really demanding, being the biggest club on campus, and is also a great opportunity to help and learn. Last term only, we delivered over 670x30-minute 'crack-a-case' training sessions and improved the quality of trainers by recruiting more experienced 2nd-year students to help out. This is a considerable improvement over last year's figures. I am really proud of this

My electives were Project Management, Analysis of Marketing and Decision Making, and Thinking Strategically. The latter, delivered by Jean-Pierre Benoit (one of the best professors at school) became one of my favorite lectures in the MBA programme

I continue to appreciate living in London, able to travel to other European countries so easily and even enjoy such a dramatic weather. Last term, my mother and aunt came to visit and we went around France, Spain and Netherlands. Again, a great time

The good habit of long-runs over the weekends has come back as we prepare for Paris Marathon in April 6. I am so excited and hoping I do better this year

Finally, the never-ending job search might actually have ended, difficult to tell. There are some untapped opportunities I cannot neglect and must try

Second year!

It has been a while since my last post.  I promise I have good excuses.  I became a father on August 23rd, and have been very busy at school this year as President of the Student Association and a full load of electives.  I have a lot to report.  After a great summer at Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products, I was sure I wanted to continue with a career in Brand Management.  I was lucky to have a couple of offers and have accepted a position with Procter & Gamble in Cincinnati, OH.  I can’t wait! 

So this year is all about preparing myself through my electives to excel in that position (and of course savoring my last moments as a student).  This term I took a second course from my favorite professor, Bert de Reyck.  This course was Project Management, which taught a disciplined approach to managing the many constraints (resources, budgets, people, expectations, deadlines, etc) of large scale projects.  It had some of the risk mitigation elements in common with his first year course in Decision & Risk Analysis, but took it out of the individual decision environment into the complex world of massive projects.  I also took Creativity & Personal Mastery with guru Srikamour Rao (check out www.areyoureadytosucceed.com), who teaches this course at Columbia Business School and Haas.  It was a great course which breaks the mold for MBA courses.  My third course of the term was Brand Management with Mark Ritson (check out www.MarketingRitson.com).  This was my favorite course thus far at London Business School, absolutely fantastic.  I am biased because I am going into Brand Management as a profession, but my classmates going into other industries would likely say the same.  Academically, a wonderful term. 

I have also landed a really cool second year project.  I am working with a classmate on a project at Apple, in their marketing group.  We just started in December, and the project is set to last until April.  I can’t say much about the project, but it is of great importance to Apple’s business in the EMEA region, and our advice is intended to guide major actions for the company (assuming it is approved by Apple’s board).  As an Apple user, and a future marketer, this is a tremendous opportunity and I am thoroughly enjoying it. 

Finally, the Student Association has been doing some great things this year.  We put on some terrific events, are adding more value to the student clubs, and are making headway on key priorities to further enhance the student experience.  Our goal is to make the place even better for you (prospective students), than it was when we arrived. 

Happy New Year!

Spring Break in "The Motherland"

Seems there were many people as eagar as I am to get to East Africa. The cue to reserve a place for the Africa Club's Kenya trip begin outside Ag 06/07 at 9am. I was thinking I'd just stroll up at 12:30, the beginning time that was publicized, and deposit my check. Luckily I was in the vicinity early enough to join the line at 11. Because by 12:30 there was only one spot left.

With a safari at Masai Mara and Mount Longonot planned, and visits to the Nairobi Stock Exchange, multinational companies and NGOs, the trip promises to be a memorable one.

Goal! Goal! Goal!

I think it's safe to say that at least 25% of the MBA class was on a sports trip last weekend. The guys football team, and girls rugby and football teams were in Barcelona last weekend for our own tournaments.

For me, it was less about the winning than it was about building up the team spirit, learning how to play better football, and having fun. There were 10 of us playing for the Women's Football team - coincidently all from the Americas - except for Sandra - my German study group mate who had lived in Barcelona before. I'd say it was the first time we've actually played as a real team - we had previously only practiced periodically on Sunday mornings. And thanks to the support from our coach, Guy, from the Men's Football team, we saw each player shine in her own way.

As for me, having never played team or contact sports before, the whole experience was exhilarating. There's something so real when you feel the pain in your whole body the next days from the intense strain of the games and the cold. Favorite memory: Simone roaring out the taxi window back at the hustlers on the way to the club Saturday night. Worst moment: discovering that we were all shafted by the budget hotel: no heating and no hot water. Oh, but in the end, it was a trip totally worth it.

Ah yes, and the results were a draw:

IESE 3 - LBS 2

INSEAD 4 - IESE 1

LBS 1 - INSEAD 0

The best game was the friendly match to the ones who wanted to play one more. Thanks to the partners who refereed for us, cheered for us, and played goalie for us in the last match.

Cheers to the 2007-2008 LBS Women's Football Team!

London Business School 40 - INSEAD 0

Well I think the title probably captures it all...... A brave group of 58 Rugby warriors set out on the Eurostar to Paris this weekend. The mission - to return the BCG Trophy to its rightful position in London. Following an extended period of travel and culture we arrived on the battlefield of Fontainebleau. Warming up on the sideline, a group of victory hungry and focused individuals, we immediately won the mental battle and forced our opponents into the admission that they did not, in fact, have a "suitable" front row. Uncontested scrums would not be at all to our advantage, having spent the past 6 weeks building up the strength and quality of our pack......

So into battle we went, and within 15 minutes it became clear that this would be the year of London Business School. The rugby was fantastic, the tackles hard and fast, and shortly into the first half the "mighty" INSEAD had fallen to the tune of three tries. The whitewash continued, and the London Business School R.F.C. demonstrated the quality of rugby any club team would have been proud of. Despite a few injuries on the pitch (the team doctor was busy!) the overall outcome was hugely positive. INSEAD failed to score a single point and the warriors left the pitch having put 40 points past their opponents.

We were kindly hosted by our sponsors BCG in the evening and set about, once more, broadening our cultural understanding of the local city (with the odd beverage along the way) and returned the next morning victorious, over-joyed and hungry for the next tour!

In case anyone missed it, the final score was:

London Business School 40 - INSEAD 0

and the BCG trophy is now well placed back in the rugby locker on Park Road - vive le London Business School!!!!!!

Acting & self-reflection

The last two Fridays I missed my Acting 1 classes run by the Acting and Communications Club due to the Energy Summit, visiting friends, and the twelve hour strategy grind. I'd be missing this Friday as well due to the Women's Football Team trip to Barcelona. So I made an extra effort to do the make-up yesterday, even during such a busy time.

Only 5 out of 10 or so people made it - but we made very good use of the extra time & space understanding status. The activities consisted of selecting a card from 2 - 10, and acting out how we thought a person of that status should act in different scenarios. Then variations of wearing the card on our foreheads, having the other actings treat us a certain way.  It's amazing how well we were able to understand so quickly where were we placed in comparison to the other. Leo and I were a duo - interacting in an interview waiting room, going on a blind date, and waiting for our kids on a park bench.

The improvising is fun - but the take-aways are the most important. How does acting a certain status make us feel? How does it feel to be treated a status that you know you aren't? Where does status play a role in our lives? How do we perceive ourselves? How do you adjust your first impression of someone's status to the new information you find out about him/her? These classes are more about self-reflection than they are about acting, and are just brilliant.

Three Sheets to the Wind

There's nothing quite like 25 knot winds and cold water splashing in your face to feel like you're getting the most out of your business school experience. Such was life this weekend, as some London Business School sailors and wannabe sailors (myself included) headed down to Portsmouth to do some damage in the Sunsail Regatta. Unfortunately, the only damage my boat did was when some of our dishes broke in the choppy seas. Being in the back of the pack did make for some nice pictures, though.

We had two boats in the race, and my crew was (surprise!) a mix of nationalities -- our skipper Dan from Israel, Kristian from Denmark, Rafael from Mexico, Dan from the UK, Jong Sang from Korea, Emil from Bulgaria, Diogo from Portugal and myself from the U.S. While we didn't come first, we had a great time sailing together, we weren't one of the two boats that collided and we only got mixed up with the police once.

 

Thanks to Dan, Jan and Diogo for pictures

Since my last two posts now have been about sailing and wearing suits, I fear I'm in danger of losing my street cred. Upcoming posts may include an inside look at the ballers (basketball) here at London Business School, but will more likely be about the Investment Management Club events and maybe my trip to Barcelona this weekend. Represent.

Tattoo: the video (with sound!!!!)

This won't be a surprise if I tell you I was at Tattoo last Saturday. I started off helping to prepare the French booth (we had 100 croque monsieurs, 500 crepes and about 15kg of cheese :) It has to be stressed that the student association and the school's catering team did a fantastic job. Everything was taken care of, we just had to focus on our food, all the rest was supplied.
Then wandered around to have a taste of the different gastronomies. I loved the little cake the Portuguese did, it tastes a bit like flan patissier. Anyway, there was treats for the tongue and also for the eyes. I can't share the former but I hope that the video will allow you to have a feeling of the latter. Looking forward to the next year's!!

More Tattoo!

What a treat! African food, pisco sour, bhangra AND salsa dancing all in one night! Not to mention all the cute kids at the Halloween Party during the day. It was quite tiring as a volunteer photographer for the day, but I had a great time. Can't wait till next year! (As Kajra Re is stuck in my head...)

TATTOO!!!!!

So my fellow bloggers have been asking me where I have been.....'off the blog scene' for a week or so I say but this is a tactical maneouvre on my part! Why? Because I wanted to be the first to blog about this year's amazing international multi-cultural event that is TATTOO!

So what is it?

1. An amazing multi-cultural show with representatives from dozens of countries all over the world
2. An opportunity to experience the national dress, traditions, food and entertainment of 50+ nations
3. A chance to learn all about your business school class-mates and see them in their own cultural surroundings
4. The best deal in London - £15 for an all-you-can-eat international buffet and booze cruise!

This year we were entertained by two student bands, a mariachi group, flamenco dancers, gypsy musicians, samba dancers, indian music and dance......the list truly goes on and I could not do justice to all the entertainment that was laid on for our delight in this short blog - you will just have to come to next year's event or check out the photos which I am sure will start appearing on the school website soon...

For my own cultural stall (the Great Britain and Ireland club) we had a combination of 'toffs' and 'chavs' as well as some good ol' english grub - fish & chips, sausage & mash and the ever-popular cream teas. We discovered that for next years event we will go heavy on the cream teas and light on the fish & chips. Even if the most popular of our national foods was the sweet, it was good to have people coming back for more and telling us it was the best dessert they had ever tasted.

Oh and to top off the evening England won the rugby as well!!! All in all a great night for all :o)

Suited Up

It's official. I've worn a suit more times since coming to London Business School in August than I did in all of 2006. Suddenly, buying another suit before coming here (effectively doubling my smart business wardrobe) seems like a smart idea. Insider tip: Hugo Boss suits are practically free in Germany when compared to U.S. prices.

I just got home from Bank of America in Canary Wharf, where the Finance Club had organized a trading floor visit and panel presentation. It was a very informative event, capped off with a small networking event with a few London Business School alums and some others. I love networking; the shrimps were delicious.

In talking with some of my fellow students, it seems as we get exposed to more and more careers, some people are getting more and more confused. Those who had tunnel vision about their path after school are now having doubts, and those who had no idea what they wanted to do, well, they still have no idea what they want to do. Process of elimination seems to among the more popular methods of the undecideds, so I'm sure things will become clearer as the term moves on, as long as the professional clubs here continue to put on great speaker series, panels and company visits. I think I better get used to wearing a suit.

Finally ...

I am starting blogging ...

Apologies for the delay, but these have been some very intense days. I will later come to my current top-ten tips for the MBA, but this time I wanted to comment on the variety of offerings here at London Business School.

Apart from all the courses there are clubs for probably every possible area of interest. I could happily fill my whole week just with club activities. There are the professional clubs such as the Finance, Investment Management, Private Equity but also Marketing, Industry and Consulting clubs to name but a few. Then there are the regional clubs such as the Latin America, Africa, Asia or China Interests Club. Finally the sports clubs - Rugby, Tennis, Scuba-Diving etc. - as well as fun clubs such as the wine and cheese clubs. Aha - the wine and cheese club recently invited to a high-class event with wines from 1983 and Baron de Rothschild himself making an appearance. Ahem - at a price tag of 425 GBP. I prefer to pay 2-3 weeks rent of that ...

But also speakers on campus make for interesting breaks. On Wednesday, between Financial Accounting and Business Ethics I went to a seminar with Mr Sonu Shivdasani - the Chairman/CEO of the Six Senses Resorts & Spas on the Maledives and Thailand. Very interesting story - seemed like he was describing my dreamjob. The day continued with a meeting of the Rugby club where our revered coaches explained the subtle rules of the game to us - ensuring a constant flow of beer, of course. This fact worked favourably for the subsequent panel meeting of the Investment Management Club which was ended with a drinks reception. I stagered home tired but happy - and got up 6 hours later for early morning Rugby practice.

But again Thursday was action packed with Corporate Finance, study group meeting over lunch, a 3 hr introduction to speed reading, the club fair (more free beer from the Rugby club) and sundowners - a weekly institution of free drink, courtesy of a company (Bear/Stearns in this case). Afterwards I went for a Indian dinner with some guys from my stream and other streams. Fine day!

Today should have been a non-scheduled day but I had a 1-on-1 session with Mohan Mohan, a former top shot at Proctor & Gamble. Very interesting - after talking to me for 20 minutes he told me directly in which area I should work on myself and challenged several of my assumptions. Great stuff to think about. While getting a coffee I met Francisco of my stream and chatted with him (about jobs and life) and then returned to uni for the kick-off of the Private Equity Club. Off afterwards to a feedback session to help the Marketing department of London Business School and then to meet another good friend of mine ot chat about club involvements. Finally home and start working on those assignments!

My intent in writing all of this: the school offers an incredible amount of possibilities - it is up to everyone to use them.

Take care, wherever you are,

Scuba-Don

Lunch n’ Learn

I am a woman. And in business. Though currently, not in business but in business school. And these qualifications makes me somewhat of a ‘usual suspect’ as far as membership to the Women in Business club at London Business School is concerned.

The WiB club has started a new initiative called the Lunch and Learn series, in which women students, over lunch with faculty, get to know each other better and take the first steps towards increasing faculty student interactions, outside of class.

At the particular session I attended, six first year female students, together with the President of the WiB club had lunch with Professor Kristine F, who is an assistant professor in Decision Sciences at London Business School. The meeting started with the usual introductions, followed by discussion on the research that Prof F is currently involved in. Through the discussion we realised that faculty partner industry, through research, to help the latter make key decisions; the point being that not all research is arcane and academic but that a lot of the research has some very relevant and critical implications for business. Some of the projects that Prof F is involved are related to developing models for pricing optimisation and revenue management in different industry sectors. One of the ladies present at the lunch had experience in a field that Prof F is currently researching and the two got talking - the first steps towards greater involvement of students in faculty research may just have started at the lunch table!

The discussion then moved towards the challenges related to the multiple hats that women today have to wear. In other words, the multiple roles that women have to assume – that of a professional, a mother, a spouse, a daughter, a sister, a friend. The working woman today may have mastered the art of doing justice to multiple roles largely due to her ability to prioritise and multitask. One of the MBA09’ers at the lunch, who has a 2-month old daughter, laughingly said that she has multiple projects running at any point in time – curriculum related at school and then the baby back home!

We also talked about the multiculturalism that pervades not only school but also all of London and how easy it is for someone to feel welcome in the city. We talked about how London Business School is significantly more diverse as compared to some other business schools, which may have very localised student catchment areas and how this diversity of the class makes the learning experience even more enriching. For those of us at the lunch who were yet to believe in school’s diversity, all we had to do was to look around – Argentinean, Canadian, Icelandic, Indian(s), Israeli and Italian! Absolutely incredible!

I believe the objectives of the meeting were to open channels of communication with faculty to learn from their experiences, to get to know one another better and to form a strong support system for women on campus, to have fun but most importantly, to eat a 'non Bite non cold sandwich' lunch.

I enjoyed myself at the Lunch and Learn session - I ate haddock and chips.

Busy days

Three weeks into our MBA program, I am already filling up my calendar with loads of club and networking events. Life as a London Business School student is great, there are tons of clubs and events to choose from and the classes we have so far are indeed very educating, especially for someone who comes from a non-business background like me. However, I must admit that I am most impressed by career services and their efforts in helping us choose the right career path. We have different career workshops every week, ranging from self assessment, to CV writing and coaching, to one-on-one coaching with our in house experts. It is very reassuring to know that the school takes our career planning very seriously and that there are always people there to help us when we are confused, which I suspect most of us are and will be for a while.

Study Group Reality (aka I don't belong)

So, you probably know this already, but you will get a Study Group in Business School. Now, I heard all sorts of nightmares about these groups before I started school, but all in all, I have to say that I like my group. We are quite the diverse group of people -- The Russian-American math genius with a heart of gold; The Statistician who has heaps of experience at major credit agencies; The VP of a major bank; The Italian McKinsey consultant who looks (and I assume plays) like Kaka; and the Australian girl who has either been a model, actress, or basketball player in her previous life and also happens to be a great writer. And that brings us to me - No obvious talent. I think they put me there to motivate me (or to make them feel good), or to highlight that I bring nothing tangible to the group except a desire to Blog about them. It is like the quote in that classic film Rounders, "If you cant spot the sucker the first 30 minutes at the table, you are the sucker." In this case, however, replace the term "sucker" with "man with no discernible skills."

Shifting gears though ... speaking of poker... I have now joined the Poker Club, and it might be the best club at school. No, this club won't help you get great jobs like the Private Equity Club, but it sure is a lot of fun. I can't wait to invest more this weekend. I am also angling for a Senior VP role in the club -- gotta find something for my CV. Also, it should be noted that the President of the Poker Club also is a blogger though he has his own which you can find on the links to your left. It is called "Plausible Deniability." Whether the name is a legal defense or a life philosophy, I do not know for sure, but the blog is a must read if you are considering Business School, even if you don't really belong or have any talent like me.

London Business School Sailing Team Victorious Again!

Our sailors have scored another big victory!  This past weekend in Portsmouth, London Business School took the grand prize at the International Business Schools Regatta (IBSR), hosted by Cranfield School of Management. Racing over two very intense days in a fleet of 21 yachts, the student team scored a 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 1st place, in the four races.  The competition was stiff and despite a strong performance on the opening day, any one of the top four yachts could have won the regatta by winning the final race.  Especially close was the London Business School Alumni crew, who pipped Durham and Smurfit (Dublin) for 2nd place overall! This is the first time that London Business School has won the IBSR.

Hot on the heels of a student crew victory in the Athens Global MBA trophy in April, the IBSR prize firmly places London Business School as a favourite to deliver an unprecedented treble this year. In September business schools will once again race at the SDA Bocconi MBA Cup in Portofino, the final major trophy of the year. We expect to once again see the London Business School spinnaker flying proudly at the front of the fleet!

Congratulations to the student crew: Bruce Clibborn (skipper), Lottos Gutierrez, Edouard Jozan, Cristi Micu, Jose Moreno & Lucia Lopez-Rua, Richelle Twomey and Diego Echave (MBA 2009). 

Congratulations also to the alumni crew: Klaus Rasmussen (skipper), Mark Buckle, Rob Cotterill, Syn-Yee Ooi, Matteo Pozzi, David Salzman, Roland Schotte and Michele Trusolino.

See attached pictures of the student crew celebrating their victory, and click here for more pictures of the event: http://picasaweb.google.es/josete

Edouard Jozan and Brendon Moss on behalf of the Sailing Club at London Business School

Chat online with Manish and David Simpson, Associate Dean, MBA Programme

Chat online with David Simpson, Associate Dean, MBA Programme, and Manish Gajria, MBA2008 and MBA blogger, on Wednesday 25 July, noon (New York), 17.00 (London), 21.30 (Mumbai).

Join this BusinessWeek.com hosted live event and put your questions to Manish and David about everything from campus culture and living in London, to admissions requirements and the essays that make the Admission’s Committee stand up and take note.

For full details on how to take part visit the BusinessWeek.com website.
The event starts at 17.00 London time.

View the transcripts from previous events.

London Business School Team Summit Mt. Everest

Huge congratulations go out to the intrepid four-person team from London Business School’s Rock & Mountain Club who have summited Mount. Everest – and raised £000’s for charity in the process.

   
The team set out on their expedition in March this year and summited at the end of May.  Omar Samra (MBA2007) became the first Egyptian to summit, reaching the top together with alumni Greg Maud (SEMBA2003) on 17 May.  Team leader Ben Stephens (MBA2007) summited on 24 May together with his girlfriend Tori James who became the first ever Welsh Woman and Britain’s youngest female to reach the top.

The team are now safely back down the mountain, and will be holding a presentation at London Business School in the near future, offering the community the opportunity to find out firsthand what it is like to struggle against the elements and a severe lack of oxygen to reach the world’s highest point.

The following extract from the expedition blog describes the moment Tori reached the summit:

“There was nothing stopping me on the last 50 metres ascent, not least the fact that there were some un-roped sections which I wanted to get past. I clambered through the prayer flags and sat on the summit, being careful not to let my rucksack pull me over the top and into Tibet. I just sat there and looked at the view; the valleys were filled with cloud but the panorama of peaks was breathtaking. I could even see Everest’s own shadow, spreading out over the Himalaya, diminishing as the sun rose."

For photos of the team and to their full diary of an incredible journey to the top of the world visit http://www.everest2007.net/blog/page/2/.

Our congratulations go out once again to the team for what is an amazing achievement!

The Race to the Finish

Where did the year go? It only seems like 5 minutes ago, when we were sat in Lords Cricket ground during the course orientation and now we are within sight of the end of the first year. I'm just relieved that I listened to the people who advised me that a 2 year MBA was the only option. I have so much more I want to do next year.  Including, the exchange to San Francisco, some great elective courses and perfecting my French.

The first year has been extremely hectic at times, but every part of it has been enjoyable. I now have hundreds of new friends, new skills and have tried new sports. It has been a productive time and I really feel that I have moved into the fast lane.

All that is left are lots of end of year parties, including several BBQs, dinner at Cafe de Paris and a talent show. Oh yes, and then there are the exams. I have Finance, Accounting, French, Operational Mgmt and Economics next week. These exams can sometimes get in the way of your social life and it always seems to be the case that the parties and the exams come together, at the end of semesters. 

There won't be much time for me to reflect on the past year. I will be starting my internship at Barclays Wealth Management 2 days after the last exam. A large portion of the students will be missing the last week of term as they have been sent abroad by their employers for training. The best advice I can give regarding the summer internship is to make sure you build as many contacts with your current employer as possible. It is infinitely easier to secure employment somewhere you have a proven record.

The day after my internship finishes I will be flying to San Francisco to start the autumn semester at Berkeley. If you are starting the MBA this year, make sure you make the most of any summer holidays you have before the course starts. You don't know when you will have another.

Congratulations to fellow blogger Sean who is the new SA President. Another fellow blogger, Martha and I will be in charge of the running club next year with help from Joe and Karen. We are planning to participate in some marathons and other races.   

"Doth the moon shine the night we play our play"

The 3rd annual London Business School summer play was held last week on 2 nights. Roughly 3 weeks of preparations culminated in a night of 3 performances which included scenes from Denise Deagan's "Daisy pulls it off", Charles Webb's "The Graduate" and William Shakespeare's "A mid summer night's dream". The summer play was organized by the acting and creative communications club and was attended by over 200 members of the school community including students, alumni, faculty, staff and partners.

The plays were directed by David Lightbody (MBA2003) and John Lightbody, who have been involved with the club since its inception. The best part about this experience was that while the summer term of our MBA has been grueling and there was really no time for anything but projects and homework, every minute spent on rehearsals was unbelievably relaxing. Most of the participants had taken acting I classes offered by the club. I was an exception though and it was a pleasure learning from John and David (thanks for shepherding us!). One of our actors had painstakingly put together wonderful costumes for our play (case in point ‘the magical Puck’). I played the part of Snug the joiner in "A midsummer night's dream". Kudos to the school facilities staff that helped us put together a great night with food, drinks and performances.

It was great to participate in this fabulous event because it was an opportunity to exercise our creative sides (and as they say, use the left side of our brains).

Marthita Marathon

Difficult to believe but I made it to the finish line after 5 hours. This was my first marathon, which filled me with great excitement on the day. However, my smile only lasted about 20 miles, after which, it was really difficult to keep going. The running club and Steve -blogger-, did a great job getting me ready for the day. Other than my foot injury, it all went as planned. I am thankful to those who supported me on-line and in practice. It was a fantastic experience; I already want to do it again.

Pictures: 17 hrs before the start of the race, I went to pick my number and bought a couple of souvenirs. Minutes before the race, drinking, thoughtful. And, after...

End of Spring, Beginning of Summer

Last term went too quickly. Summer job search was exciting, time-consuming, tough but fun.

After a couple of tests, we celebrated the end of last term with Salsa and Sangria, an annual event organized by the Spanish and Latin American clubs. We listened to some "flamenco", "Los Hombres G" and salsa, of course. We had a great time!

The break was quick and short too. Time just flies. Some people went to Japan, others to South Africa; I travelled across The Netherlands and Belgium. Bruges was awesome.

We just came back last week. Seven courses this term seems to put me under lots of pressure but I am, once again, excited by the experience. My electives are Finance 2, Strategy 2 and Mandarin - my favourite subject. We will see how it goes!

Last of all, the marathon is next Sunday. I hope my "injured" foot does not let me down.