Student Life

Self-introduction

I have worked in the pharmaceutical industry for 25 years, 17 years of which have been in international business. My international career has been in a variety of fields including licensing, global marketing, M&A and product portfolio management. For me, the most attractive feature of the pharmaceutical industry is that you can experience the creation of something from nothing, and in developing effective medicines you contribute to society by helping patients, their families and doctors.

What motivated you to study for an MBA and to join the Kenichi Ohmae Graduate School of Business?

The initial motivation was my company recommending I take the program, although the deciding factors were that I believed I would learn a lot from many of the famous lecturers including Dr. Ohmae, and that I wanted to use my spare time efficiently to study whereby the flexibility of the AirCampus system would allow me to do that.

How do you spend an average week?

I am incredibly busy at work, taking care of a broad range of tasks, nevertheless I ensure that I study for at least 2 hours a day and more intensely whenever possible. Since I use my time on the train reading work-related documents and sending out work mails on my BlackBerry, my MBA study is mainly done from home. I have no problems with English, so I am managing the first year well, but I have a feeling that the second year will prove to be somewhat more difficult.

What has proved useful to you so far?

I have learned a lot from Dr. Ohmae and am impressed by his way of seeing things, his perspectives. Thanks to him, I am now further familiar with a variety of business topics. In addition, the program has helped me brush up my English.

What are your career aspirations further to obtaining the MBA?

As I am currently the General Manager, I do not intend to use my MBA as a tool to further my career. What is important for me is to have the opportunity to study and learn, in particular Dr. Ohmae's lectures, which I would like to continue viewing even after graduation. If I were to change departments, I would opt to transfer to the business planning division.

A message for future students considering the MBA in Globalization.

I think this program will surely hone your business skills. Although the program is challenging in terms of content and time management, do not surrender, let's work hard together to gain our MBAs!