Name: Rafael Lorenzo Santos Valenzuela, my friends call me “Paeng”
Year of Graduation: 2023
Nationality: Filipino
Post-MBA Country of Residence: United Kingdom
Post-MBA Employer: Aurelius Investments Limited
Hi Paeng, please tell us more about yourself. What is your background and what are you currently doing in London?
I am a deeply driven individual who is eager to add value to his community. This motivation comes from the gratitude for all the blessings I have received; I was born to teenage parents who sacrificed everything for me. I am also very lucky to have a loving wife, her supportive family, and a great group of friends. I believe the best way to show this gratitude is to prove my worthiness of the life I was gifted.
Before the MBA, I spent almost a decade with Procter & Gamble in business development where my roles ranged from key accounts to trade marketing. At the same time, I had my own entrepreneurial endeavors with friends. I managed a couple of food businesses and started a microbrewery specializing in Saison beer and honey wine or mead. I still remember our first brewed batch which we were hesitant to try in fears of food poisoning or worse!
Currently, I am in private equity as a manager with Aurelius Investments Limited in the London office. I have been learning a lot from all the amazingly talented people at Aurelius, the different due diligences projects, and especially in creating value for our portfolio companies. This job is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity which the IESE MBA helped prepare me for.
What inspired you to pursue an MBA and how did you choose IESE?
I realized that my pre-MBA trajectory was misaligned with what I want to achieve. To truly add value, I did not want to simply accept status quo, but I need to contribute something new. This is only possible if I go out of my comfort zone and open myself to new thinking and cultures.
The defining reason on why I ultimately chose IESE was because of its community. Before I submitted my application, I already felt how welcoming and supportive the community was through the admissions team (thanks Camille!), alumni (thanks Enzo & GJ!), and even current students (thanks Mimi!). Now that I have completed my MBA, I am happy to have made lifelong friends from different parts of the world and be part of the IESE community.
Another factor is that IESE is known for its academic excellence which is delivered through the case study method. I was looking forward to upskilling in the multiple facets of a business leader such as finance, operations, and strategy. IESE also provided courses on soft skills such as Power and Influence, Public Speaking for Leaders, and Negotiation which are all equally important to be an effective leader.
Lastly, and probably most cheesy, is I truly believe in IESE’s motto of “A way to learn. A mark to make. A world to change.” and value of “Spirit of Service” as these are exactly what I want to do with my life.
What was it like moving to Spain for your MBA? Your wife moved to Spain with you too, what was her experience like?
My MBA journey would not have been as lovely as it had been if not for my wife, Bianca! Moving to another country will always be a challenging ordeal, but we had each other all throughout the happiness and struggles of starting a new life. Luckily, Spain is a wonderful country to live in and Barcelona is a great city to be a part of. The atmosphere is serene and slower paced that you can relax yet vibrant enough that you will always find something of interest. People are warm and welcoming and there is nothing to complain about the weather!
One of our concerns for moving abroad was finding “our people” since we will be thousands of kilometers away from family and best friends from home. Thankfully, the IESE community has a lot of organized events even before classes started. We met two of our best friends in the very first IESE event we attended which was a winery tour. Funnily enough, our last “IESE event” was also a winery tour where we said goodbye to the very same couple we first met. From the start to the end, there won’t be a lack of opportunity to meet people and make new lifelong friends!
My wife Bianca getting immersed in the new culture, with her classmates from Spanish class!
Bianca had a wonderful support system in Barcelona. Apart from work, she spent time with dear friends learning Spanish, attending classes in the IESE campus, and making friends from all over the world. She was a vice president of IESE’s Family & Partners Club who were dedicated to bringing the students, partners, and families together! The partners even had their own academic program (for free)! We were happy to spend two intense years of growing and maturing with a few of our best friends; some became parents, others got engaged, most prepared for their big moves and new life after the MBA.
What activities were you involved in at school outside of the classroom? Did your participation help you in your job search?
I was the student representative for my section and part of the student council. I was happy to assume this role and already able to give back to the IESE community. I tried my best to support my classmates with what they needed the most. We had social events where people can bond. We scheduled extra review classes which the professors were happy to conduct. We also tried our best to help the school navigate through COVID (emphasis on tried!). Though these activities did not directly help me land my job, they allowed me to practice my leadership skills and be more collaborative which have become crucial in my current job where I am expected to drive change in different portfolio companies without inciting animosity.
How did you utilize the resources of the Career Development Center to land your current role?
In terms of the job search, CDC was instrumental in helping me land the job I wanted.
They instilled in me the right mindset that there are different phases in the job search: preparing the fundamentals (ie. your north star, stories, CV, Cover Letter, etc.), landing the interview, and practicing for each stage of the interview. They equipped me with tools, helped me become disciplined, and even did multiple mock interviews with me (Thank you Patrik, Irene, Edi, and Anna)!
Of course, my batchmates and friends also played a significant role in my job search. We gave mock interviews to each other, shared notes, and were very open to our personal resources and network (Thank you Fred, Ale, Marco, Luigi, and many more)! This is a testament to the generosity of the IESE community.
Lunch with some of our closest friends from the MBA, with their families.
What made you decide on private equity as a career path? Can you tell us what was your job search process like?
Though private equity was the dream job, my main priority or north star was to be based in Europe with the UK as the top choice. With my priorities set, I considered multiple industries that would give me the best chances of achieving my north star. This is based on the advice of IESE’s CDC “to have 1 clear north star” or at least force rank multiple priorities. This wisdom from the CDC made it easier for me to not only say yes and stay committed but to also learn when to say no. Nonetheless, I still secretly hoped to land a job in private equity. The industry is a great mix of finance, general management, and entrepreneurship which are all things I love and want to master.
The IESE ecosystem immensely contributed to landing a job in PE. I found Aurelius Investments Limited in a company list from a recently concluded recruiting event for IESE. I then reached out to an IESE alumni who was working for Aurelius (Thank you Pau). He thought that my profile was not a match for his practice, but he went out of his way to introduce me to another person from another practice which was a better fit (Thank you Marcos). Pau and Marcos championed me throughout the recruiting process which revealed a lot about the culture of both IESE’s alumni network and Aurelius as a private equity firm. Throughout the multiple interview stages, I was able to lean on skillsets I cultivated from IESE and previous working experiences.
Congratulations on landing your dream job! How do you think you have applied your MBA learnings in your new career path so far?
I appreciate how IESE structured its curriculum to reflect the reality of being a leader in business. More than the networking and social events, the rigor of readings, collaborations, and being well-versed with the different disciplines of general management prepared me well for the demands in private equity. IESE’s 3 cases per day made me comfortable with due diligences that require me to scour data rooms and read 100+ page documents. The truly diverse and international IESE cohort made me sensitive to subtle nuances in the different portfolio companies and country cultures. Lastly, I always fall back to the different frameworks I practiced at the MBA.
Thanks to IESE, I appreciate how each part of the business is intricately linked with each other and how a small change can ultimately impact the valuation of an entire company and, more importantly, the lives of people.
Did you face any personal challenges during the MBA? How did you overcome them?
Even before the MBA, I had bouts with anxiety which was probably self-inflicted as I am an overthinker. One afternoon in between the lush green gardens and vine covered house in the IESE campus, I confided to a classmate and close friend about my struggles. He shared to me his own experience and how he sought to rise above this challenge. His approach is akin to the stoic philosophy of how duty is an intrinsic part of human life, that no one else can fulfill our own personal duties, and that agonizing over and delaying duty is unnecessary. This may seem trivial to others, but I consider this a breakthrough for me. I steadfastly live by this mindset to this day!
Thank you for sharing this personal moment with us. Can you tell us what are some of your favourite memories?
One of the most memorable events at IESE – Multi Culti!
One of my precious takeaways from the MBA is experiencing the growth of people. One of my classmates was initially too shy to stand up in front of the class to share some announcements. By the start of the 2nd year, he became the vocal leader of our football team who can stand his ground against different demands from teammates (he even landed a coveted job with McKinsey)! Another wonderful set of experiences was that several of my classmates became parents during the program. I can never forget how I woke up at 2 a.m. on La Día de Sant Jordi because one of my closest friends, who I knew was expecting, was calling me. All I could reply was, “Is it time?” I am still in awe with how they balanced the demands of both the MBA, a newborn baby, and their respective partners (the most important one)!
Another highlight for me is how IESE grouped us into teams. I love Barcelona Team 4; we had each other’s backs in preparing cases, practicing for interviews, or just having a good time together. Thank you for being awesome Uyi, Nisha, Carlos, Ale, Sean, Adam, Iraitz, and Gonzalo!
Unfortunately, most fun memories will be hard to relate to if you were not there! But here’s a pro tip: Don’t miss Multiculti and Asado!
Finally, do you have any advice for prospective applicants?
Be clear with what you want to get out of the IESE MBA: what IESE can offer you, what you can offer IESE, what do you want to contribute once leaving IESE
Reach out to people: Admissions, current students, alumni. Please feel free to reach out to me!
Pursue your dream MBA! Take these next steps today:
){kind=link}
What an inspiring interview! Rafael Valenzuela’s journey and insights are truly impressive. His experiences and achievements in the Philippines provide a great example of how an IESE MBA can make a significant impact on one’s career. The discussion on leveraging the MBA experience for entrepreneurial success was particularly enlightening. Thank you for sharing such an engaging and motivational story from your alumni series!