{"id":3694,"date":"2020-11-03T08:50:38","date_gmt":"2020-11-03T07:50:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.iese.edu\/mba\/?p=3694"},"modified":"2020-11-10T05:11:15","modified_gmt":"2020-11-10T04:11:15","slug":"iese-alumni-footprint-series-an-interview-with-elaine-kuo-taiwan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.iese.edu\/mba\/iese-alumni-footprint-series-an-interview-with-elaine-kuo-taiwan\/","title":{"rendered":"IESE Alumni Footprint Series, An Interview with Elaine Kuo (Taiwan)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\" <\/strong><\/p>\n

Name: <\/strong>Elaine Kuo<\/a><\/p>\n

Year of Graduation:<\/strong> 2018<\/p>\n

Nationality:<\/strong> Taiwanese<\/p>\n

Country of Residence: <\/strong>United States<\/p>\n

Current Employer:<\/strong> Amazon<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Tell us a little bit about yourself. What inspired you to pursue an MBA, and how did you choose IESE?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

My career has been in the technical field, I am a scientist at heart and trained as an engineer.<\/strong> I started out as a clinical researcher at Roche and transitioned to a data analyst at a smaller pharmaceutical company before going to IESE. Having worked in the biotech industry in the Silicon Valley, I wanted a change that would take me completely out of my comfort zone.<\/strong> Obtaining an MBA in Barcelona was the perfect challenge. Learning a new skillset, a new culture, and a new way of living would add colors to both my professional and personal life.<\/p>\n

I attended several MBA events and spoke with alumnus from different schools. After narrowing down to just a few programs and attending some prospective MBA classes, my heart was set on IESE. While all the top-ranked schools have outstanding professors and students, IESE stood out to me for two reasons \u2013 the high moral standards it holds and the big family atmosphere it creates.<\/strong> Choosing the right MBA program is a very personal choice, not only does the school name stay with you forever, you carry the responsibility for the school\u2019s reputation as well.<\/p>\n

In your post-MBA career, how has your MBA helped you and how so?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

I have changed my job function, industry, and location – almost a mission impossible without doing an MBA first. Amazon recruited me for their MBA leadership program, where I did marketing for the retail business and sales for the advertising business. Currently, I am a Senior Business Development Manager at Amazon Web Services overseeing our product strategy and operation. IESE really helped me excel at these various roles because I learned to be a generalist and to create business solutions.<\/strong> This was not achieved just by attending lectures and case discussions, but also by absorbing my classmates\u2019 distinct experiences, both their successes and failures.<\/p>\n

While doing the internship to launch a beauty product for Amazon UK, I reached out to my classmate who has almost a decade of experience as a marketer to learn the dos and don\u2019ts. While being P&G\u2019s account manager at Amazon Advertising, I asked for advice from my professor who taught an on-line advertising strategy class for deeper understanding. Now working in Amazon\u2019s cloud business and back in San Francisco, I realized the most valuable skillset I took away from IESE is the ability to learn and untangle complicate business problems.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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With colleagues at Amazon<\/p><\/div>\n

What are some of your favorite memories from IESE?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

My favorite memory from IESE was not a single event, professor, or classmate, but the way I felt.<\/strong> There were many times when I felt like I was not going to make it, the tremendous workload, pressure to secure an internship, and the preparation for consulting and banking interviews. What topped it all off, was when I found out I was having a baby, unexpectedly. It was tough because I was finally getting through the notoriously rough first year and about to start an internship at Amazon, which is known for grilling its interns. A gazillion questions went through my mind, should I give up my internship? Should I take a year off and defer graduation? Should I hide my pregnancy? Are my classmates going to look at me differently? How do I get through the pregnancy alone and take care of a baby while finishing the last semester? I was dead scared. What kept me going and decided to take on all these new challenges was my IESE family.<\/strong> My classmates were genuinely happy for me and my professors were overwhelmingly supportive. That gave me the confidence that I could do it all and I should do it all.<\/strong> Was it difficult? Without a doubt. Was it worth it? Absolutely yes. This is my fondest memory because of the growth I experienced professionally and personally.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Finally, do you have any advice for incoming IESE MBAs?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Have an open mind. <\/strong>You may have a perfect plan going into the MBA, but be ready to come out of the MBA completely changing that plan. Experiment with new ideas.<\/strong> You will oscillate, and that is also how you will find the happy medium. Embrace your environment in and outside the classroom.<\/strong> You will be surprised how many life-long friends you get to make. Finally, savor every moment because two years will fly by before you even realize it.<\/p>\n

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With fellow Taiwanese classmates at Multi-Culti<\/p><\/div>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>Pursue your dream MBA! Take these next steps today:<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n