Wharton EMBA alumnus Gus Giraldo, WG’06, CEO and country manager of CIGNA Thailand, says that his Wharton education has been very valuable in accelerating his international career. We asked him to tell us more about his experience at Wharton. Here is what he said:
On coming to Wharton’s EMBA program…
I wanted an MBA to broaden my perspective and potential impact on the business which I helped to run, and ultimately hoped to lead. While my roles during the four years immediately preceding my application to Wharton involved broad financial management, as an actuary, my foundation is in the most technical aspects of insurance business. I wanted to better understand all other aspects of our business from strategy to marketing to operations. I also hoped an MBA would position me well for new opportunities in non-financial areas and eventually leadership of a business unit.
An EMBA program was an absolute requirement given that I was already in a fairly senior position and the opportunity cost of suspending that for two years was not something I was willing to accept. I also felt that an EMBA, which is by definition completed while one is still working, gave me the opportunity to test the theory being learned in real-time as I was performing my job. Wharton was my first choice primarily based on the reputation of the school, the strength of its EMBA program, and proximity to home. I was living in Philadelphia at the time.
On having a nontraditional background…
The sad reality is that I was a very poor high school student, and had no initial ambition to attend university. When I finally changed my mind after having spent some time in the workforce, my poor high school record meant I didn’t have a chance at acceptance into a proper four-year program. In fact, based on placement testing for my local community college, I had to start with remedial classes before I would have a reasonable chance of success with normal freshman coursework. I didn’t let that deter me, and I immersed myself fully in the prep work and eventually the two-year program. With that dedication, I excelled and went on to graduate with honors from that program. With a combination of academic scholarships from the Society of Actuaries and Pell Grants, I was then able to transfer to FSU to start my junior year, where I continued my strong performance and also graduated with honors. After attaining my BS in Mathematics, I then went on to complete all the necessary coursework and examinations to become a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries while working in an actuarial development program at Cigna.
On the program’s highlights…
The two primary highlights for me were the caliber of my classmates, and the quality of the professors. That combination worked together to create a great learning environment where the one-off hallway conversations could be equally as valuable as the classroom discussions. All the students in the program had significant life and business experience which enriched the program, and the professors did a really good job at teasing that experience out to make classroom learning even better.
On career impact…
Since graduation I have continued to work with Cigna, but in a host of different countries and various functions, including some very distant from my actuarial roots. I built a start-up business in China for the expatriate benefits business, I was head of operations and IT for a Chinese joint venture between Cigna and China’s fifth largest bank, and currently I am the CEO of Cigna’s group of companies in Thailand.
I got exactly what I wanted from Wharton. I see business issues from a completely new perspective. I have a foundation of knowledge that helps me effectively lead my teams and contributes to better decision-making. I also believe my Wharton and MBA credentials have opened doors for me internally as well as with external business partners. The alumni network also has helped me establish roots in new markets and created opportunities for business development I wouldn’t have otherwise had.
On Wharton’s international alumni network…
In each market that I’ve entered, one of my first steps toward settling in and establishing a foundation has been to seek out and connect with the local alumni group. The international groups are very active and serve as a great vehicle to meet people, establish business contacts, and gain credibility in the local business community.
On preparing for a global role…
Wharton did provide a global perspective for me. Aside from specific coursework in geopolitics, international business, and other relevant topics, our class had a number of students that lived/worked abroad during the program or had done so at some point in their career. Another global aspect to the program was the overseas trip; my class went to Shanghai and Beijing. For me, that trip was transformative because it was the first time I travelled to China and it sparked my interest in working with China and learning more about the country and its culture. With that interest, I ultimately went on to live and work in China for five years and learn Mandarin.
I currently oversee a group of companies that together distribute and service accident, health and travel insurance products to local Thai consumers. We have about 900 employees, based mostly in Bangkok, that serve over 650k customers. Cigna Thailand partners with the major financial and retail institutions in the country to distribute our products countrywide. As the CEO of the business, I oversee all aspects of our business, but my primary responsibilities are to ensure the business has a winning strategy in place, that we have the right resources to execute that strategy, that those resources are fully aligned and engaged in the execution of the strategy, and that the financial commitments are being achieved while the strategy is being executed.
On using my Wharton education…
I rely on fundamentals learned at Wharton on a daily basis in guiding my team and making decisions. For example, I do a lot of negotiations, and when and when I do so, I commonly refer back to strategies and the negotiations models I learned in Prof. Stewart Diamond’s class. In fact, I still carry in my wallet the card he gave us at the end of the class with elements to prepare in entering a negotiation. I also rely heavily on organizational design and leadership theories learned during my time at Wharton.
On working abroad…
Wharton’s lessons apply to an international setting, and while cultural differences and country working norms will vary, the fundamental considerations always apply. The Wharton name demands recognition and respect wherever you go, which only means more opportunity.
