As chief risk officer of Santander Asset Management, Mexico, Julian Gomez Faustino, WG’20, didn’t necessarily need an MBA. However, he came to Wharton’s MBA Program for Executives to gain a global perspective and learn more about different areas of business as well as soft skills, such as leadership, communications, and negotiations.
“I wanted to better understand business in countries outside of Mexico, and also gain exposure to different areas like operations, corporate finance, sales, and human resources,” he said.
When Julian looked at executive MBA programs, Wharton stood out for its undiluted MBA. “This program gives students the same knowledge as full-time MBA students and that wasn’t the case at other schools. Wharton was also appealing because of its academic rigor, data-driven decision making, and high-caliber faculty.”
As for the commute, Julian decided the five-hour flight to Wharton’s San Francisco campus was doable. Now that he is a first-year student, he says there are two benefits to the commute. First, two classmates commute with him. “My Wharton experience starts on Thursday night at the airport, where we can get to know each other and talk about school. It’s been a nice bonding experience to share the commute. After classes, we talk about what we learned on the commute home.” Second, the flight provides uninterrupted time to work or study.
Julian points out several other beneficial aspects of the program:
Classes
“This program provides a good mix of both technical and soft skills. In the technical classes like Economics and Accounting, we learn new ways to think about business and approach problems at work. And I’m learning what I need to work on for soft skills too — everything is useful!”
Classmates
“Many of my classmates work for global companies and they provide very interesting perspectives in class.”
Faculty
“We’re learning from top faculty who have experience and offer a global perspective.”
Rigor
“This is a very rigorous and challenging program, and the students are all intelligent and smart. This program is pushing me outside of my comfort zone, which helps me learn even more.”
He added that the rigor also makes time management a challenge. “You have to prepare for school to get the most out of this program, but I’m learning that the key to finding balance is to prioritize and carve out time for the different areas of my life.”
For example, Julian now allocates time before work and during lunch each day to focus on school. On non-class weekends, he makes sure to spend time with his wife and family.
“It takes some time to figure out the time management part, but it’s worth it because I’m learning so much in this program,” he said.
Posted: May 7, 2019
