Meet the IESE MBA Class of 2018

In this holiday season, the best story comes from Destarac, who has pinballed from investment strategy to fashion to winemaking. After meeting a boy with cancer, he decided to find a way to help his family pay for his chemotherapy. In the end, he marketed CDs of himself playing his saxophone with profits going to the boy. The upshot: The boy is still alive years later. “At the time, I had no idea this would have taken on a life of its own, but it might be the most satisfying thing I have been a part of,” he admits. “Sometimes, all it takes to make a difference is to take the first step.”

According to Marta Escardo, executive director of IESE’s MBA program, the 2018 Class boasts 350 members. This was a 22% increase over the previous year, requiring the addition of a fifth cohort. Calling the class “highly diverse,” Escardo notes that 81% of the class hails from outside Spain, up a point from the previous year. She adds that 37% of the class comes from Europe, with Asia (22%), Latin America (18%), and North America (16%) also chipping in large blocs of students to the class. The percentage of women in the program held steady at 28% as well.

The school also saw average GMAT scores rise from 680 to 690 over the 2015-2016 cycle, making it an equal to Cambridge in this regard (They also own bragging rights over IE Business School and HEC Paris, which posted lower GMAT scores). The class also features some “richly diverse professional backgrounds,” adds Escardo. “58% come from some sector of industry; 23% come from a financial background; 11% have worked in consulting, and the remaining 8% come from public service, NGO or entrepreneurship backgrounds. Our students come with an average of five years of work experience after college. Their average age is 28.5.”

A PROGRAM WITH MOMENTUM ON ITS SIDE

Such numbers reflect a growing momentum at the school, which ranked 8th and 16th globally with The Economist and The Financial Times respectively (along with 5th internationally according to Bloomberg Businessweek). Such performance is only expected to be accelerated with the elevation of Franz Heukamp to dean in September. Heukamp has big shoes to fill, however, as his predecessor, Jordi Canals, opened campuses in New York City, Sao Paulo, and Munich and developed one of the world’s top executive MBA programs during his tenure. He also hand-picked a truly global faculty, packed with 30 nationalities — all of whom hold Ph.D.s. More impressively, the school maintains a 4:1 faculty-to-student ratio, matching personal attention with IESE’s focus on global immersion and “doing good by doing right.”

Making the student the centerpiece also creates a community feel at IESE that was quickly palpable to Sean Porta, a member of Poets&Quants’ “Best and Brightest MBAs” from the Class of 2016. “You get a real sense that everyone actually cares about the welfare and development of each other – because the school is so small, it feels like a family,” she says.” You know almost everyone’s name and at least something about him or her.”

Looking for a hidden gem at the program? Think entrepreneurship, which is gradually emerging as a fundamental part of IESE’s MBA experience. Start with Finaves , which invests in early stage companies and provides extensive support in development and growth. IESE also sponsors a Business Angels Network, that connects entrepreneurs and financiers resulting in $23 million dollars worth on investment in nearly 100 companies, creating 2,500 jobs in industries ranging from life sciences to luxury. It also hosts a Center for Business in Society to develop educational content, networking, and projects. “IESE is well differentiated with many courses on various types of entrepreneurship, and is located in the entrepreneurial hub of Barcelona,” Destarac notes.

“HE HAD A GREAT SPIRIT OF SERVICE”

According to Escardo, the Class of 2018 is united by their shared “desire to make a positive and lasting impact on the world.” However, they differ in the paths they plan to take to achieve that end. Bailey, for one, plans to follow her father’s example by becoming an entrepreneur. “He would have me work in his office, so I saw first-hand how his business had a positive and lasting impact on our family, his employees, his customers, and our community at large,” she remembers. “Ever since, I’ve aspired to have that same or greater impact through my own successful company that is led with consciousness.”

Francis is looking to enter management consulting — but not so she can hobnob with CEOs or cash fat paychecks. “I realize this may sound odd to some, but it’s because I love helping people,” she admits. .  “Although it’s not altruistic to be a management consultant, the fundamental activities of being a consultant revolve around helping organizational leaders transform their business.”

On a narrow scale, Destarac plans to launch a search fund before mentoring young entrepreneurs. However, he is still keeping his eye on a bigger prize. “My hope is to make a difference no matter where I am and what I am doing. I understand that leadership is about doing the right thing and about taking a step forward when no one else will or can. Leadership is about being an example and the best way I can live my life is by living my mission, being truthful to who I am and what I believe in.”

What does he believe in? It is being a servant leader like many of the people he has encountered so far at IESE. That is the legacy he hopes to cement during his two years in Barcelona. “After leaving IESE,” he says, “I would be proud of my time at the school if my peers said, “he had a great spirit of service.”” As the class moves towards joining 12,000 other IESE MBA alumni, they also want to be remembered for something else: Teamwork. “I would like my business school peers to say that I was a team player who understood the importance of true collaboration and diverse perspectives,” Bailey adds.

DON’T MISS: THE STEREOTYPE-DEFYING MBAS IN THE CLASS OF 2018 OR MEET THE IESE MBA CLASS OF 2017

To read profiles of incoming IESE students — along with their advice on tackling the GMAT, applications, and interviews — click on the links below.

Danielle Bailey / Kingston, Jamaica

Jean-Paul Destarac / Guatemala City, Guatemala

Danielle Francis / Union, NJ

Lance (Xiaohu) Kuang / Beijing, China

Jolyon Sayer / London, UK

Coralie Vaissié / London, UK