Meet Dartmouth Tuck’s MBA Class of 2018

Daniel Marquez

Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College

Describe yourself in 15 words or less: Global citizen, passionate about learning and discussing new ideas, always looking for new professional challenges

Hometown: Medellin, Antioquia, Colombia.

Fun Fact About Yourself: When I was growing up in Colombia, I would go every weekend to my grandfather’s coffee farm. I would pick and clean the coffee berries, and then I would take the beans to the “beneficio” where they would dry and be shipped for roasting.

Undergraduate School and Major:

Universidad de los Andes – B.S. Industrial Engineering

University of Pittsburgh – M.S. Industrial Engineering

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation:

PepsiCo (Plano, TX) – Global Procurement Manager

Mars (Franklin, TN) – Commercial Manager

Procter & Gamble (Cincinnati, OH) – Senior Purchasing Manager

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: Changing how a Fortune 500 company operates is difficult, more so if you are new to that company. When I joined PepsiCo in 2014, I was leading the design of new agricultural supply chains that were key to enable the development of organic and non-genetically modified products that the company was taking to market. Enabling change and leading a transformation in a large organization requires earning others trust, a structured and data-based approach to problems, and the ability to motivate and work with others that are not part of your function or reporting line. Today, as I walk in the grocery store and look at some of the PepsiCo products I helped create, I am happy to see the result of the work I did during my time there.

Looking back on your experience, what advice would you give to future business school applicants? First, reflect on why you want to go to business school. This was an important question for me to answer as I considered different options for my career future. Once I had a clear vision of what I wanted to achieve, the application process became much simpler.

Second, talk to the people you trust the most (mentors, managers, family, friends) about your interest in business school and reflect on their advice.

Third, visit the schools you are interested in. Talk to the admissions team, current students and alumni. Go to the MBA fairs and ask questions. Don’t be shy about your interest in the schools you are applying to.

Fourth, a good GMAT score is a function of persistence and focused effort. Identify the areas that need more work and make a routine that enables you to gradually improve your score.

Finally, be yourself when writing your essays and interviewing. Don’t try to guess what a school wants to hear. Be proud of your story and tell it with the confidence that it’s going to get you to the right place.

What led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA? Tuck’s academic rigor, general management approach and accessible faculty were important as I was looking for an intellectual challenge—a place where I could maximize the opportunities to learn. Additionally, my interactions with the admissions committee, alumni and current students stood out as genuine, friendly and helpful which resonated with me as I thought about where to spend the next two years of my life. Lastly, Tuck’s strong job placement statistics closed the deal for me.

Tell us about your dream job or dream employer at this point in your life? I want to leave a positive footprint in society, at a company, and with the ones closest to me. Therefore, I am looking for opportunities to help companies and organizations with some of their biggest challenges. I believe that roles like a strategy and/or business development manager would allow me to engage in such work.

What would you like your business school peers to say about you after you graduate from this program? I would like my peers to say that they have a friend in me that they can reach out to for help and advice.