Meet IE’s MBA Class of 2017

Arturo Avila 

IE Business School 

Describe yourself in 15 words or less: Perseverant and empathetic dreamer with a penchant for great friendships, wine, and travel.

Hometown: Santa Cruz, Bolivia

Fun Fact About Yourself: I was probably the only freshmen at Notre Dame who had never seen Rudy before landing in South Bend, Indiana.

Undergraduate School and Major: University of Notre Dame (2008) – Business Administration – Management Consulting (Summa Cum Laude)

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation:

HSBC: FGDP Rotation Program Analyst (Chicago, IL)

HSBC: AVP & Senior Financial Analyst (Chicago, IL)

EY: Senior Consultant (New York, NY)

Comercio e Inversiones KPH S.A.: General Manager (supermarket startup in Bolivia)

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: In 2012, I decided to quit my job in NYC to join a startup in Bolivia. By the time I resigned the startup to start my MBA, I had hired over 100 people to work at the company where I was the first employee to be hired. I know I helped to improve the lives of many of my employees, and that’s why I am so proud that I decided to take the risk to create the company.

Looking back on your experience, what advice would you give to future business school applicants? Be yourself. In today’s competitive world, it is getting harder and harder to stand out from the crowd. Do not follow cookie cutter instructions on how to write your essays, or how to describe your experiences. Just be you, your authenticity will make you a stronger, much more memorable candidate.

What led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA? I decided to go to IE not only because its ranked as one of the top MBA’s in Europe and the world, but because of its international student body and close knit alumni network, strong focus on entrepreneurship, and structure of its one year program. IE offered me the opportunity to develop my entrepreneurial and business skills in an intense, one-year program, which was ideal for my current point in career and age (I am turning 31 in December and a two year program was too long for my taste).

Tell us about your dream job or dream employer at this point in your life?  My dream job is one that allows me to be me, to pursue my desire for a fulfilling life, and that allows me to have some type of impact in someone’s life. I want to have a job that I am proud of, at a company with values consistent to those that I have, at an industry that is rapidly changing and growing.

What would you like your business school peers to say about you after you graduate from this program? “I’m glad I became friends with Arturo because I know that sometime in the future, professionally or socially, our paths will cross again.”