Schuyler Weiss

IMD Business School

“A logical and data-oriented leader who introduces creativity to solve problems.”

Age: 29

Hometown: Barrington, Rhode Island

Fun fact about yourself: I am an art enthusiast who used to volunteer in the membership department at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Every time I went in to volunteer, I would arrive 30 minutes early to view a new part of the museum.

Undergraduate School and Degree: Colby College – Bachelor of Arts with Major in Economics – Mathematics

Where did you work before enrolling in business school? 

Morgan Stanley – Vice President (2013 – 2016)

IBM – Senior Consultant (2010 – 2012)

Where will you be working after graduation? REYL & Cie. – Fondé De Pouvoir (Authorized Officer)

Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School: (Include school awards and honors)

Graduated with Honors (Top ~15% of Class)

Director of the Speakers Committee

Zurich Insurance Group Case Competition (Finished Top 10 of ~80)

Member of Finance and Consulting clusters

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? My completion of the Intensive German Course with top marks from the Goethe Institute. One of my goals during the year was to further my language skills, and completing this course was a big step in improving my Deutsch.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? In 2012, at the age of 26, I was promoted to Vice President at Morgan Stanley. While I was certainly happy to receive the title, I was most proud of the feedback that I received from others. I was told by my peers and individuals whom I led that I was their role model and that they wanted to model their career off mine. My goal is to inspire others and help others be the best versions of themselves, and my promotion helped me do just that.

Who was your favorite MBA professor? Mikolaj Piskorski, also known as Professor Misiek. Professor Misiek leveraged the case method to put his students in the shoes of the case’s protagonists, pushing us to not only consider the circumstances of the case, but also to think through the repercussions of our decisions and how they would affect the final outcome. He was extremely effective in his delivery, and his course was very well designed. Professor Misiek has had a profound impact on the way that I think through and process strategic decisions.

What was your favorite MBA Course? Supply Chain Management taught by Ralf Seifert. Prior to IMD, I knew very little about supply chain, but Professor Seifert’s course certainly brought me up to speed. The biggest takeaway for me was to identify what constitutes the supply chain. I can now apply analytics and process-improvement tactics to areas of the supply chain that I previously would not have identified as areas for improvement. The course has helped me see the bigger picture by focusing on the smaller details.

Why did you choose this business school?

Quality: IMD places a lot of emphasis on perfecting every aspect of its MBAs’ experiences. From the teachers to the resources to the out-of-classroom activities, IMD breathes quality, allowing MBAs to bypass the minutia and get the most out of the year.

Diversity:  My class had 44 different nationalities across 90 students. There are few other MBA programs where I would have had the opportunity to study with such accomplished people from all over the world. I learned as much out of the classroom as I did in it.

Career Services: I wanted a school that did not limit my opportunities following my graduation. IMD opens a lot of doors and its MBAs have the ability to choose their destination after graduation.

Campus and Location: IMD has one of the best campuses in the world. We have views of the Alps from our study rooms and Lac Leman is a stone’s throw away. Switzerland is a stunning country with an extremely high standard of living.

What is your best piece advice to an applicant hoping to get into your school’s MBA program? Embrace your points of differentiation. The IMD MBA is an assimilation of worldly individuals who all have something unique to contribute. Getting these points of differentiation through in the application and the interviews will demonstrate added value beyond the resume.

Also, think big and show your ambition. IMD MBAs want to change the world, and the admissions teams are looking for people who will do just that.

What is the biggest myth about your school? That the IMD MBA is too intense. While it certainly is intense and there are eight hours of classes every day, the dynamism and flow of the program make every day exciting and fun. While there are eight hours of classes (and then homework) every day, the classes are very engaging and involve a lot of breakout sessions with teams. Days go by rather quickly during the MBA.

What was your biggest regret in business school? Not participating in the MBA Tournament (MBA Olympics in Europe).

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? Giovanni Gazzale. He is brilliant and tireless, and his sense of right and wrong is unwavering. Giovanni overcame a lot of obstacles and made many sacrifices to join IMD, yet he never made it a point of discussion. Having worked with him, I can attest to his extraordinary leadership qualities, all of which will take him far.

Who most influenced your decision to pursue business in college? My parents – My mother and father have been role models for me all of my life and have taught me so much about business and how to thrive in a business-oriented environment.

“If I hadn’t gone to business school, I would be…continuing my career at Morgan Stanley. Morgan Stanley is a great company that is well-positioned for the future. With that said, the Financial Services sector has many challenges ahead, and I would be helping Morgan Stanley overcome these challenges.”

If you were a dean for a day, what one thing would you change about the MBA experience? I would create a film centered around the IMD experience. This would not only allow me to show how unique and rewarding a place IMD is, but it would also allow me to share some insight into what it is like to be an IMD MBA.

What are the top two items on your bucket list? 

Give back in a meaningful way to my home state of Rhode Island.

Visit every continent for at least one week.

In one sentence, how would you like your peers to remember you? As someone who gave significantly more than he took.

What is your favorite movie about business? Trading Places – Never take your position for granted. Always work to prove your worth and always strive to drive unique value for your company. An employee is only replaceable as long as he or she lets themselves be.

Favorite vacation spot: Sunapee, New Hampshire, USA

Hobbies? Art Viewing & Collecting, Cycling, Wakeboarding, Traveling, Reading

What made Schuyler such an invaluable addition to the class of 2018?

“With 6+years of experience in process improvement, crisis management and tech implementation in financial services, Schuyler has not allowed the intensity of the MBA program to disrupt him. He has shown outstanding academic rigor, considerable drive and a dedicated commitment to mastery in all he pursues. We wish him all the best with his new position in Switzerland.”

IMD Faculty

 

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100 MBAS TO WATCH IN THE CLASS OF 2018