Stephanus Wicardo

London Business School

“An optimist with a passion for developing his country and making the world a better place to live.”

Hometown: Jakarta, Indonesia

Fun Fact About Yourself: Most people think that I am either Korean, Japanese, or Singaporean.

Undergraduate School and Major: University of Indonesia, Accounting

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: President’s Advisory Board – Republic of Indonesia, Executive Staff to the Chairperson

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: Working in the President’s Advisory Board in Indonesia. I interacted with top leaders both in the public and private sector and got directly involved in the policy-making process, especially regarding the digital economy and financial inclusion in Indonesia.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? Very diverse and humble! I joined several student-organized pre-MBA events. In one event I got to know classmates from every continent in the world. They also come from a very different undergrad background, from traditional business and economics to theology. In no time, we just clicked, and the conversation flows.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key factor that led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA and why was it so important to you?  The curriculum for entrepreneurship. LBS offers a lot of resources for entrepreneurship. From entrepreneurship tailored core courses, entrepreneurship summer school, and the entrepreneurship focus electives. Raised in a non-entrepreneurial family, I feel that this is very important for me to develop my social business in the future.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? London CAP (Core Application Practicum) and Global Business Experience

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? My project in the government ends last July (2018), so it was a point where I can continue my work in the government in another project, go back to my previous industry – consulting, or doing something else. At that point, I feel that after working in three sectors (non-profit, private and public) in the past six years, I feel the need to learn about entrepreneurship and also technology before I develop my own business.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? Oxford and INSEAD

How did you determine your fit at various schools?  I reached out to many people, especially alumni who are based in Jakarta. Through the discussions with them, I got to know about the culture and my fit in the school. I also reached out to the admission teams and had a few calls to ask about their program and also check whether my CV is something that they are looking for. Additionally, an external resource such as P&T helps me to get a better perspective on the school.

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? It was the moment when I helped a farmers union in a small village in West Java. At the end of the project, one of the farmers hugged me and said: “Thank you for all you did for the village. It helped all of us and our families. I can’t thank you enough.” At that moment, I felt humbled. I shed tears as I never thought that I could help so many people in my life. From that moment, I know that I want to help more people in my life.

What do you plan to do after you graduate? I aspire to build a fintech company that helps alleviate the hardship of rural communities in accessing affordable financial services, starting with Indonesia.

Where do you see yourself in five years? In Indonesia, making affordable financial services available to everyone in the country.

Meet the Class of 2020 Series

London Business School

University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School

University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business

MIT Sloan School of Management

Columbia Business School

Dartmouth College Tuck School of Business

Yale School of Mnnagement

University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business

Cornell University’s Johnson Graduate School of Management

UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School

New York University’s Stern School of Business

Emory’s Goizueta School of Business

Washington University’s Olin Business School