Roberto Vásquez

Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College

“Born and raised in Peru, ready to take on the world.”

Hometown: Lima, Peru

Fun Fact About Yourself: When I was a child I had a terrible fear of dogs (no matter how cute). Nowadays I just love them.

Undergraduate School and Major: Universidad del Pacífico, Economics

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Intercorp Retail, Senior Financial Analyst

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: One of the best experiences I had at Intercorp Retail was participating in the acquisition of Peru’s second largest pharmacy chain. The task I remember the most is being in charge of designing the acquisition structure. I had to talk with many people, from lawyers to accountants and bankers, in order to assess the costs and risks on every stage of the operation. I also had to present the plan to the company’s senior management, which approved it with very little changes. Seeing how the acquisition scheme I designed was being implemented in the following months gave me a great feeling of accomplishment.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? My classmates are so friendly and kind that I almost cannot believe it. For example, this summer I met a group of future classmates during their trek to Peru. Even though we had known each other for just one day, I felt like we had already been friends for much longer. Already I am realizing it will be hard to leave Tuck.

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? Aside from its extraordinary community, the thing I like the most from Tuck is its environment. I grew up in the desert environment of Lima, so the location of Tuck, with so much greenery and nature, is like a little paradise but with great cities nearby when I want a little bit of hustle and bustle. I know that here I will get a very intense, 24/7 learning experience, surrounded by classmates and faculty who also live nearby. Coming from a very big, chaotic city, Tuck’s setting really resonated with me.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? One of the activities I am looking forward to the most at Tuck is the Global Insight Expedition (GIX). It combines two of my favorite things: traveling and learning. I think that being able to see how business is done in a completely different part of the world will give me a valuable new perspective. For example, during my work experience in Peru, I was able to see how innovations implemented by companies in other countries can also be completely applicable in the local market.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? The work environment at Intercorp promotes the idea of pursuing an MBA. All my former bosses were MBA graduates, and I learned a lot about their business school experiences. I wanted to follow the same path. After six years working in Peru, I felt like I was ready for an MBA and to share experiences with my class and learn new things from them.

How did you decide if an MBA was worth the investment? I am exploring what I want to do after business school in the short term and in the long term, so I am prepared to take full advantage of the experience, particularly in terms of recruiting. I do feel there will be a great return on investment.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? Darden, Columbia, NYU Stern, Kellogg, Wharton

How did you determine your fit at various schools? I prioritized two factors in my business school search: career prospects and a close community in which everyone supported each other. Considering those, I signed up for every school event I could go to in my city and tried to visit some of them. My campus visit and interview at Tuck were critical to my decision.

Speaking with current students and alumni is very useful in getting a glimpse on every school’s culture because there are no better examples. I also looked at what the biggest recruiting companies at each school were to see if they resonated with my own goals.

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? One of the most defining moments in my life was volunteering for the first time with Techo, a non-profit organization that builds houses for extremely poor families. I was able to meet families that lived so differently from me, even though we were in the same city. It was a very humbling experience and I continued my work in the group for a number of years. I went from hardly being able to hold a hammer to supervising the construction of small houses. I treasure those experiences as much as I do my work in finance. Not every KPI is related to money.

What do you plan to do after you graduate? I plan to continue pursuing a career in finance by working in investment banking in a major financial center after my MBA. In the past, I have been able to see financial operations from the company side. Now, I want to experience the advisor viewpoint. I think being able to work with multiple companies across different industries and regions will give me tools and knowledge that I can apply later in my country.

Where do you see yourself in five years? In five years, I can see myself with a reasonable amount of post-MBA work experience. I plan to return to Peru to apply this and my MBA experience in making Peruvian companies more competitive and strong. In the long term, my goal is to become CFO of a large company in my country, contributing to its growth.

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