Glaxton Elliott Robinson

IE Business School

“A gregarious and friendly person, eager to learn and better himself in any way possible.”

Hometown: Cape Town, South Africa

Fun fact about yourself: I had saved two people’s lives by the age of 13.

Undergraduate School and Degree: Stellenbosch University, BCOMM Honours in Financial Analysis and Level III through the CFA Institute.

Where was the last place you worked before enrolling in business school? BPI Capital Africa (a subsidiary of Banco BPI in Portugal) as an Equity Sales.

Where did you intern during the summer of 2018? I didn’t. I was traveling through Latin America on my first solo backpacking trip.

Where will you be working after graduation? Still deciding.

Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School: Elected Class Representative and Vice President of the Public Speaking Club. I also started the IE Language Exchange Networking Event, created to help students network while practicing their respective languages (English or Spanish).

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? My appointment as Vice President of IE Public Speaking Club. I have a passion to help and educate others and this position has given me the opportunity to do just that. The role has allowed me to participate as a mentor and role model for those enthusiastic to better themselves.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? Receiving the promotion to Equity Sales at my last company, BPI Capital Africa. It was a major step up professionally and served as a great platform for me to prove myself and learn more about sub-Saharan Africa.

Who was your favorite MBA professor? Teresa Recio Naranjo, our marketing professor from term 1. Teresa has an inherent passion for marketing, and it was obvious every time she spoke. Having taken Marketing in university, I can tell you I was never that captivated.

What was your favorite MBA Course Entrepreneurial Mindset/Venturing. It allowed me to break a certain fixed mindset I never thought I had regarding my own ideas and the greater world at large. Having not been able to find an idea that I was passionate about, I was able to step back ask myself what I passionately disliked. It was the mindset that sparked off a start-up idea that I am still running with to today.

Why did you choose this business school? Without a doubt, it was because of the school’s focus on entrepreneurship. I see IE as my opportunity to follow my dream of gaining the ever-important skills required to approach the world with a slightly different perspective, on as an entrepreneur.

What is your best advice to an applicant hoping to get into your school’s MBA program? Focus on what makes you unique. This is a school that thrives on diversity. Show your drive to work and be different, think of innovative ways on how you want to change the status quo.

What is the biggest myth about your school? That I wouldn’t have enough time to do anything but study. I don’t have any time, but not just because of the course work but because of all the opportunities, clubs and events outside of the classroom.

Think back two years ago. What is the one thing you wish you’d known before starting your MBA program? Just how much traveling there would be. I would have budgeted more money on travel. Don’t get me wrong, it has been worth every cent, but it definitely would have helped to budget a little extra cash on the side.

MBA Alumni often describe business school as transformative. Looking back over the past two years, how has business school been transformative for you? My transformation has been more on a personal level. I didn’t know just how much we would be analyzing ourselves on a personal level. The self-growth I have achieved over these few months has been greater than the 11 months I spent solo backpacking through Latin America.

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? Andrew Kline. He has embodied what it is to be and think like an MBA. He has taught me that one should not overwhelm themselves with the number of opportunities available and spread yourself too thin, but to prioritize what it is I want out of this experience.

What is your favorite movie about business? Thank You for Smoking. It taught me you can sell almost anything with the right words and conviction.

What was the goofiest MBA term or acronym you encountered – and what did it mean? “Think like an MBA”. It became the answer to anyone with a problem and no solution. “Wait, what? You don’t know where you supposed to go? Think like an MBA.” It became a polite way of telling someone to think for themselves, and maybe to stop complaining.

“If I hadn’t gone to business school, I would be…hiking through Patagonia.”

What dollar value would you place on your MBA education? Was it worth what you paid for it – worth more or worth less? I’m not sure I can put a value on it. For one, I haven’t finished, but so far it has been a priceless experience. It has given me an opportunity to reflect, realign and open my mind to the number of opportunities available. Get back to me on graduation for the full feedback.

What are the top two items on your bucket list?

1. Backpack through South East Asia
2. Own my own company

In one sentence, how would you like your peers to remember you? As someone who made the most of his time at IE Business School, making the most of the opportunities available to him.

Hobbies? CrossFit, running, hiking, traveling and cooking.

What made Glaxton such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2019?

“Glaxton Robinson is a fantastic student who not only performs at an outstanding academic level, but helps others along the way. He is the driving force and the inspiration behind IEs Language Exchange Networking Event, which takes advantage of IE’s diversity to foster communication amongst students while helping them to improve their language fluency. Since he is a natural leader, he was chosen to give an inspirational speech at the commencement of our most recent MBA intake and he is currently Vice President of the Public Speaking club, where he is being instrumental in changing the format and introducing new initiatives and collaborations within IE. But what makes Glaxton shine amongst his peers is his bright and warm personality. He brings to the table a contagious enthusiasm that makes it a pleasure to work with him. As class representative, he was effective, innovative and smart, but also good-humored and kind.”

Teresa Recio

IE Business School Professor

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