Alexandre Netto

Ivey Business School at Western University

“Highly ambitious individual on a constant journey of self-knowledge and pursuit of self-improvement.”

Hometown: São Paulo, Brazil

Fun Fact About Yourself: I am very passionate about music and have played the guitar in bands during my teenage years. I was taking violin lessons prior to the MBA, and I intend to resume it after graduation.

Undergraduate School and Major: Universidade de São Paulo – International Relations

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: MUFG Bank – FX Sales Trader

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: In 2017, I led a project to increase international collaboration among the various sales departments in my organization. Despite being a global bank with an extensive presence, there was very little interaction between these teams. The project entailed educating overseas offices about our capabilities, the overall Brazilian market, and potential cross-border collaboration to maximize profit and customer satisfaction. As a result, besides the origination of major deals and a significant increase in interaction between teams, I got the opportunity to visit MUFG’s offices in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, and London. I also received a MUFG Top Producer award in New York for this project.

Describe your biggest accomplishment at Ivey so far: A few months into the program, I can confidently say that my biggest accomplishment is establishing a solid circle of connections with the other candidates in the cohort. Coming from a distant country, where I left family, friends and professional connections, it was paramount to quickly establish a network of support to exchange ideas, share concerns, and help one another. I can easily see potential work colleagues, business partners, and lifelong friends in this newly formed network.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? Out of many qualities, one that is consistent among the cohort is empathy. The fact that most of the candidates came to London from other places (about half from outside of Canada) really helps to create a valuable sense of community and comradery. This is further reinforced by the intensity of the program – everyone understands how difficult it is to keep on track, so working as a team, supporting and leveraging each other’s strengths is fundamental for success.

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 case method of learning was a key differentiator for Ivey. There is a lot of value in learning from actual business situations, applying theory and concepts with the guidance of high-level faculty, and exchanging insights with a class of talented individuals from very diverse professional and cultural backgrounds. It provides a broad range of perspectives that can be applied to all sorts of different industries and roles from a managerial point of view.

What club or activity have you enjoyed the most at Ivey so far? Because of my background and post-MBA career goals, I’m very excited to be a part of the Finance Club. I was happy to give a presentation about Sales & Trading to the members of the club and hopefully contributed to my classmates’ knowledge.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? I reached a point in my career where I felt I finally had enough experience to make the most out of an MBA and meaningfully contribute to class discussions, which I believe is a major component of the value in any program, especially with the case method. I see the MBA as the best path to achieve my career goals at this point: relocate to Canada, change function within the financial services industry, and develop the skillset and network necessary to advance my career.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? After careful consideration, Ivey was at the top of my priority list. It was the first school that I applied to and I quickly received and accepted the offer, therefore I did not submit applications to any other schools.

How did you determine your fit at various schools? Ivey was the one and only school to which I applied. It fit my priorities in terms of location, ranking and placement data. However, what really set it apart from other potential schools was the caring and thoughtful interactions I had with the schools’ recruiting team since the initial contact. By the time I had my campus visit a couple of months later, I was sure that Ivey had the ethos that I would be proud to represent throughout my career, one that is not only about shaping great professional talents but also about building a strong character.

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? When I was 18 years old, I moved out of my parent’s home in Brazil and went to live in Moscow, Russia for one year. With hardly any financial support and virtually zero knowledge of the language when I arrived, there was no lack of hardship. It was a huge leap outside of my comfort zone and it turned out to be a life-shaping experience. Coming out of it, I learned to value many things I would have taken for granted before. I was more mature, resilient and ready to face any challenges on my way.

Where do you see yourself in five years? Although I am passionate and focused on financial roles, one of the best parts about the MBA program is that, at this point, I can see myself in multiple career positions in five years. I could be working in financial services; I could partner with a classmate on a new venture or could be something different altogether. No matter which path I pursue, what I know for sure is that I am developing business acumen and the necessary tools to be successful in any sort of managerial role.