Marcio Perino

Rice University – Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business

“Brazilian, animal lover, foodie, husband, passionate about solving hard problems to improve people’s lives.”

Hometown: São Paulo – Brazil

Fun Fact About Yourself: I won my hometown Youth Chess Championship when I was 11 years old.

Undergraduate School and Major: University of São Paulo – Bachelor in Pharmaceutical Sciences and Biochemistry

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Drogaderma (Retail pharmacy chain with 6 stores in São Paulo) where I was Managing Director!

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: About three-and-a-half years ago, I was invited to help a group of investors turn around a chain of retail compounding pharmacies in São Paulo. It was a huge challenge and a unique learning opportunity. After 18 months and a lot of hard work, we were able to increase revenue by over 10% and delivered a positive net income!

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? My classmates are the most interesting group of people I have met. They collect a rich variety of experiences, both in the professional and personal side. We have people that worked alongside Prime Ministers in foreign countries, veterans and even a rocket scientist!

What makes Houston a great place to live and earn your MBA? I have been in Houston for about two months and I already love the city. The one thing that I am loving the most is the food. Houston has a lot of great and diverse restaurants. In addition to the food, Houston is very dog-friendly which is great since my wife and I have two dogs.

In relation to the MBA, Houston is the 4th-largest city in the U.S. and has the largest medical center in the world which makes this a great city for job opportunities.

Aside from your classmates and location, 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 tight-knit community. Here at Rice, the professors and the staff know you by name, you create meaningful relationships with all your classmates, and you have a real opportunity to make an impact in the school.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? Rice has a learning requirement called the Global Field Experience, where the whole class is assigned short term projects in which we can apply what we learn during our first year in a real business in a foreign country. This year we can choose between Rio and Bogota.

What was the most challenging question you were asked during the admissions process? The behavior questions during the interview were the most challenging ones. I remember my interviewer asked me to tell him about a situation where I was able to change someone’s mind and how I did it, and then a situation where I wasn’t able to changes someone’s mind and how I reacted to that.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? Last year, my wife received an amazing opportunity to come work for a big consulting firm in Houston and we decided to take it. I was already planning on pursuing a professional MBA in São Paulo in order to improve my management skills, so we decided this would be a great opportunity for me to invest in a full-time MBA and start my career here in Houston.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? I only applied to Rice. I was also planning on applying to the Texas McCombs MBA and University of Houston, but I was accepted at Rice first.

How did you determine your fit at various schools? Using the rankings and location, you can narrow down your search. From there I looked at the curriculum and job placements. To learn about the culture the best way is to talk to students or alumni. Don’t be afraid to reach out, people are always happy to help and advocate for their school!

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? One week through my job at Drogaderma, I saw myself overwhelmed. I was a young professional leading a team of more mature people in a company that needed a lot of investment and improvements. That defining moment was when I truly realized how big the challenge that I accepted was, and that I would need to give everything I had in order to succeed. The hard decisions I made and the situations I went through gave me a one of a kind experience and have shaped the professional I am today.

Where do you see yourself in ten years? I see myself living in Houston with my wife and two children, being able to help others in my community and contributing for a better society. I hope to be at a leadership position in a prestigious consulting firm or a large company, where I can use my skills in a meaningful way.