Alexandru Fugariu

Warwick Business School

“Purpose driven Romanian equipped with grit and an entrepreneurial spirit.”

Hometown: Bucharest, Romania

Fun Fact About Yourself: Traveling and seeing the world is probably the best thing one can do to better him or herself. Having experienced more than 50 different cultures during my trips, I fueled my desire for knowledge and expanded my horizon. A walk through the now deserted Chernobyl or a trek to Everest Base camp changes the way you see the world.

Undergraduate School and Major:

Edinburgh Napier University, UK – BA in Business Studies

University of Salford, UK – MSc. In Procurement and Supply Chain Management

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Asahi Breweries Europe Group – Materials Planning Manager Central Europe

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: Within six months of being promoted to a regional role, I had reshaped and integrated the functional planning processes across the European grid. This significantly improved the regional operating model, resulting in an 86% reduction of the workload and improved reporting turnaround time by 200%. I later brought additional combined benefits of over €1.3 million in the same role. However, those first six months are the most relevant for the way I approach my professional objectives. Even though I was a newcomer and still onboarding, I immediately acted when I saw an improvement opportunity.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? Diverse and inspiring. There are many ways to look at a business problem or a case study, but it is quite different and enriching to see how a general surgeon leads a team on a marketing assessment or to experience the best presentation you have seen delivered by an aeronautics engineer.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key part of the MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? I was looking for a mix between academic knowledge, classroom practice and in-business applied experiences. WBS was the right decision for me because of how these three elements are interconnected. First, excellent academic knowledge is assured by a balanced mix of theoretical professors and professors of practice that serve each module. This ensures a well-rounded understanding of the topic. Second, classroom practice is secured through extensive use of the business case teaching method that exposes the student to various industries, cultures, sectors and business models. Finally, students are exposed to real-life business experiences when they work in consulting projects for real customers on real issues. Thus, their contribution makes a real tangible impact.

What was the most challenging question you were asked during the admissions process? I found it quite difficult to answer the ‘Tell me about yourself’ questions. Questions such as “Who am I as an individual” make me question what angle I should adopt. Am I defined by my job or title or should I focus on my personal achievements as the interviewer has my professional CV? It`s always difficult to balance being humble, as a valuable human value, by describing yourself in an appreciative way so that the interviewer understands exactly who you are as a person.

How did you determine which business schools best fit you?  think this may sound familiar to most looking into an MBA, but I have started by checking the ranks and mapping against the value provided, costs and international mobility. I defined value as a mix of the diversity of the cohort, career services, and employability outcomes. For employability, I have looked at where the graduates usually end up five years after finishing their MBA. Furthermore, I engaged with alumni of the schools and found out more about their experience with the programme.