Meet Microsoft’s MBA Class Of 2020: Claudia Ortiz Albert

Claudia Ortiz Albert

MBA Program: Washington University in St. Louis

MBA Concentration: Finance

Hometown: Valencia, Spain

Undergraduate School and Major: International Business, Campbell University

Current Title: Finance Manager

How would you describe your role to your mother? This is a tough one… Excel all day, every day… On a serious note, what I would tell my mom is that I work for the US subsidiary helping sales teams with mostly anything that has to do with numbers (revenue results, budget, forecast, data and financial analysis, etc.) so that they can achieve their sales goals and most importantly serve our customers’ needs.

A fun fact about me people would be surprised to know is…my dream job as a kid was to be a professional tennis player and travel the world playing tournaments. Although I didn’t quite make it to the top, tennis opened so many doors for me such as the opportunity to study in the US with an athletic scholarship and travel the country playing college division I tennis.

What was your greatest personal or professional accomplishment? My greatest achievement was to leave everything behind to study my undergrad and MBA in the US with an athletic and merit scholarship, respectively.

Why did you choose to work at MSFT? I chose Microsoft because of its culture and its wide variety of career growth and learning opportunities. Having the opportunity to work with very talented and diverse people was something that piqued my interest. As Newton said: “If I have seen further, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants.” I firmly believe that learning from and surrounding yourself by people that challenge you to be a better version of yourself is key to have an impact in this world.

What did you love about the business school you attended? From my business school, I loved the people. From the beginning, I noticed I was not one more applicant. I had a name, and I had a story. I loved all the invaluable relationships I developed during my two years of MBA, all the classmates, professors, and staff that ended up becoming life-long friends, and all the experiences we shared that I will never forget.

What does being a “Microsoftie” mean to you? It is being a person that not only works at Microsoft but shares and lives the company’s values (respect, integrity, and accountability). It is someone that has a growth mindset, embraces diversity, loves learning and pursuing her/his passion, and wants to have an impact in this world.

Which manager or peer has had the biggest impact on you at MSFT and how has he or she made you a better in your role? Samantha Go (a.k.a. Sam) has had a great impact on my journey as a new Microsoftie. I appreciate her patience, how well she explains difficult concepts, and how she is always taking on new challenges and pushing for simplification and standardization in this large organization we work for.

Thanks to her, I have a better knowledge of the business, the products we sell, and the impact our role has in the company. Another person that has had a huge impact is Bardo Gonzalez. I love his passion to have a direct impact with our customers, which is something we both have in common. Since I vocalized my passion for client-facing opportunities, he has pushed me to become more actively involved in the Modern Finance sessions, where Microsoft’s finance employees meet customers to explain Microsoft’s digital transformation journey within Finance. Thanks to Bardo and what he has taught me about Modern Finance, I can now understand and explain to our customers the digital transformation journey at Microsoft and help them see the positive impact that our solutions have in our day-to-day job.

What has COVID-19 taught you about yourself since you started working at MSFT? What COVID has taught me since I started in MSFT is to be mindful and grateful for what I have. COVID set my priorities straight, reminding me of my most precious assets, my family, and our health. I feel extremely lucky to work at a company that gives me the flexibility to be with my family (currently working from Valencia, Spain) during these difficult times and take care of them and their health.

DON’T MISS: MEET MICROSOFT’S MBA CLASS OF 2020

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