Dmitry Makarov

IMD Business School

“A curious mind, a world explorer, and a life-long learner fascinated by digital technologies.”

Hometown: Helsinki, Finland

Fun Fact About Yourself: I got amazed by computers at a very young age and taught myself how to code in my pre-teens. Nevertheless, I am pretty sociable and enjoy the company of people the most.

Undergraduate School and Major: KTH Royal Institute of Technology, MSc, Design and Implementation of ICT Products and Systems

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: ABB, Team Leader / Product Owner, Finland

IMD classes have been dubbed the “Mighty 90” for their talent and versatility. What has been the best part of being in a small class with this group of classmates? The school is after quality and not quantity, which aligns with my way of networking with people. The small class size enables the faculty to take a very personal approach to candidates, starting with the assessment day and lasting throughout the program. Moreover, the whole cohort creates strong bonds through the many activities and work done in different groups. Finally, the small size allows for the feeling of unitedness that translates well beyond the cohort itself into the alumni network, which is extremely helpful and supportive.

Aside from classmates, what part of IMD’s MBA programming led you to choose this business school, and why was it so important to you? It was undoubtedly the leadership stream that made IMD my top priority while applying. The stream is comprised not only of learning about leadership—it includes a week of experiential activities, mentoring, coaching, sessions with a Jungian psychoanalyst, continuous feedback, and an opportunity to apply the learnings in the massive amounts of group work every candidate participates in. I was expecting to have a chance to reinvent myself, to understand patterns of my behavior, develop presentation, communication, and soft skills; and gain the toolset required to be an effective leader of tomorrow. The stream did not disappoint.

What has been a favorite tradition or event at IMD? Are you terrified of public speaking? Try public dancing on your birthday in front of the cohort. The tradition has certainly pushed me outside of my comfort zone, but I loved the experience and the fun we had that day.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far. I have been a part of the success stories of several digital products and services, yet I would consider my most significant accomplishment to be on the human and not the technical side. At ABB, where I was in charge of an industrial IoT edge product development, I grew and led a highly efficient R&D team with a positive culture, high accountability, strong commitment, deep interpersonal relationships, and continuous improvement at the core of its processes.

Describe your biggest accomplishment at IMD so far. With the help of two fantastic professors and numerous knowledgeable classmates, I found my passion for finance, a field that used to be entirely foreign to me not too long ago. The road to proficiency is a long one—yet, I managed to master the contents of the two courses we had, which provided me with a solid foundation in corporate finance for  my future business management endeavors.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? The impact I make has always been the driving force behind my motivation and the source of fulfillment. I realized that to increase the impact I can make, I needed to reshape the trajectory of my tech career into a more business-oriented direction and bridge the gap between my background and the world of business management. I had been considering business schools for some time, waiting for the right moment to come. Once I had acquired some leadership experience and a better understanding of the direction I wanted to move in, I could start the program with specific goals in mind. Moreover, recently the world has been changing drastically and rapidly, which I felt was an excellent opportunity to take the leap.

What has been your best memory at IMD thus far? The best memory thus far is probably of the potluck organized by the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee jointly with the Social Committee. The confederation had eased the restrictions, the class had started getting vaccinated, and weekly negative tests enabled us to spend a fantastic time together without safety concerns. We provided barbecue essentials and encouraged people to cook and bring a dish from their culture to celebrate our heritage and class diversity. As a foodie, I genuinely enjoyed tasting flavors from all the corners of the world, and, most importantly, I loved seeing the class being united as one and enjoying it.

DON’T MISS: MEET IMD’S MBA CLASS OF 2021