Eric Bukstein

Indiana University, Kelley School of Business

“I am an MBA student preparing to be at the forefront of the supply chain industry.”

Hometown: Montevideo, Uruguay

Fun Fact About Yourself: I like to listen to lectures and podcasts while I exercise.

Undergraduate School and Major: Universidad ORT, Uruguay, Bachelor of Arts in International Studies

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: – TATA Supermarkets (Uruguay) – Procurement and Sourcing Analyst

In the second half of the year, you will be completing an Academy devoted to areas like Marketing, Finance, Operations, Digital Enterprises and more. Which Academy interests you the most and why? I am highly motivated by the Supply Chain and Digital Enterprise Academy. There, I’ll have exposure to business leaders and the latest trends and challenges of this area. The supply chains across the world are suffering critical constraints because of the COVID crisis. It is important for any prospective leader to know exactly what the current situation is like and how the practices are changing.  Besides, there are opportunities to manage real-life projects for companies. This is significant to me because I could immediately see and put into practice what I’ll learn in the classroom. And that, I believe, is an optimal way of learning.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key part of Indiana Kelley’s MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? There were several factors that led me to decide on Kelley. One of them was its STEM-designated majors. My mind is set to develop and continuously improve a Supply Chain in a client-oriented fashion. For that purpose, leveraging technology and data is fundamental. As a professional, having a STEM- designated MBA can give me a competitive advantage. I will be able to see problems and solutions from both the business perspective and technology perspective, and lead projects and people from both of those backgrounds.

What course, club or activity excites you the most at Indiana Kelley? In Kelley, there are very attractive affinity clubs and professional clubs, some of which I want to get involved with. The one that excites me the most is the System & Operations Management Association (SOMA). It has several important features like social and professional events, mentoring, and exposure to corporate leaders. It’s a great opportunity to get to know faculty members, classmates, and alumni, so we can talk about our interests and collaborate in projects. I have a feeling that in this club and in many others there are tremendous opportunities waiting to be seized.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: During my time at TATA Supermarkets, Uruguay’s largest retail corporation, I was a very active player at internationalizing the procurement process and diversifying the supplier portfolio in South America and Asia. This helped the company have better costs and sustain its price policy. I take pride in not having settled for the status quo, on having found new opportunities and having dramatically reduced the operative costs.

How did COVID-19 change your perspective on your career and your life in general?  In terms of my career, I realized the importance of readiness and adaptability. During my lifetime, I’ll probably witness several crises and disruptions of a diverse nature: health-related, technological, political, and cultural. Change will be the permanent state of affairs. To thrive, staying ahead of the curve, sensing those turning points and being ready to change how things are done will be of supreme importance.

As for my life, I believe that life is not only what happens between crises. Crises are part of life. If you have some awareness of human history, it helps putting things into perspective. Time to time (but seemingly less often), we are reminded of the fragility of our existence, either by malevolence or by tragedy. To some extent, we are defined by them. In those moments we are called upon to stand up and do our best, to make the best for ourselves, our families, and our communities. And that takes character. So now I realized the importance of strength of character and resilience and how important they are for thriving in difficult times.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point and what do you hope to do after graduation?  I am pursuing an MBA at this point because I came to the conclusion that it is the right time. During these last years, I have gained experience and faced complex challenges, many of them filled with ambiguity. That made me think about my strengths and the aspects I needed to improve. After careful consideration, analysis, and consultation, I came to the conclusion that an MBA program was the right call for me. Besides, I think the post-COVID economic reactivation needs committed professionals who are at the top of their game to face unprecedented challenges. In response, I need to step up not only for myself, but also because the world needs that. After I graduate, I hope I can join a company that needs to reach millions of customers with its products, and that relies on innovation to do that. I am eager to assume a position of leadership in supply chain at a retail corporation with an omnichannel strategy.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? I applied to Vanderbilt, Babson, Emory, Northwestern, Texas A&M, and Penn State.

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into Indiana Kelley’s MBA program?  To get into Kelley — and probably many other programs — I would advise applicants to build a narrative for themselves that gives each a personal purpose to be part of the program. Grab some pen and paper and ask yourself: Who am I? What have I been doing so far? What do I want to do in the future? What are those skills that I need to develop for that future? How can Kelley specifically and singularly help me develop those skills? What can I contribute with in an MBA classroom, given my past experience? These questions imply knowing who you are and knowing the school where you are applying. And that takes work. You can look for guidance in Noah Gordon’s book, MBA Admissions Strategy: From Profile Building to Essay Writing.

DON’T MISS: MEET INDIANA KELLEY’S MBA CLASS OF 2023