Edreana Vaz

University of Virginia, Darden School of Business

“Foodie when exploring, explorer when bored, poet when in mood and nerd all the time.”

Hometown: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Fun Fact About Yourself: I went viral on Facebook for a day! Back in high-school, I was asked to the School Ball with a Flash Mob proposal. Since then, such proposals are my ‘Feel Good’ chick flick moments. I hope to have one again someday!

Undergraduate School and Major: Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, Chartered Accountancy; University of Mumbai – Narsee Monjee College, Bachelor of Commerce (Majored in Accounting and Auditing)

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Finwise Inc., Founder

What makes the case method so attractive as a means to learn and become a better manager? Leading a team of eight at my consulting firm, Finwise, translated into every day being a new case, a new experience and a new learning – not just as a manager but also as a problem-solver. The more we discussed the client case, the more scenarios and solutions arose, growing self-expertise and client satisfaction. For me, the Darden case method outperforms these past experiences. Cold calls during the case method provide a platform to strengthen contemplative and sound expression of ideas while also demanding adaptive thinking. The case method tests each team member (being a pseudo-manager on the case) to capitalize on the strengths and experience of the team in decision-making. Navigating through diverse viewpoints and incomplete data, one learns to be a better manager through a multi-perspective lens.

What word best describes the Darden MBA students and alumni you’ve met so far and why? Quarterback, both professionally and personally. Professionally in a team, we are initiative driven and lead despite odds. Personally, every Darden alumni and student is a quarterback to the other. Internalizing the attribute of supportive ambition and resilience, as quarterbacks, we lifted each other during unprecedented times. We tackled problems even if across borders and continue to be committed to call the play in the huddles of recruitment and academic rigor that lie ahead.

Aside from cases and classmates, what was the key part of Virginia Darden’s MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? What drew me the most to Darden was its focus on building muscles that empower student leaders and entrepreneurs to not just be a leader for a short term but to be a leader for life. Moreover being an entrepreneur, an enterprising ecosystem was a non-negotiable pre-requisite while identifying the right fit for my MBA experience.  Learning about Zubin Mehta’s (Darden’12) journey from launching his first startup while at Darden to now leading an Edtech startup, reshaping the education system in India; I could visualize my time at Darden being flooded with evolving opportunities and access to a wide range of entrepreneurial resources.

What course, club, or activity excites you the most at Virginia Darden? One of the elements of Darden instrumental in my decision making was global hands-on experience. This included both interaction with a diverse class and the opportunity to participate in the Global Consulting/ Client Projects (GCPs). I was highly keen on undertaking a project with Gojek (now GoTo) in Indonesia. True to Darden’s diversity, on the very first day of my International Student Orientation Program (ISOP), I met two international students – one of whom worked at Gojek and the other who was an avid customer. With such a promising start, I am excited to grow meaningful relations with my peers, learn from their experiences and build a diverse learning team for GCP.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: My biggest accomplishment has been the launch of my consulting firm, Finwise, especially its survival during first four months of unprecedented pandemic. With revenue plummeting, the team started to lose morale. To cope, I shifted our client focus from large scale to MSMEs and pitched with a minimum of two identified issues and customized solutions resulting in greater client traction (client base increased by 4X). Mapping Finwise inflows with salary payout, I outlined a mutual growth-oriented vision that resulted in committed team (increased to 3X) and stabilized to growing revenue. At the end of it all, I felt truly accomplished.

How did COVID-19 change your perspective on your career and your life in general? From a career standpoint, COVID-19 enabled me to increase my risk appetite and strengthen my sense of ownership. To put it into perspective, COVID-19 resulted in financial hardships to potential clients thereby adversely impacting my firm and its working capital. To attract clients and ensure conversion, I took a tough call to offer deferred payment option contingent on client revenue normalization. This involved high risk as unprecedented changes in the economy were equally likely and in the event of adversity, I would have to take the hit of firm costs. Looking back, I am grateful to have been able to grow through this experience. On a personal front however I am still a work-in-progress. The lockdown made me value time with family and acknowledge their efforts with a lot more gratitude than before. This perspective is growing on me to consciously contribute time towards home.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point and what do you hope to do after graduation? Pursuing an MBA was a milestone I always intended to come across. The timing, however, was appropriate only now. Owing to my work experience, I developed acumen for identifying growth potential and disruptions that impact businesses of clients. However, my recommendations were restricted to tax efficient structures, transactions improving financial performance, and strengthening internal operations. Considering my goal of attaining broader impact on diversified businesses, I identified two needs – knowledge of and experience in strategic planning and decision modeling. With that, an MBA became my pre-requisite and a job as generalist consultant became my post-MBA goal.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? Tuck and Fuqua

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into Virginia Darden’s MBA program? Reflecting back on my application experience and the journey up until the admit call, there are three specific advices that evidently stood out as key steps towards gaining admission into Darden’s MBA program:

1. Thoughtful Research – Darden loves applicants who have deeply researched the program it offers. My research was a combination of coffee chats with admission team, students and alumni, blogs relating to the school, essay analysis and student experiences, and the Darden website. The questions you ask should be intentional and of relevance to you and your connection. One of the key questions that was appreciated by most students and alumni and even offered unique insights was this: Which class(es)/ professor (s) have you immensely learned from/ have made an impact on you and Why?

2. Context to Reviewers – The common advice is to have your essays reviewed by friends, family, and mentors. This holds true, but is incomplete if the reviewers are not provided with an appropriate context. Allocate time for a brief chat with your reviewers prior to sharing your essays.

3. Address Your Basics at the Very Beginning and Mark Them Off as Complete – This includes resume, LOR, and less contemplative short answers. Doing so offers more time towards reflective essays and building relations with students and alumni who would advocate for you.

DON’T MISS: MEET UVA DARDEN’S CLASS OF 2023