Meet the MBA Class of 2023: Miki Yumiyama, University of Texas (McCombs)

Miki Yumiyama

The University of Texas at Austin, McCombs School of Business

“Strongly organized memory called “Mikipedia” as a result of curiosity and logical thinking.”

Hometown: Ehime, Japan

Fun Fact About Yourself: I enjoy camping, snowboarding, golf, softball, and reading books.

Undergraduate School and Major: Osaka Prefecture University (undergrad and graduate school), Aerospace Engineering

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy, Ltd., Deputy Project Manager

What makes Austin such a great place to earn an MBA? Austin is at the center of innovation and creating new value with its rapid growth. It is widely-known that various companies from small startups to giant companies have moved to Austin because of its innovative atmosphere, friendly people, and affordable cost of living. After I came to Austin, I realized these reasons are true, and I was highly impressed by the spirit of “Keep Austin Weird” since it seems to represent why Austin is a nice city to live in, operate businesses, and create a unique culture.

Aside from your classmates and location, what was the key part of Texas McCombs’ MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? As an engineer and project manager in the nuclear energy industry who has experienced a project suspension due to financial issues, I would like to learn about Energy Finance to find a practical solution to establish effective financial systems. Many energy-related projects have faced financial difficulties for various reasons. Texas McCombs is known for its fabulous Energy Finance concentration, and Texas has a huge market in the energy industry. Therefore, I chose the Texas McCombs MBA which will help me to build a bridge between the finance area and my engineering background.

What course, club or activity excites you the most at Texas McCombs? I am excited about joining Energy Finance Group and Graduate Women in Business, which will give me wider perspectives about the energy industry and help me explore my post-MBA career. At the same time, I will be able to contribute to the groups from my engineering background.

In addition, I am interested in the International MBA Student Association and MBA Golf Association in order to enhance my global perspective and enjoy my free time, respectively.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: When I worked as a Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning engineer for nuclear power plants, I successfully led a project in adapting to new challenges and unexpected issues. It happened at the final licensing stage of the UK’s regulatory safety assessment for our new nuclear power plants when we received additional comments from the UK’s regulators unexpectedly. The comments were based on the UK’s unique safety requirements and its tacit criteria. Since there were language barriers and differences between Japan and the UK in the decision-making process, I traveled to the UK to have face-to-face meetings with the UK engineering consultants to discuss solutions. During my three-month stay in the UK, I established a weekly meeting with my counterpart; thanks to the deep discussions, I finally figured out the UK’s process and its requirements for us. After I returned to Japan, I launched a team with Japanese engineers to share information and discuss the newly-required design plans; I facilitated a weekly call with the stakeholders who were geographically dispersed, and it allowed us to update the progress effectively and work toward the one same objective. Finally, our team gained design approval from the UK’s regulators without significant design modifications.

How did COVID-19 change your perspective on your career and your life in general? It reminded me of the importance of flexibility and adaptability when faced with an unexpected situation. Over the past 18 months, all of us have experienced a difficult time without a solid forecast. Although COVID-19 forced us to follow some inconvenient customs and restrictions, it also brought us some silver linings. For example, working from home allowed us to not have to commute to our office in congestion, but to spend more time at home for our personal life. Furthermore, automation or applying the advanced technologies to company-internal processes have improved our working efficiencies.

In my personal life, it prevented me from visiting my family in a dispersed area, but my grandmother and my mother (who is over 60 years old), figured out how to call me via a video conference app. This is not an ideal method to see each other, but it is still another silver lining for me under the current pandemic situation.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point and what do you hope to do after graduation? It was said that business circumstances in the energy industry have been rapidly changing for the past several years. The pandemic may accelerate the changes in not only the energy industry but also other markets. We may face highly uncertain situations and may have to adopt such changes at a certain level. We may not be able to find an ideal, brilliant solution, but studying thinking methods and interacting with a diverse, inclusive network will distinctly help me to have a wider perspective and consider various aspects of issues. Based on my experiences during my full-time MBA program at Texas McCombs, I would like to be a project manager to establish an efficient, practical finance scheme for securing a stable energy supply.

What other MBA programs did you apply to?

Emory University, Goizueta Business School
The University of Michigan, Stephen M. Ross School of Business
London Business School

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into Texas McCombs’ MBA program? Know yourself, believe yourself, and be yourself. Although the application process is highly stressful, it is a good chance to know yourself. Through studying for tests, finding your dream schools, and writing essays, you can find your valued perspectives. Sometimes, you may feel you could not get a brilliant score on exams, but having confidence is a key to success; just believe in yourself.

And most importantly, be yourself. Getting admission from your dream school is fabulous. In my opinion, enrolling in a school where you fit the most will maximize your learning with minimum stress. As you know, your admission to the school is not your goal, but a start. Considering your post-MBA career, I would suggest choosing the best fitting school for you. Once you choose the Texas McCombs MBA program, it is a place to help you explore your two-year study and your post-MBA career.

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