Novo Manzoor

The University of Texas at Austin, McCombs School of Business

“A traveler, adventurer, and musician with a strong affinity for tech and teamwork.”

Hometown: Dhaka, Bangladesh

Fun Fact About Yourself: I lost my shoes bungee jumping in Nepal and climbed the Tiger’s Nest monastery in Bhutan (3000ft) while fasting for Ramadan.

Undergraduate School and Major: Institute of Business Administration, University of Dhaka. Majored in Marketing.

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Securelink Services Ltd. (SELISE), Senior Business Analyst

What makes Austin such a great place to earn an MBA? There are amazing opportunities to learn and work in and around the city, along with great learning resources at McCombs. Austin has a unique character compared to other popular MBA destinations.

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? I have a rather eclectic background with stints in newspaper, digital marketing, consumer goods, and software. Music and travel have also played prominent parts in my life.  The McCombs MBA program is good at taking people with different backgrounds and turning their diverse experiences into coherent advantages.

I believe if I can shape my experiences into distinct skills, the perspective I bring to the table in the workplace will be an insightful and valuable one.

What course, club or activity excites you the most at Texas McCombs? It would be the MBA Soccer Club, because of my love for the game and the opportunity to host teams from other MBA programs in the Winter Classic (which might hopefully take place this year.)

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: I was blessed with the responsibility to lead a team of developers, business analysts, and UX designers on a project in Zurich Airport while sitting in Bangladesh. The project encompassed different types of devices (order kiosks, online portals, display screens), payment gateways, and even a mobile app. I had the pleasure of taking a leading role in everything from shaping the initial pitch to the client, to designing prototypes and testing the final solution. My team delivered such a successful product that it has already been partially expanded to Geneva airport, with more future expansions on the horizon.

How did COVID-19 change your perspective on your career and your life in general? I discovered a surprisingly high affinity for working from home, with an actual increase in productivity. It also taught me when to take risks (deciding to resign from my enjoyable job to pursue an MBA) and when to be risk-averse (maintaining social isolation in an increasingly covid-afflicted Bangladesh).

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point and what do you hope to do after graduation? I love my work in Tech. However, the field in its current form in Bangladesh is limited in the learning opportunities it can offer me. I want to take direct lessons from the world’s greatest tech firms and someday, apply them in Bangladesh to harness the untapped potential of the local tech talent.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? Minnesota Carlson, University of Washington Foster, Duke Fuqua

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into Texas McCombs’ MBA program? If you are contemplating applying to McCombs, you probably have a story worth telling. Make sure you do it justice in your delivery.