Mitsuhiro Miyamoto

IESE Business School

“Coffee lover who cares about sustainability, technology, and coffee.”

Hometown: Yokohama, Japan

Fun Fact About Yourself: I’ll become a father in March 2022!

Undergraduate School and Major: Meiji University, Information and Communication major

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Panasonic Industry Europe, Senior Strategic Planning Specialist

What makes the case method so attractive as a means to learn and become a better manager? The core of the case method is that it is always open-ended, and thus the decision is up to individuals. Each of us has to make a decision as a protagonist of business cases. This is a great opportunity for us to think holistically and critically, and make a decision based on your own analysis. We can also learn different approaches and rationales from our diverse group of peers, which makes us broaden our view.

What has been your favorite part of Barcelona so far? What has made it such a great place to earn an MBA? I think the majority of students – including me – find the weather and the food that the city has to offer particularly appealing. The great weather and food also make us more likely to explore the city and connect with people.

Aside from your classmates and location, what was the key part of the IESE Business School MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? The supportive system that IESE offers. I really felt IESE was the most supportive school among those that I considered. The MBA admissions team spent time with me and answered all the questions I had. The alumni I reached out to were also really engaged and helpful. I reached out to more than 20 alumni and most of them replied quickly and took time to help me. Most importantly, all of them really enjoyed their time at IESE.

What course, club or activity have you enjoyed the most so far at IESE?  I´ve enjoyed several club activities, especially those organized by the Responsible Business Club and the Start-up and Entrepreneurship Club.

I am a first year director in the Responsible Business Club, and am currently organizing our annual sustainability conference called Doing Good Doing Well, which will take place on March 1 and 2, 2022 (Guys, block your schedule please!) It has been a great experience to work together with like-minded people from different cultures.

With the Start-up and Entrepreneurship Club, I got to pitch my business idea and it was great to get feedback, support and interest.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: It was when I led the implementation of a CRM tool (Salesforce) in a division of 120 people. It was certainly challenging because I was not familiar with Salesforce nor the division’s process and culture when I started working at that time. But I quickly learned, built relationships with colleagues and management, provided trainings, and developed the tool further based on users’ feedback. It was challenging but also a lot of fun, and it made me think to switch to a product manager role at a tech company.

Describe your biggest accomplishment as an MBA student so far:  I’ve got to know a lot of interesting people! There are many things that I would like to accomplish during the MBA…I´m currently planning a social consulting project for a coffee distribution start-up, IESE´s Doing Good Doing Well conference, as well as my business idea while preparing for the birth of a baby. All are happening in the second term, so I’m curious about what I would say is my biggest accomplishment after that term ends!

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into the IESE MBA program? I believe the most important thing is to know yourself, and then to see if the IESE MBA offers what you want. Once you figure that all out, you will be able to tell more compelling stories in your essays and interviews. Talking to the admissions director, alumni and current students is also key and helped me a lot.