Amanda Tan

IMD Business School

“Life-long Disneyland and West End musicals fan who is always up to play team sports.”

Hometown: Jakarta, Indonesia

Fun Fact About Yourself: I used to compete across south-east Asia in football, basketball and touch rugby

Undergraduate School and Major: Durham University | Combines Honours in Social Sciences

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: MoveMeOn | Growth and Success Lead

IMD classes have been dubbed the “Mighty 90” for their talent and versatility. What has been the best part of being in a small class with this group of classmates? You really get to know everybody, their experiences and how their perspectives are shaped, so you essentially have 103 “specialist” sources of advice should you need anything.

Aside from classmates, what part of IMD’s MBA programming led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? Their emphasis on leadership and personal development – getting access to a leadership coach and PDE analyst are undoubtedly some highlights of the year. The leadership stream isn’t just a set of generic theoretical classes. Instead, this stream ties in personal development so we are able to understand not only what kind of leader we are naturally going to be, but also what we need to work on to be the kind of leader we want to be. As someone who hopes to have leadership positions in my career, I knew this would be invaluable in my personal leadership development.

IMD is known for academic rigor. What is one strategy you used that would help a future IMD MBA better adapt to the workload early on? Come to IMD with an open mind but be aware of your priorities. The rigor means you can’t dedicate 100% of your time and energy to everything, so you need to know where to prioritise your time from early on.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: Seeing the real impact I made (on business revenue and people development) in the short space of 6 months at MMO – specifically I contributed to over 120% growth of the business line. We all have imposter syndrome at some point in our lives, and it was really gratifying to see my actual direct impact on the business and its people, giving me the confidence boost I could carry with me into the MBA programme.

Describe your biggest accomplishment at IMD so far: I would say my biggest accomplishments so far are the personal development and awareness gains I’ve made with my leadership coach and PDE analyst. I’ve learned not only to recognize triggers but also to understand the underlying reasons behind them, so that I can be more in control of my reactions instead of allowing my emotions to take over. I’ve actually already seen the improvements this has had on my personal relationships and I can see how this will make me a better leader and team member once I return into the working world.

Where is your favorite hang-out in Lausanne? Why do you (and your classmates) gravitate there? The lake! In Lausanne you’ve got beautiful nature spots on your doorstep, so we definitely like to make the most of that whenever we have the chance – whether that’s going for long walks along the shore, grabbing a drink accompanied by spectacular views, or actually getting into the lake!

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? I was feeling a little bit stuck and I wanted to explore options that could accelerate my career. I had made regular advancements but I felt I was getting pigeonholed in one area too early in my career. When I did try to pivot, I always ended up back in conversations around sales roles, so I knew I needed a way to “restart”.

What has been your best memory at IMD thus far? Helping to organise and taking part in MBAT – the fact that IMD builds this into the schedule and funds most of our participation costs speaks to how much IMD cares about its students’ overall experience. For me, a trip like this where students and staff are competing (and partying) together, as well as supporting each other, created an almost unrivaled bonding experience. I truly felt the IMD team spirit and after the trip, I felt even more like an integral part of the IMD community.

DON’T MISS: MEET IMD BUSINESS SCHOOL’S MBA CLASS OF 2022