Angie Garcia

Alliance Manchester Business School

“Sociable, honest, loud, love to laugh out loud, practical, good cook, good friend and colleague.”

Hometown: Monterrey, Mexico

Fun fact about yourself:

I can cook the most amazing tacos you could ever try.

AND / OR

I communicate how much I like a person through one of my deepest passions: cooking.

Undergraduate School and Degree:

Undergraduate

School: Tecnologico de Monterrey

Degree: Chemical Engineering

Where was the last place you worked before enrolling in business school?

• Country: Mexico
• Company Name: Thermion
• Sector: Renewables
• Role: Head of Origination

Where did you intern during the summer of 2021?

• Company: RWE Renewables
• Location: Manchester, UK

Where will you be working after graduation?

• Company: RWE Renewables
• Location: Düsseldorf, Germany
• Position: Commercial PPA Manager

Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School:

• Awarded full Forté Foundation Fellows Program Scholarship
• elected Ambassador of the Women in Business Club
• Member of the Energy & Industry Club
• winner of the bp Annual Competition 2021
• Project Manager for the International Business consultancy project
• Speaker at Manchester Matters event with the topic: “How to self-source your own internship”
• Speaker at the Energy & Industry Club for Class 2023 with the topic: “Self-Sourced Internships”
• Speaker at the Women in Business Club with the topic: “How to make the most out of LinkedIn & find your next role”

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school?

• MBA Internship: My prior experience to the MBA was working in the energy sector, more specifically in renewables. One of my biggest objectives in the MBA was getting an internship at one of the top renewable energy companies in Europe. I successfully self-sourced my own internship at RWE Renewables having joined in July 2021 as a full-time summer intern in their commercial area. I was confident that achieving both an MBA and an internship at a global energy company will be my gateway to the European market.
• MBA Part-Time: After working 12 weeks as a full-time intern during the summertime, I proposed to the company to extend my contract to work part-time until my last day at the MBA and be available to start full-time on the next day. Therefore, I successfully self-sourced my part-time and full-time role after the MBA.
• Winner of the bp Annual Competition 2021: I was very proud to have won this competition alongside my two other teammates as we delivered bp actionable insights for them to achieve their net-zero and renewable energy sourcing targets despite COVID-19 and low oil prices. Despite competition being tough we were awarded winners and had the opportunity to present in front of top management at bp.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? Becoming a manager seemed the biggest challenge at the time: I was working in a Mexican company, with more than 6,000 employees worldwide. Since day one, I discovered that there were no women in C-level positions and only four women held manager positions. The statistic seemed impossible to believe and immediately took it as a challenge. Three years later, I presented the business case of why I deserved the promotion and I became the fifth and youngest female manager in the company as a result of my over-performance at the workplace. Achieving this brought new responsibilities: the asset management of open-cycle and wind-farm, as well a team of analysts, which later had an impact on landing a job at a global energy company.

Why did you choose this business school?

Alliance MBS alumni specifically from my industry (energy) pursued me that this institution would be the right fit as I would learn a lot from the consultancy projects, specially the international business project.

Also, it  was the reputation the Manchester Method has. I knew I was going to learn a lot by doing à working on groups and the consultancy projects with real clients.

Who was your favorite MBA professor? Reza Salehnejad, lecturer of Strategy & Competition. He is one of the most student-engaged professors in within the faculty. Every lecture he would call on students to ask them for their opinion on a case or reading and push and challenge each of our answers with the purpose of deep learning. He would know all of the students’ names and had a positive attitude every day that translated into his amazing teaching.

What was your favorite MBA event or tradition at your business school? Manchester Matters is the TED Talk of the business school. It is a student led formal event where students are invited to participate as speakers with the goal to share anything from experiences, learnings or insights. It is a great opportunity for the students to freely choose the topics they feel are important to the rest of the cohort. I had the amazing opportunity to be invited to participate as one of the speakers in the first Manchester Matters edition. My topic was “How to self-source your own internship” as I felt very strongly that I wanted to share with the rest of my cohort my strategy for procuring my own internship. Sharing is caring.

Looking back over your MBA experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently and why? Going to the study tour in Dubai for the International Business Strategy elective at the business school Dubai Campus. My colleagues had the amazing opportunity to visit the Dubai Expo, have breakfast with alumni, company tour visits, and company presentations.

What is the biggest myth about your school? The expression “Sunny Manchester”. Quickly, I realised the truth behind the phrase as definitely Manchester is a lot more rainier that I could have imagined coming from Mexico. It is kind of funny see Mancunians get excited about the summer coming soon and then realising it lasts only one week!

What surprised you the most about business school?  I was very impressed with the new business school building, more specifically all the private rooms and teamwork rooms dedicated to only MBAs. That gave me the space and tools I needed to achieve my goals.

What is one thing you did during the application process that gave you an edge at the school you chose? My prior 10 years of experience working in the energy sector in leading positions.

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? Isabelle Schenk, FT MBA Class 2022

She is one of the brightest, hardest-working professionals and outstanding students of my entire cohort. I had the pleasure to work alongside her in the non-for-profit consultancy project and have first-hand experience of her remarkable leadership and teamwork skills. I learned from her that it is possible to be successful at the workplace and still be able to balance a personal life and be an amazing young mom.

Who most influenced your decision to pursue business in college? My long-time career mentor advised me to pursue business for my postgraduate as it would enhance not only my business skills but my soft skills as well. He also taught me to see the MBA as investment in myself that will definitely have a quick payback and would open many career opportunities in the near future.

What are the top two items on your professional bucket list?

Getting at least five years of international professional experience

Joining the C-level at a renewable energy company

How has the pandemic changed your view of a career? Every person in this planet has different life experiences facing the pandemic. For me was moving to a new country to study a full-time MBA. I chose not to let COVID-19 change my original plans. Despite being in lockdown and having some restrictions, I adapted my internship search strategy as I realised the pandemic brought opportunities as well: working remotely gave me access in widening my network to not just the UK but to Europe in general and that’s how I ended up interning with a German based company.

What made Angie such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2022?

“Angie is a pleasure to be around; she is ambitious, positive, professional and bright. Not only does Angie show an inner confidence in navigating her own life and career, but she cares about those around her and takes a collegiate, considerate approach to interacting with her classmates.

During her time on the programme so far, Angie has led a session entitled ‘How to make the most out of LinkedIn and find your next role’ for the Women in Business Forum, as well as ‘How to self-source your own internship’ as part of the student council organised ‘Manchester Matters’ series of TED-Talk style events. She has been one of the most active members of the MBA Women in Business Forum, demonstrating a real enthusiasm for engaging with her peers through discussions important to our female MBA students. Through these examples, and her overall demeanour, Angie has shown that she is articulate in expressing her thoughts and ideas, but equally listens to others in an effort to learn and build relationships.”

Naomi Blackwell
Assistant MBA Director

DON’T MISS: MBAS TO WATCH: CLASS OF 2022