Ali Almoulah

UCLA, Anderson School of Management

“Globetrotter who loves to work hard and play even harder.”

Hometown: Kuwait City, Kuwait (Middle East)

Fun Fact About Yourself: I love to race triathlons around the world, I compete in IRONMAN 70.3 distance.

Undergraduate School and Major: Pennsylvania State University, B.S. Petroleum & natural gas engineering

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Halliburton Oil Services, Field Engineer

UCLA Anderson is founded on the Three Pillars: Share Success, Think Fearlessly, and Drive Change. Which pillar resonates most with you and why? I definitely think “Share success” is something that resonates very strongly with me. After starting the program, I can confirm that there is a real sense of teamwork, collaboration, and knowing that I cannot get to my goals without relying on others to help me get there.

Aside from your classmates and location, what was the key part of UCLA Anderson’s MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? UCLA has a very good track record and reputation for their graduates going to the technology industry. Coming from no tech background, I figured UCLA would give me the best opportunity to get my foot in the door.

What course, club or activity excites you the most at UCLA Anderson? Professional clubs: Consulting Club and Tech Club. Each of these clubs will be a great stepping stone to my future career post-MBA. These will give me a platform to work closely with classmates who are interested in similar goals.

Non-Professional club: UCLA triathlon team, I would like to take a leadership role as I have a huge passion for the sport and believe I can leverage my leadership skills and benefit the team.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: Managing startup operations for Halliburton’s first-ever deployment of leading-edge Electric Submersible Pump (ESP) technology in 6 Middle East countries for a contract worth $320 million over 7 years. This was very challenging, especially during the pandemic, as I was expected to wear many different hats.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point and what do you hope to do after graduation? I got to a point in my career as a field engineer working in oil and gas where I started to feel like my scope was very limited. I was too specialized in one area in a specific field. I wanted to become broader and learn more about the business side of the industry. My goal now is to get into tech/consulting. Hopefully, in both cases, I can gain transferable skills that will help me become a well-rounded leader in the future.

What is one thing you have recently read, watched, or listened to that you enjoyed and would highly recommend to prospective MBAs? I enrolled in the summer tech immersion course taught by Professor Terry Kramer, and honesty it has been one of the most informative courses, giving me a real insight into what the tech industry is like and what to expect moving forward.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? I applied to London Business School, UC Berkeley Haas, Harvard Business School, and Columbia Business School.

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into UCLA Anderson’s MBA program? The best advice I can give an applicant is just to be yourself, don’t try to “fit a certain mold.” The admissions team will choose you for who you are and what you bring to the classroom.