Renzo Morales Miraval

Georgetown University, McDonough School of Business

“A proud Peruvian who strives to make the world a better place through finance.”

Hometown: Lima, Peru, but born and proud of my heritage from Cusco, Peru.

Fun Fact About Yourself: During the pandemic, I fostered several kittens in Peru, but two of them ended up being foster failures, and they now live with me in D.C.

Undergraduate School and Major: Universidad del Pacifico – Economics

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: International Finance Corporation (IFC) – Consultant. I was part of the team that covered the financial Institutions industry for the LatAm region.

What excites you most about studying in Washington, DC? I like that there are a variety of museums to choose from. So far, my favorites have been the National Gallery of Art and the National Museum of American History. I still have a long list of museums to visit. I also enjoy the fact that D.C. is a very cosmopolitan city, so I can find restaurants serving food from many different countries.

Aside from your classmates and location, what was the key part of Georgetown McDonough’s MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? The opportunities outside the classroom. Since my post-MBA goal is impact investing, the ROI Scholars Program is a great opportunity to acquire hands-on experience investing in rural and underserved communities in the U.S. that face financial inclusion challenges. The Anacostia Social Impact Fund will also provide me with experience analyzing loan investments in small businesses in Washington, D.C. As a result of these experiences, I will also be able to understand different social challenges than those I faced when working in LatAm.

What course, club or activity excites you the most at Georgetown McDonough? I am excited about participating in the trek to Ghana of the Emerging Markets Network Club. My dream is to become a Global Impact Investor, so learning about developing markets other than LatAm is inspirational and enriching on a personal and professional level. As Georgetown attracts students with a desire to tackle social challenges in business, the club will also provide me with contacts and connections that will be useful in my career.

Georgetown McDonough programming focuses heavily on instilling a global mindset. Why is exposure to global diversity so critical to business success? I believe having different points of view leads to better decision-making when trying to solve business problems. During my career, I had the privilege to organize Study Tours where financial institutions from different countries (and even continents) exchanged best practices about commercial models, risk management, and value proposals for certain segments. These were key drivers of success in consulting projects because clients were able to see practices that were successful in other markets and were innovative in their own markets. This wouldn’t be possible without a global mindset.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: I am proud of helping a financial institution (FI) that wanted to do the right thing: help small and medium enterprises (SMEs), especially those led by women. This bank wanted to strengthen its commercial and risk model to offer a more assertive credit offering and reduce its loan disbursement times.

I had to visit several branches across the institution’s country to research the bottlenecks in their credit process and perform data analysis to redistribute their customer portfolio. With my team, we proposed changes to obtain a faster loan disbursement and an improved structure to distribute customers among different branches. With the new model that resulted from these suggestions, loan productivity increased by 25%. They also decided to expand the model at the national level. Finally, my team and I received an internal award based on the performance of the project.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point and what do you hope to do after graduation? I believe I have reached a breaking point in my career where to advance more on the corporate ladder I need a master’s degree. And if I want to switch functions from the consulting side to the investment side, I need more business, leadership, negotiation, and financial analysis skills that are earned in an MBA.

After graduation, I plan to work in impact investing in a development bank such as IFC or IDB and contribute to the mobilization of capital to developing countries through financial institutions on a global basis. Other ideal options for me would be sustainable investing departments from large banks, NGOs, or impact VC funds.

What is one thing you have recently read, watched, or listened to that you would highly recommend to prospective MBAs? Why? Read employment reports from your target schools. While rankings are useful, they only give you a high-level idea of the job placement of the program. Employment reports are useful because they break down employment data by industry, function, and geography, and show you the school’s top employers. Moreover, some reports show information about job sponsorship for international students.

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into Georgetown McDonough’s MBA program? Be authentic and tell your story in a cohesive way that exhibits your whole professional (and personal) journey. Think about your past decisions and how you can tie them together to elaborate a story. McDonough is known for its collaborative and close-knit community, so emphasize collaboration in your application. In my case, even though I am just starting the program, I already feel like I am a part of a vibrant community. Lastly, show your global mindset in your application. Even if you haven’t lived away from your home country, explain how having a global perspective has played an important role during your career.

DON’T MISS: MEET GEORGETOWN MCDONOUGH’S MBA CLASS OF 2024