Lawrence Biloni

University of Notre Dame, Mendoza College of Business

“I find so much joy in helping people to succeed.”

Hometown: Bunkpurugu, Ghana

Fun Fact About Yourself: I co-founded a professional accounting training school that has an annual student size of about 100.

Undergraduate School and Major:

University of Ghana, Business Administration

Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, UK.

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Jumia, FP&A

When you think of Notre Dame, what are the first things that come to mind? How have your experiences with the Mendoza program thus far reinforced or upended these early impressions? The first thing that comes to mind when I think about Notre Dame is that Notre Dame Leaders grow the good in Business. During the Career Leadership and Foundations of Ethical Business Conduct courses, our discussions were focused on topics such as values and ethics. The courses at Notre Dame are designed in such a way to allow the professors to demonstrate what it means to be a Tender, True, and Strong Leader. At Notre Dame, ethics is not treated as a standalone course – rather it is embedded in the culture.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key part of the Mendoza MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? Prior to coming to Notre Dame, I experienced first-hand ethical dilemmas at my work and in my community that made me question my own values and morals. I wanted an MBA program that has both comprehensive business courses and ethical leadership training. Notre Dame’s comprehensive leadership training was a big sell for me. I believe it will provide me with the right tools, skills, and experience to become a better leader.

What course, club or activity have you enjoyed the most so far at Mendoza? The resources from the Consulting Club were very helpful in my recruiting journey. The BGM community has been helpful in my integration into Notre Dame. And courses such as Financial Accounting, Finance and Introduction to Statistical Analysis were foundational for all the subsequent courses such as Business Problem Solving.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: As FP&A at Jumia, I worked closely with P&L leaders to increase ecommerce adoption in Africa which resulted in achieving positive operational profit within One year of joining the company.

Describe your biggest accomplishment as an MBA student so far? After successfully recruiting for an MBB firm, I decided to motivate and help my colleagues with their interviews and case prep for Consulting recruiting.

Mendoza is known as a purpose-driven MBA program that asks students to “Grow the good in business.” What is your mission and how has Mendoza been helping you realize it? My mission is to become a purpose driven leader who drives business value through people and community growth. Through the Foundations of Ethical Business Conduct course, I have clearly defined what my values are and what/who matters most to me. This will serve as the foundation for my business and personal decisions.

What has been your best memory as an MBA so far? The receptive community of people I met on my first day of orientation was my best memory. In all our diversity, I saw a community of people with a common purpose of making the world a better place.  

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into the Mendoza MBA program? If you want to join an MBA program that is close-knit and has one the best alumni network, then join the Irish family. We are willing to help you through the application process, so please reach out to the current students.

DON’T MISS: MEET NOTRE DAME MENDOZA’S MBA CLASS OF 2024