Ebun Oguntegbe

University of Georgia, Terry College of Business

“I’m an enterprising leader with a heart for building communities in my sphere of influence.”

Hometown: Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria

Fun fact about yourself: I was the shortest in my middle school class and always had to stand on a tabletop to make announcements as the communications rep.

Undergraduate School and Degree: B.Sc. Physiology, University of Ibadan, Nigeria

Where was the last place you worked before enrolling in business school? I was an Audit Associate at Ernst & Young, Nigeria.

Where did you intern during the summer of 2022? EY-Parthenon, Atlanta, where I collaborated with a team of 25-30 consultants in the regulatory affairs work stream to execute divestiture of a global company’s business segment.

Where will you be working after graduation? EY-Parthenon, as Senior Consultant.

Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School:

Georgia Blacks in Business Graduate Association, President and Co-Founder: I am a co-founder and president of this organization, created to facilitate intellectual interactions and conversations that incorporate all voices in the discussion of business on local, national, and global stages. It is an inclusive organization to nurture and promote the belief that our best and brightest ideas lie in our differences and the ability to leverage those differences for good.

Terry Consulting Club – Vice President: The mission of the club is to help Terry graduate students excel in strategy and consulting roles by providing them the resources and tools to be successful in interviews and on the job once they enter the workforce.

Terry MBA Career Mentor: I assisted the Career Management Center as a second-year MBA student, holding résumé and behavioral mock interviews with the incoming MBA class to prepare for career fairs and job interviews. I was part of different panels that shared experiences as an intern or an MBA student for other students to learn from.

Canopy Aerial Studio, Board Fellow: To gain a better knowledge of board services, I serve as a non-voting board member at Canopy Aerial Studio, a nonprofit organization dedicated to enriching the culture of the community and the lives of individuals through flying dance trapeze, movement education, and performance arts. I drafted and authored the organization’s internal control policies with the treasurer and assisted building the financial model for the organization’s strategic plan.

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? Being co-founder and president of the Georgia Blacks in Business Graduate Association. In my first semester, I quickly realized the need for more awareness and discussion around topics of diversity, equity, and inclusion. I had a conversation with Ashley Tiller, the club advisor, and Kayla Vickers, a second-year student with whom we founded the club. We raised awareness about the need to build authentic relationships with people of various backgrounds in the business world and our community. I am particularly excited about the growth and impact of the club in and out of Terry. I am also grateful for the support and resources received from the college to pull this through.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? At the end of my first year as an audit associate, I had a rare opportunity to fill the role of a senior associate on an engagement for one of the biggest financial companies in West Africa. This was an impactful moment as my performance in the role was of great significance for the company and my career growth. I worked closely with the engagement manager and the client’s other top executives while coordinating tasks among my team members. As a result, the audit engagement concluded two weeks early, ensuring timely payment of dividends and prompt submission of audited financial statements. This resulted in financial rewards and strengthened the client-company relationship. This might have been a stressful period, but it pushed me out of my comfort zone.

Why did you choose this business school? Having interacted with more than 30 business schools during my MBA admission process, I realized I wanted a business school with a small class size and flexible curriculum to help me mold my MBA experience, which is why I chose the Terry College of Business. I particularly enjoy the personal touch in my experience with faculty members, the career center, student engagement, alumni, and the students. Due to the flexible curriculum, I was able to enroll for a degree in Business Analytics to be completed with my MBA program.

Who was your favorite MBA professor? Dr. Santanu Chatterjee is my favorite MBA professor. He is the professor for Business Economics and serves as the Terry College’s Associate Dean of Diversity, International and Master’s Programs. Dr. Chatterjee has great skill in simplifying concepts to make them understandable and applicable in diverse industries. I especially love learning about the economics behind the U.S. healthcare system. I love how inclusive his classes are — he knows how to include everyone in class conversation. As the associate dean, he not only listens to feedback from students, but implements solutions to make the MBA experience a better one.

What was your favorite course as an MBA? Negotiations. Before this course, I was familiar with the notion of negotiations from the positional bargaining perspective which sometimes breaks relationships. I am learning the emotional part and other aspects of negotiation I had not considered. That way, both parties understand each other, consider their possible options and BATNA, and make a good negotiation decision while retaining relationships.

What was your favorite MBA event or tradition at your business school? I like the yearly international residency trip. This highlights the experiential learning and global experience the program offers. It also encourages further networking with classmates outside of class. Last year, I traveled to Spain with other students and worked as a consultant for a European cosmetic company. It was great learning how businesses work in other countries. While some students gained this experience in Columbia this year, other students and I were part of the Silicon Valley trek trip, visiting and learning about multiple companies in San Francisco and throughout Silicon Valley.

Looking back over your MBA experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently and why? I would not hesitate to voice out or ask for help. It took a “D” on a test before I approached a lecturer to get help and clarification on a course during office hours. I realized the power of relationships: some solutions come easily when you speak up. Now, when in doubt, I consult.

What is the biggest myth about your school? There is a myth that UGA is all about football, even more now that we’ve won the National Championship two times in a row (Go Dawgs!!). UGA, however, has so much more to offer. It’s ranked as a top 16 public university and coordinates world-class graduate programs and certificates that offer professional development and cutting-edge research opportunities with real-world applications.

What did you love most about your business school’s town? Athens is a small college town that is more restful compared to the hustle and bustle of the last city I lived in, Lagos, Nigeria. I love how close everything feels. It also has good food, arts, and music.

What surprised you the most about business school? The workload. I knew I was coming to study; I just did not envisage the load of work involved. I had to learn how to prioritize my time according to what I wanted from the program and say no amid countless opportunities.

What is one thing you did during the application process that gave you an edge at the school you chose? I believe my ability to articulate my previous experience, leadership, and followership roles in diverse teams, my long- and short-term goals, and how the program can help me achieve this gave me an edge. I also emphasized the value I would bring to the program.

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? Justin Grant. He is on active duty in the U.S. Army and VP of social impact for the Georgia Blacks in Business Graduate Association. He has a great work ethic and is a great team player not only in the organization but in the program as a whole. I like his love to create a lasting impact in the community. He is a great and innovative support in the organization. He is a sure one to look out for.

What are the top two items on your professional bucket list? Being recognized as a mentor, influencing others as an experienced strategy and transactions consultant, and giving back to my community in various volunteering roles, especially those that lift up the minority population.

What made Ebun such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2023?

“Ebun is a dynamic leader worthy of strong consideration for this opportunity, who is currently dual enrolled in our Full-Time MBA and M.S. Business Analytics programs. During her time in our programs, Ebun has demonstrated her leadership ability in a variety of ways. Most notably, she helped launch our new Blacks in Business Graduate Student Association. Blacks in Business is an organization founded to create space for intellectual apolitical interactions and dialogue to facilitate conversations that incorporate all voices in the discussion of business on a local, national, and global stage. The student group has quickly become one of our most active student clubs within the MBA and MSBA programs. The club is providing a much-needed space and platform for many of our students while also creating a strong presence in the Athens community. Ebun’s leadership has been vital to the club’s success.

Ebun is a leader among her peers inside and outside of the classroom. While juggling responsibilities as a club leader, graduate assistant, and the full-time job search, she’s maintained a 3.86 GPA, speaking to her ability to successfully manage multiple priorities. Ebun has been an excellent addition to our programs.”

Dr. Santanu Chatterjee
Associate Dean for Diversity, International and Master’s Programs
Dr. Harold A. Black Distinguished Professor, Department of Economics

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