Mark Jordan

INSEAD

“Music loving doctor who remains tone deaf despite best efforts.”

Hometown: Dublin, Ireland

Fun Fact About Yourself: Recently starting growing vegetables

Undergraduate School and Major: University College Dublin – Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery and Bachelor in the Art of Obstetrics.

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Western Sydney LHD – Resident Medical Officer

INSEAD is one of the most culturally and professionally diverse MBA programs in the world. How do you see these global perspectives enhancing the value of your business education over the next year? This was one of INSEAD’s biggest pull factors for me. First, as a doctor, I will definitely be in a professional minority in my class. This could be viewed as daunting. However, I see it as a positive because it means I have more opportunity to learn. While medics are trained to manage illnesses in a certain systematic way, I have always been curious about how other professionals approach their work. I am looking forward to learning from my classmates and hoping I can teach them a thing or two along the way.

Second, I have been fortunate to travel and work with people from all over the world. Hospitals are extremely diverse working environments, which fosters a solid understanding of different cultural nuances in those who work there. I developed an appreciation about how different cultures both view and conduct their work. I am interested in seeing how these behaviours translate from healthcare to other professions.

In essence, I think that going through cases with such a diverse cohort of peers will foster fascinating discussions and allow for enhanced learning opportunities.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key part of INSEAD’s MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? The INSEAD Career Development Centre (CDC) was something I identified early as being crucial to my future career plan. Coming from a non-business background, I did a lot of research into how different schools help their students when it comes to career coaching and interview preparation. Past alumni I spoke with gave glowing reviews to the CDC and the guidance they offer. Furthermore, the careers team at INSEAD has a strong connection with the top tier management consultancy firms. As I will mention below, this is where I desire to work post-MBA.

What has been your first impression of the INSEAD MBA students and alumni you’ve met so far. Tell us your best INSEAD story so far. So friendly! I honestly cannot get over how nice everyone is. From speaking with past alumni to meeting some of my new classmates, they have all been very warm and welcoming. It has been very refreshing meeting many new people who are all so open, interested and wanting to make new connections. Moving to a new country with no friends is a pretty big deal but this culture of inclusivity has made it a lot smoother.

In keeping with the above theme, my favorite story so far is how there is a class trip of 50 people who are going to Normandy together, the week before we start at INSEAD. To go on holidays with 49 essential strangers is no mean feat. I think this exemplifies just how willing everyone is to put themselves out there and make new friends.

What course, club or activity excites you the most at INSEAD? This is tough because there are so many good ones, but I am going to say the Football Club. Growing up, I loved team sports and played an array of different ones. Unfortunately, as most people can relate to, work and life commitments got in the way and I stopped playing altogether. I am looking forward to making new friends and rekindling that sense of teamwork and camaraderie. Hopefully we can beat a few other MBA schools along the way!

A very close second is the Music Club. Music is inherently social and can break across both cultural and language barriers. With the diversity of INSEAD’s class, I am very excited to meet (and hear) some amazing musicians from all around the globe.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: This question unfortunately never translates well to the field of clinical medicine. We do not have big deals to close nor clients to impress. It would be both unfair and unethical to refer to any particular patient as my biggest accomplishment.

For me, getting through the first couple of months in work is what I am most proud of. The step up between medical student and doctor is massive, especially in Ireland where the healthcare system is constantly under maximal strain. Furthermore, my cohort finished university and began work 2 months early due to the COVID pandemic. In the beginning, my colleagues and I spent long days (and nights) on busy wards just trying to do what is best for the patients. This was obviously quite a stressful time, which even caused some people to quit. For those that remained, we always helped each other out if there was a particularly difficult task and learned from one and other. As time went on, we became more independent and required less assistance but our bond remained strong. This shared accomplishment is the one I would consider my biggest.

What do you hope to do after graduation (at this point)?  Management consultancy in the healthcare space.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? LBS, Cambridge Judge

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into INSEAD’s MBA program?

Take an evening to think about your plan. You must be able to answer these three questions:

1. Why is an MBA needed for the next steps in my career?
2. Why INSEAD?
3. Why now?

Following this, I think the best thing you can do is talk to as many people as possible. Naturally, it makes the most sense to chat to an INSEAD alumni who had a similar career to you pre-MBA and is doing what you want to do post MBA. However, some of the best advice I got came from very unexpected places so open yourself up and get talking!

DON’T MISS: MEET INSEAD’S MBA CLASS OF 2024