Mariko Nakata

HEC Paris

Comments from my friends: “Strength and kindness,” “Precise but artistic” and “Self-driving Ferrari.”

Hometown: Osaka, Japan

Fun Fact About Yourself: I was a 400m runner in the athletics team in high school, and a dancer in the street dance team in university.

Undergraduate School and Major: Bachelor of Law, Kyoto University (Kyoto, Japan)

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Attorney at Law (Japan) at Tokyo International Law Office

Aside from your classmates, what was the key part of HEC Paris’ MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? HEC Paris offers various programs for you to design your own MBA experience. In my case, fashion, art and creativity are my areas of passion, and I am excited about innovation and technology that solve problems. HEC Paris has a strong presence in both fields, which is ideal for me in pursuing my expertise at the intersection of them. Aside from the program structuring, I love its culture of community-individual. In HEC Paris, the individual is valued and at the same time belongs to the community. I think this is outstanding among various MBAs around the world since I felt how the application process of HEC Paris is unique and different in a way that it deeply looks at each applicant’s characteristics and connects to people.

What course, club or activity excites you the most at HEC Paris?

1) HEC Certificates: HEC Certificates allow you to deep dive into specific business area. There are some programs that interests me such as luxury or climate. HEC Certificates are the joint programs, so I will be able to network with students from master’s degree, Grand École and other departments.

2) Creative Destruction Lab: Since I am interested in gaining experience of innovative projects, Creative Destruction Lab offers an attractive 10-month project of launching a business. I believe this level of experience will be a great addition to my skillset that will help me navigate post-MBA career.

3) MBAT: MBAT is a great opportunity to satisfy the appetite for athletic or artistic activities that is

HEC Paris is just 17 kilometers from Paris. What do you see as the best part of earning your MBA so close to Paris? What I like the most about the location is its balance. While providing a good access to the heart of business activities, it secures a calm environment. I think this allows you to switch on and off, to invest your time in both socialization and personal improvement, and to maintain yourself in a well-balanced state of mind. And not to mention, Paris is one of the most visited, artistic and romantic cities in the world!

What is your unique quality that will enable you to make a big contribution to the Class of 2026? I would like to contribute to the classmates with my critical-thinking, solution-finding and cross-cultural communication skills that I fostered through my experience as a lawyer.

Why did you choose a 16-month program over a one-year program? How do you see a HEC Paris MBA giving you an advantage in the marketplace? To me, one-year program feels a bit too short to experience everything and to gain skillsets that I need. In HEC Paris, academic programs are divided into four terms with four months each, adding up to 16 months in total. I think this is a great balance between one-year and two-year program. In addition, you can extend your graduation date if you are going to take an internship after the program. In this way, I think HEC Paris offers you a great level of flexibility in time management.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: I can’t name all, but I had one unforgettable fraud investigation case. It was an accounting fraud involving top managements of a listed company. My law firm was working with other law firms and accounting advisory firms as a third-party investigation committee. The project was really challenging since we had to reveal a complex fraud scheme under the time constraints, but everybody was driven by the sense of justice. As a member, I was able to create a positive atmosphere and help others in our team as well as achieved a smooth collaboration across advisors.

Others include a long-term support for a solar roof startup, a global fashion brand’s licensing and visual production projects, and a freedom of speech case on social media.

Looking ahead 16 months, what would make your MBA experience successful? My MBA experience will be fruitful with two things: 1) to enhance teamwork skills, and 2) to foster an insight into and ability to envision the future.

DON’T MISS: MEET THE HEC PARIS MBA CLASS OF 2026