Natchuta “Nattie” Wattanapenpaiboon

INSEAD

“I value humor, authentic connections, and mastery. Curious about how to optimize the human experience.”

Hometown: Bangkok, Thailand

Fun Fact About Yourself:  Six years ago—as an engineering student looking for a job—I attended a McKinsey recruiting event having no clue what management consulting was. My note was titled ‘McKenzie’ instead of ‘McKinsey.’ Definitely know better now!

Today—as an incoming INSEAD student looking for a challenge—I’m embarking on a personal project to write about my MBA journey.

Undergraduate School and Major: Thammasat University, Thailand (Computer Engineering)

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Associate at McKinsey & Company

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? Our world is becoming increasingly interconnected, and the ability to reach and impact people globally is no longer constrained by our physical location. In this context, global awareness is crucial. Business is fundamentally about people—understanding how to add value to individuals from diverse backgrounds is a competitive advantage.

Why did you choose a one-year program over a two-year program? How do you see an INSEAD MBA giving you an advantage in the marketplace? If I can achieve my goals in one year, why extend it to two? My objectives for the MBA were clear from the start: (a) to thrive in diverse cultural contexts beyond Southeast Asia, and (b) to explore careers more directly related to enhancing people’s lives. INSEAD offers me these opportunities within a shorter timeframe, allowing me an extra year to focus on a career aligned with my goals.

Even before starting the program, the INSEAD network has already demonstrated its value. I connected with numerous alumni who were eager to provide guidance and support, making it feel as if suddenly, half the world is in my corner! The extensive alumni network of INSEAD is truly worldwide, which is a significant advantage in today’s interconnected market.

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 dual-campus experience at INSEAD was a key factor in my decision. I’m eager to explore Singapore, the business hub of Southeast Asia, to gauge whether it might be a place I want to spend more time working in. Additionally, living in France provides a chance to understand European culture and business practices. The opportunity to experience life on two continents in a single year is exceptional!

What course, club or activity excites you the most at INSEAD? I’m most excited about partnering with my leadership and career coaches, to bounce ideas off them and solidify my understanding of INSEAD coursework as I work on implementing the learnings.

I recently had my first session with my career coach and was pleasantly surprised to learn that students have unlimited access to seasoned career coaches—even up to six months after graduation. We strategized, and I already have my first assignment as a thought starter from my coach.

Having personally experienced the power of coaching prior to INSEAD, I’m eager to leverage this relationship and the coaches’ expertise throughout my MBA journey. I hope to deepen my self-awareness and use these insights to make a meaningful impact in my very own way.

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. My classmates are incredibly friendly and are true global adventurers. We were organizing meet-ups in cities worldwide, even months before classes started. I hosted classmates from Spain and Singapore who visited Bangkok, just weeks after my acceptance call. Our talks were deep (on life), fun (over food), and insightful (exploring our diverse “pre-INSEAD” work identities). These interactions have confirmed that I’ve chosen the right place to be.

(A special mention goes to Tudor Lungu of MBA 25J, our dedicated leader who established our WhatsApp community, pulling in each one of us from the GMATClub results page. Thanks, Tudor!)

My best INSEAD story involves a McKinsey leader who’s an INSEAD MBA alum. After he learned I am going to INSEAD, we had a 1:1. He gave me a thorough hour-long overview of what to expect at INSEAD and how to make the most of it. One of the advice was to write a letter to myself, outlining my goals for the program. I should revisit it once school begins and every month thereafter. He had even prepared extensive notes in advance. It was thoughtful, and it showed how INSEADers are always helpful and excited about the program!

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: Apart from successfully cracking a joke to C-level executives at one of Thailand’s largest retail banks (while a live app demo was taking too long to load), it was delivering a “mission impossible” workstream with a new client, a new team, and a leadership team from outside Southeast Asia I had never heard of (on a consumer product topic I had never worked on).

Everyone thought I was jumping into a “suicide mission,” but by the end of it, we not only delivered but also established a strong foundation for the client to engage with McKinsey in future projects—globally. The team developed a strong bond, cross-continent mentorships, and lasting friendships, too.

Personally, this milestone represents the culmination of my growth and learning over six years at McKinsey. Transitioning from a non-business background to delivering a new field within weeks, I feel as though I’ve “graduated” from the McKinsey generalist consultant “curriculum”. It’s empowering to have the confidence that I can “figure things out,” and I’m excited to leverage the skills I’ve gained to create an impact on my own terms.

What do you hope to do after graduation (at this point)? My decision “North Star” has always been to ‘enhance people’s lives and optimize the human experience’. This is why I pursued computer engineering (where I learned about automation and AI) and joined McKinsey (where I get world-class training to sharpen my skills).

I see opportunities to improve people’s professional lives in terms of the following:

• Skills (Adapting to new technologies, e.g., generative AI);
• Productivity (Maximizing effectiveness within the workday);
• Mental Health (Addressing stress and burnout); and
• Finding Meaning (Understanding and appreciating the purpose behind our work).

Currently, I’m interested in exploring the science of optimizing human performance (e.g., flow states, organizational behavior and psychology) and sharing this knowledge with others, whether through coaching or other avenues. I plan to leverage my experience at McKinsey and the insights gained from INSEAD to ensure that my impact resonates on a global scale.

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into INSEAD’s MBA program? Live life and take action… by really listening to your inner self and following your curiosity—to the point that you have hours-and-hours of stories to tell, both the wins and the learnings. Once you’ve done that, answering the application questions will be just a matter of writing about things you already know the answers to.

Embracing the spirit of Steve Jobs’ quote, “You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards,” I engaged in many (sometimes random) activities to figure out who I am, what I like and don’t like, my strengths and weaknesses, and—most importantly—my vision for myself, my family, and the world. Building this self-awareness is valuable in itself, and it will also make the decision to pursue an MBA a meaningful one for you, rather than just something you do because ‘everyone has an MBA.’

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