Agiimaa Kruchkin

IESE Business School at the University of Navarra

“An avid learner who is unafraid to challenge the status quo.”

Hometown: Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Fun Fact About Yourself: I have lived in six countries on five continents thus far.

Undergraduate School and Major: Pepperdine University, International Business and Latin American Studies double major.

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: ProcurementIQ, Research Manager.

What makes the case method so attractive as a means to learn and become a better manager? My undergraduate studies in International Business provided a robust foundation for my career. Yet, once I started working full-time, faced and solved problems, made mistakes and learned from them, I realized that something was amiss. Most of my learning came from experiences, not classroom learning. As such, when I started shopping for an MBA, I strongly gravitated toward European business schools due to their impressive track record and reputation for cultivating learning environments that are rigorous, thought-provoking and pragmatic. I craved a setting that would offer practical instruction of business concepts that boldly ventured outside of the confines of textbook theory.

One of my favorite aspects of the case method is the absence of prescriptive diagnoses and judgments, (i.e., there is rarely a single “correct” solution). In fact, most of the learning stems from sharing and embracing diverse viewpoints, engaging in healthy disagreements and creative problem-solving. These ingredients of the case method, combined with the no-frills emphasis on ethical conduct, help the students focus not on what to think, but how to think, as IESE Professor Antonino Vaccaro emphasized.

What has been your favorite part of Barcelona so far? What has made it such a great place to earn an MBA? I took a leap of faith when choosing IESE, because I had spent less than 24 hours in Spain prior to the MBA. In a way, it was perfect because I came without any expectations or nostalgic connotations attached to the city or the country, allowing me to integrate in an open-minded way. Currently, I am the only Mongolian in the program. However, due to spending over half my life living in different countries, that has never been a source of loneliness.

Surprisingly, I did not experience any culture shock despite coming from a very different background, partially due to the diversity of Barcelona. My neighborhood is a melting pot of Catalan, Spanish, Arab, Asian, Latino and African families, as well as students from all over the world, which I love. Plus, Barcelona is a real treat for any aesthete.

Aside from your classmates and location, what was the one key part of the IESE Business School MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? I wanted to challenge myself in a completely new environment – a different country, language, culture, all while surrounded by people unalike me. It was important for me to grow personally and intellectually as I geared up for making the triple jump. Furthermore, I wanted the experience to be demanding because meaningful growth only happens outside of our comfort zone, so the academic rigor of IESE was a key reason behind my decision.

The IESE MBA is known for heavy reading and rigorous academics. Has the program lived up to its reputation? What advice would you give to first-years to help them thrive in the early months of the program? I was well-informed about the academically rigorous nature of the program, which was one of the main reasons I chose IESE; why spend so much time and money for an experience that can be substituted with reading a book or two? The MBA has certainly lived up to its reputation. What was more surprising to me personally, however, is how time-consuming all the extracurricular activities (networking events, consulting prep, interview prep, etc.) can be.

I would advise incoming first-year students to budget their time and energy appropriately. It is tempting to want to partake in everything, travel everywhere, go out every weekend – yet it´s impossible, not to mention – expensive. While easier said than done, figuring out the right mix of division of labor with your team will be the key ingredient to academic success, as well as, quite frankly, preserving your sanity. I would also emphasize that you ask for help when you need it; you’d be moved by how generous your cohort will be with their time and energy.

What course, club or activity have you enjoyed the most so far at IESE? For me it’s a tie between Decision Analysis and Leadership. The courses themselves are thought-provoking and challenging in their own right; yet the human element – i.e., the professors – is the true highlight of the learning experience. Although the Decision Analysis course paradoxically felt equal parts ‘foreign’ and familiar, Professor Johannes Müller-Trede made the classroom experience truly engaging by driving thought-provoking discussions that challenged groupthink, shortcuts, and biases. Besides, it always helps to have professors with a great sense of humor. For Leadership, I genuinely enjoyed Professor Maïlys George’s instruction, who embodies the characteristics of a leader we all aspire to be one day – charismatic, confident, thoughtful and authentic.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: My greatest professional accomplishment thus far has been in driving an organizational culture shift. When I began my career as an analyst, my department was a revolving door, where it wasn’t unusual for 1-2 people to quit per month (in a company of just 50 people). The rose-tinted glasses came off instantaneously, making me realize (and silently agree with) the majority’s verdict. Yet, as I moved up in the organization and slowly gained decision-making powers, I made it a goal to chip away at the underlying causes. Long before I was promoted to a manager role, I used my position as a mentor to cultivate strong interpersonal relationships with my colleagues. I invested time and effort into getting to know my team, learning everyone’s strengths, weaknesses and motivations. I have encouraged many of my team members to get into the top 10 MBAs and other graduate programs, as well as pursue successful careers within and outside the organization. Moreover, my team achieved the longest tenure in the business across five offices, while consistently achieving the highest performance metrics.

Describe your biggest accomplishment as an MBA student so far: Rather than a single event, my greatest accomplishment as an MBA student so far is in the diverse tapestry of friendships that I am weaving every single day – not to use them as a stepping stone, but to learn from them and to grow together. Being the only person from my country among 700+ MBA students, I do not have an organic network to fall back on for tips, resources, or past projects. Rather than acting as an impediment, however, this circumstance pushes me to venture outside of my comfort zone. I am actively learning and perfecting the art of balancing being self-reliant with requesting help when I need it. Whether from Dalian or Campinas, speaking Xhosa or Euskara, my new friends have been consistently showing up for me and inspiring me daily.

What has been your best memory as an MBA so far? The best MBA memory was forged during the first week of school, when we had the Communication course. Within our teams, sections and, ultimately, the entire cohort, our classmates fearlessly shared a mix of the most entertaining and gut-wrenching personal stories. We cried countless tears and laughed until our bellies hurt, all while sharing and embracing our flawed, silly, authentic selves. Storytelling is a powerful tool which, combined with a superpower of vulnerability, is a key ingredient of successful leadership that we seamlessly learned from our fellow classmates.

DON’T MISS: MEET IESE BUSINESS SCHOOL’S MBA CLASS OF 2026

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