Rafael Caspary Blay

“I started a football analytics blog in college”

Hometown: São Paulo, Brazil

Undergraduate School and Major:  Computer Science, University of Southern California

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Data Science Manager, Rei do Pitaco

What makes London such a great place to earn an MBA degree?

London offers a rare combination of tradition and innovation. It is one of the few cities where you can use cutting-edge fintech products at institutions that have existed for centuries, or discuss AI strategy in the morning and financial regulation shaped over hundreds of years in the afternoon. This coexistence of legacy and disruption creates an exceptional learning environment.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key part of Imperial Business School’s MBA curriculum and programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you?

Imperial’s strong focus on STEM was the primary reason I chose the Full-Time MBA programme. Rather than treating technology as a buzzword, the curriculum consistently challenges students to understand how they intersect, work together and how it can be applied to solve real-world business problems through analytics, innovation and technology-driven strategy.

This was particularly important to me given my background in data science and my goal of transitioning into more strategic leadership roles, as Imperial allows me to build on my technical foundations while developing the managerial judgement needed to turn emerging technologies into scalable, high-impact solutions.

What course, club or activity excites you the most at Imperial Business School?

The AI Ventures module is one of the aspects of Imperial that excites me most. I am particularly drawn to the opportunity to build AI-driven products in a highly interdisciplinary setting, working alongside students from different academic and professional backgrounds.

The Imperial MBA is known to strike a balance between core business knowledge and skills that emphasize vision, judgment, and innovation. What area do you hope to strengthen during your year of business school and why?

I hope to strengthen my general management and business judgement skills, particularly by learning structured frameworks to approach problems that fall outside my technical comfort zone. While my background has given me strong analytical capabilities, Imperial Business School is an opportunity to develop a more holistic perspective.

Equally important to me is deepening my self-awareness: better understanding my strengths, leadership style and motivations so I can make more intentional career choices and identify the path where I can have the greatest long-term impact.

What is your unique quality that will enable you to make a big contribution to the Class of 2026?

My unique contribution comes from the combination of my experience in Big Tech and my Brazilian background. Having worked in highly data-driven, global organisations, I bring a practical perspective on how technology is built and scaled, while my experience in an emerging market adds a grounded understanding of complexity, constraints and impact. Together, these perspectives allow me to contribute meaningfully to discussions on innovation, growth and responsible leadership in diverse contexts.

The Imperial MBA is also known for its strong emphasis on technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship. Why does the program’s focus on technological insights and mindful leadership appeal to you? How have been able to leverage this approach in your career so far?

The programme’s focus on technological insight appeals to my desire to explore new career paths and industries, such as product management roles in fintech, where understanding both the capabilities and limitations of technology is critical to sound decision-making.

Throughout my career, I have leveraged this mindset by translating advanced analytics into practical business strategies, leading cross-functional teams and making deliberate trade-offs that balanced innovation with risk. Imperial’s approach formalises and deepens this way of working, equipping me to lead technology-driven organisations with greater perspective, responsibility and impact.

When you think of Imperial, what is the first word that comes to mind?

Technology. Imperial stands out to me because it treats technology not as a supporting function, but as a core driver of business strategy and leadership.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far:

One of my biggest accomplishments has been building and scaling the data team at Rei do Pitaco (a tech startup in Brazil) from the ground up. As the company’s first data scientist, I established the team’s structure, hiring process and analytical foundations, growing it into a high-impact function that supported key product launches and strategic decisions.

The team became a core driver of business performance, enabling more disciplined decision-making, improved risk management and measurable revenue impact across the organisation.

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

I would encourage applicants to clearly articulate how technology and innovation have shaped their professional journey and future goals, and to reflect that consistently across their application materials. Imperial values candidates who can connect technical insight with business impact. I would also strongly recommend reaching out to alumni – everyone I spoke with was approachable, generous with their time and willing to share candid insights that helped me better understand the programme and position my application effectively.

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