Meet Notre Dame Mendoza’s MBA Class of 2019

Agustin Taussig

University of Notre Dame, Mendoza College of Business

Describe yourself in 15 words or less: Authentic, passionate, hard-working, perseverant, joyful, curious, and always seeking to live life to the fullest.

Hometown: Buenos Aires, Argentina

Fun Fact About Yourself: I am a soccer fan, love watching and playing it; but unfortunately for me and my team I´m not that a good soccer player.

Undergraduate School and Major:

Universidad del CEMA (M.Sc., Finance, Capital Markets concentration 2013-2014)

Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina (Bs Economics 2005-2009)

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation:

ICBC Argentina (Industrial and Commercial Bank of China); former Standard Bank

Corporate Salesman, Global Markets (2012-2017)

Institutional Salesman, Global Markets (2011-2012)

Junior Market Risk Analyst (2009-2011)

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: Becoming a senior corporate salesman at Global Markets, a 25-member division within a bank with over 3,500 employees. Outperforming myself over the years led me to the opportunity of managing a 500-client portfolio within a 4-member team. In this position, I had the chance to work with the biggest leading companies in Argentina, facing the challenge every day of making decisions that have impact, using macroeconomic and financial data analysis, creativity, and teamwork to reach cross-functional solutions that would lead to positive change. I had the chance to develop a big-picture perspective on both the clients and the bank´s business. It was a big honor and a great personal achievement to have reached such position within a highly efficient and competitive market.

Looking back on your experience, what one piece of advice would you give to future business school applicants? In the interview, do not try to impress the admissions interviewer with someone you are not. Instead, always be yourself; be authentic. To reach the highest level of authenticity, you have to get to know yourself first. That is a very important part of the interview process. Dedicate enough time to finding the characteristics that makes you who you are. That task might take a few days, weeks, or even months. Just make sure to allow yourself to take the time you need to get it done.  

What was the key factor that led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA and why was it so important to you? Definitely the combination of the values the Notre Dame MBA preaches and the robust curriculum the program offers. Mendoza has an exceptional approach on business as a force for good. From the research I did, I learned that this program not only deepens the students’ knowledge of business fundamentals, but also emphasizes the call of asking more of business. That makes Mendoza unique, and was the key that made me choose Notre Dame. The values-based thought leadership at Mendoza completely fits with my approach, and the idea of building life-long relationships with others who share those same values is exciting.

What would success look like to you after your first year of business school? On a personal standpoint, success would be to have given the best of myself to the experience as a whole; to have deepened my marriage relationship and becoming a good father (we´re expecting our first child for March); and of course to have built great friendships. From a student standpoint, success would be to have taken the most out of the curriculum; to have learned from my classmates, as well as have contributed to their learning; and finally to have cleared my career path (which is yet to be determined) with the help of my Career Services Coach.