Meet Stanford GSB’s MBA Class Of 2021

Anderson Alvaro Gava Muller

Stanford Graduate School of Business

“Paraguayan Industrial Engineer who loves rock music and spending time with family and friends.”

Hometown: Santa Rita – Alto Parana – Paraguay

Fun Fact About Yourself: I have watched neither Harry Potter nor Lord of the Rings.

Undergraduate School and Major: Facultad de Ingenieria de la Universidad Nacional de Asuncion (National University of Asuncion – School of Engineering) – Industrial Engineering

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: AB-InBev Paraguay, Finance Manager

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: Besides managing the P&L of one of the most important companies in Paraguay, I feel proud of an educational program I created to take University Students to teach financial math to high school students.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? Intelligent and humble.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key part of the MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? The experiential learning in developing leadership skills. I believe that the experiences with other classmates, combined with constant feedback and introspection, are the most effective way to shape one’s leadership style.

What has been the most surprising thing you’ve found about Stanford GSB so far? The variety of resources available for the students in terms of professional and personal development.

What was the most challenging question you were asked during the admissions process? What matters most to you and why? This question required me to connect several aspects of my life to find the answer.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? I also applied to HBS, Kelley, Wharton, Columbia and Chicago.

What is the biggest epiphany you’ve gained about yourself or the world since you arrived at Stanford GSB? Most highly successful people seem to have a very simplistic view of the world. For example, Carlos Brito, CEO of AB-InBev emphasizes 10 principles of the company, one of them being:  “We believe common sense and simplicity are usually better guidelines than unnecessary sophistication and complexity.” And when he talks about the business, he usually uses examples of a person from the company negotiating with real people, like a grocery store owner. This makes it very easy for others to relate to the point he is trying to convey.

What do you see yourself doing ten years from now? I see myself working on projects that aim at increasing the efficiency and profitability of small businesses and have high socio-economic impact. In the long term, I see myself going back to Paraguay because I want to have an impact there.

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