My background is economics – at undergraduate and masters level. I worked for a bit in investment banking, but when I looked the academics in my family, it was a very enticing prospect, because of the freedom they had in their careers and the ability they had to influence the way people think for the better.
I chose INSEAD first off because it’s a school with world renown for research, especially strategy. But what really stood out for me is that INSEAD is connected to the real world and to companies. There’s a concern with practical relevance that you wouldn’t find in other places.
In my research I’m connecting two areas that are central to strategy: internal resource allocations within firms and competitive strategy within markets. I’m trying to bridge the gap and understand the connections. Research is very entrepreneurial job. You need high levels of resilience and the ability to take leaps of faith!
During my fourth year, I was asked to audit an MBA course on competitive strategy taught by Professor Karel Kool – and I came across a project that I’d done with him. I discovered that he was describing the practical applications of our theories and demonstrating them with examples in the classroom. It gave me a personal boost and a renewed sense of purpose to see that my research was going to be applied.