By the age of 29, I was a successful private equity lawyer back in Italy. I’d worked for some of the most prestigious international law firms advising on multi-million dollar transactions in the luxury, tech, automotive, and food industries. While on paper it may have looked like I had the ideal life, I felt restricted in my role and unable to express my potential to the fullest.
Having always been a curious, creative, and math-oriented person, I became aware that I was more fascinated by the work my clients did than my own role in drafting agreements. I quickly came to the realization that an MBA would be the best opportunity to press reset on my career, to disrupt my life for the better, and find satisfaction in the workplace. My ambition was to move from avoiding value destruction as a lawyer to creating value as a private equity investor.
Choosing IMD was a no-brainer. The program’s strong emphasis on leadership was a major draw. In addition, I was attracted by the small, carefully selected cohort which allowed for greater interaction and bonding with peers. Another plus was that the average age of candidates was slightly higher than at competitor institutions. For me, this represented a better opportunity to learn from more experienced individuals coming from a diverse range of backgrounds.
Alongside investing, another major passion of mine is dining in Michelin-starred restaurants. Doing an MBA at IMD is certainly comparable to that experience. You are served a surprising and unbeatable dish of premium learning from world-class professors with a side order of insights from fellow candidates, alongside impeccable service from the MBA office, our fantastic Dean, Professor Omar Toulan, and the Career Development Center.
The IMD MBA has also allowed me to realize another ambition. As a child, I dreamed of becoming a professional guitar player. During the MBAT, widely regarded as the MBA Olympics, I got the opportunity to perform in front of a crowd of 1,000 people in Paris as a member of the IMD band, The White Horses, named after the local watering hole in Lausanne. Our crowd-pleasing mix of Deep Purple and Guns N’ Roses classics earned us the gold medal during the Battle of the Bands competition. This was one of the best moments of my entire life! In my spare time, my musical tastes tend to be more extreme, and I like to de-stress by playing progressive metal – a mixture of jazz and classical music, played with an aggressive sound.
For future candidates, I advise everyone going through the MBA to really give 100%. I promise that you’ll get back every drop of your sweat with interest.
