MBA Alumni Profile: Marina Bykova, Fuqua School of Business

Fuqua School of Business, Duke University (GEMBA)
Class of 2004

Marina Bykova experienced an impact on her career only three months into her EMBA. She talks to TopMBA.com about where her business school degree has taken her.

“Being a woman in the corporate world, you have to be ten times smarter and stronger than a man in the same position,” says Executive MBA alum, Marina Bykova. A graduate of Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business’ Global EMBA program, Bykova was looking for new business opportunities and career growth in international business when she began thinking about business school.

“Initially I applied to IMD, but at the time I was working for Citigroup and top management advised me to try an American school. So I enrolled in Chicago University and Duke University programs but finally decided to choose the more general management program Fuqua offered, over the ‘finance’ of Chicago.”

During the first three months of her program, Bykova was promoted to Division CFO for Citigroup in CIS (Russia, Kazakhstan and Ukraine). “This was always an expatriate job, but it wasn’t even possibly to imagine that a woman, or a Russian, could be considered for this position,” she says.

At the end of her program, Bykova continued to reap the rewards of her Global EMBA when she moved to Citigroup’s headquarters in New York. “I was the only one among 3,000 employees of Citigroup Russia who was offered an expatriate position in New York.” However, Bykova eventually resigned from Citigroup and for a short while, experienced the MBA from the other side – as a teaching professor for a Russian MBA program. “I then accepted Sberbank’s offer to move to Ukraine to support its international business and to lead its Corporate Bank – this is my current job.”

The deputy chairman of the board for Sberbank of Russia, Ukrainian subsidiary, Bykova says the GEMBA was a turning point in her career, and an investment she has had significant return on. “I don’t only feel a return on investment but I have proof in numbers that I received a return from my MBA investment,” she says. “My company didn’t sponsor me and I paid all the expenses related to the program out of my pocket. At the same time I have no regrets as I got a number of promotions.

“I also got a return on my investment in a non-monetary component as well – the expansion of my network, new business contacts and a lot of fun while studying!”

Bykova says there are numerous advantages to having an Executive MBA degree. “No career interruption, no stress looking for a new job after graduation, and I had the opportunity to apply all of my new skills and knowledge on the real projects related to my job.”

She also says the incredible experience of working in teams helped her a lot in her day-to-day work at Citigroup. “We were communicating every day with my team in Moscow, Seattle, Tokyo and Philadelphia. Most of the time it was difficult to get together on the phone in the different time zones but we always were on time with our deadlines!”

Graduating with a Global Executive MBA degree from one of the world’s top business schools has impacted on Bykova both personally and professionally and she has no hesitation in encouraging others to pursue an EMBA. “Absolutely!” she says. “It’s a great experience and a challenge at the same time - a lot of food for thought, expanding horizons, new business opportunities, and friends for life.”