MBA Alumni Profile: Piyush Unalkat, IE

Piyush Unalkat tells us why an MBA program at IE was the perfect choice for him.

1. Originally I embarked on a fairly academic career path by following my first degree with a masters from Karlsruhe in Germany and a Phd from Kings College in bio-technology. However by the time I'd completed all this, I'd realised that I wanted to do something more commercial and so I joined Barclays, first in corporate and then in investment banking.

After a few years, I decided to do an MBA because I wanted to put the things I had learned into some kind of formal framework and I wanted to develop a better understanding of areas such as strategy and marketing. I focused on Europe because programmes in the USA appeared to be longer and more expensive and wouldn't offer me the opportunity to pick up another language, which had also been one of my goals. I looked at all four of the top schools on the continent, but after visiting Instituto de Empresa, I discovered from the atmosphere and from speaking to people, who had already been through the programme, that this could be the right place for me.

2. Going to a business school like Instituto de Empresa can be a bit of a shock, because it shows you how little you really know and how much more there is to learn. The teaching at the school is excellent, but for me the best part of the experience was the high standard my fellow students. Working with people from such a wide variety of cultures and countries really helps to give you a global perspective on business, which I've found invaluable since graduating.

3. Since completing my MBA I've stayed on in Spain, working as a venture capitalist and have been the founding member of a company called Milenio Capital - not too bad for someone who came to the country four years ago with a beginners guide to Spanish he bought off Amazon!