MBA Alumni Profile: Eric Lundgren, Cranfield

Brazilian Eric Lundgren enrolled on his MBA program at CranfieldSchool of Management in the UK, giving up his job at Allianz's South American Centre. He tells TopMBA.com what drove him to take the plunge, and whether he feels the risk paid off.

Since the beginning of my undergraduate studies in economics at the Catholic University in Rio (PUC-RJ), I already had the pursuit of a top MBA program in a foreign country as a long-term goal.

Upon completion of my undergraduate studies, I joined Souza Cruz (BAT Industries) through their management trainee program. Three years later I moved to Allianz America Latina, a branch of the biggest German insurance company Allianz AG, which had then started their South American Centre in Rio.

As I was very satisfied with my position in Allianz America Latina, going for an MBA was a very tough decision for me. After a lot of thinking and evaluation, I realised that the MBA would be the next logical step in my career and that it would perfect my skills and broaden my horizons.

My criteria for selecting the MBA that would suit my needs were:
- it had to be a one-year course
- it had to be in an English speaking country
- it had to be international and be at a top school

After extensive research, I decided to apply to Cranfield because:
- although it is not well known yet in Brazil, it is one of the top MBA programs in Europe
- it is a very practical program; it draws very much on the experience of its participants, average age of just over 30 and eight years' working experience
- it has a very high reputation amongst head-hunters in Europe.

The program is very challenging and demanding, particularly in part one (core courses), especially if English is not your mother tongue. In part two the choice of electives is immense and students can choose from a wide range of subjects in the most diverse fields of management.

The course has the perfect balance between theory and practice. Part of the day is spent in learning teams, where the forthcoming class cases are discussed and prepared. This was a valuable experience for me, since I was exposed to different cultures and backgrounds while working in the team.

My boss, at that time, not only supported my decision to take an MBA by giving me leave to study, but also, after completing the Cranfield MBA, I was offered a position at the Munich Headquarters in the Group Planing and Controlling Department. Until 2002 I was responsible for the Benelux and Spanish subsidiaries and other special projects, such as M&A. Presently I work in the Americas Division, being responsible for the group's strategy and insurance operations in South America.

Now more than five years after completing the MBA, I can definitely say that the concepts and tools I learned during the course, as well as the whole Cranfield experience, have helped and still help a lot in my job.