MBA at Chicago's Booth School's of Business London Campus: Alumni Interview

TopMBA.com talks to Alberto Plaza, who completed his MBA at Chicago's Booth Schools of Business London Campus in 2011 about his experience there. 

With a wealth of different MBA programs to consider, business school applicants often report a great deal of confusion in determining the ideal MBA program format for them.

For those applicants with six or more years of work experience, an executive MBA can often be the most beneficial option, as an increased level of experience among cohorts ensures greater class-insight, focused debate, and a wealth of diverse experiences to benefit from.

“I think that work experience and an MBA experience are essentially very complementary. Perhaps, perfect complements in an increasingly sophisticated and global business world,” explains Alberto Plaza, who graduated from his executive MBA at The University of Chicago’s Booth Schools of Business’ London, UK campus in 2011.

For Plaza, the diverse range of his class-mates in terms of nationality and industry experience was of particular importance.

“It has been extremely valuable to me. Before my MBA, I had colleagues in other parts of the world, now I have friends in the most diverse countries and from the most diverse professional backgrounds and companies.”

Pre-MBA work experience

Prior to enrolling on his MBA program, Plaza developed a wealth of experience in law, which he valued considerably during his time at Chicago Booth.

“As a lawyer involved in corporate, finance and investment transactions with a real estate element, being capable of understanding the fundamentals of world-class investments and those of the real estate industry is as essential as the knowledge of the law.

“In addition, leading a team requires project management, team management and financial management skills, all of which are greatly enhanced with the Chicago Booth MBA program.”

As with most students that enroll on executive MBA programs, Plaza already had a clear idea of how he wanted his post-MBA career to pan out. In fact, his current role as head of the real estate legal department at Deloitte in Spain was one of the positions he had already set his sights on.

“My current position is one of the [roles] that I considered after graduation. I was searching for a position that would allow me to combine my previous legal experience in a global law firm with greater managerial exposure. My position as head of my practice area allows me to use those skills in combination.”

Finding the ‘right fit’ MBA

Clearly, having secured his target role straight after graduation, Plaza chose his MBA program well.

“I focused my search on a leading American business schools with world-class faculty and cutting edge finance, strategy and marketing expertise,” Plaza explains. “Chicago Booth was a perfect fit under such search.

“I valued very positively the fact that the executive program was offered at Chicago Booth’s campus in London, which would allow me to better combine my job and MBA responsibilities.”

Though so soon after graduation it would be nigh on impossible for Plaza to have recouped the investment he made in his future through his MBA, he already feels his program represented great value for money as a result of the skills he developed during the two year program.

“The current value of the incremental skills and capabilities acquired during an MBA program with Chicago Booth feel much greater and definitely more powerful than the financial investment made.

“I believe that the increased range of ideas, the enhanced flexibility of the mind, the boost of self-confidence and the width of post-MBA network speak of an unparalleled return of my investment.”