essay question for the international mba process at ie business school - #ieapplication

Essay question for the International

MBA process at IE Business School

Raphael Bonotto de Souza Neto

#IEapplication

• What was the outcome?Describe a time when you took a great risk.

10 years timeline...

Sep/2009

First full time position

Feb/2007

Started B.S. in Accounting

Nov/2011

Accounting Degree

May/2013

Master of Finance and

Controllership

Aug/2013

International Module

Oct/2013

Senior Financial Analyst

Nov/2014

The time when I took a great risk

Apr/2015

First outcome

Sep/2015

Second outcome

Jan/2017

International MBA

OutcomesRisk TakenPrevious achievements

Let me contextualize a bit about my academicbackground and professional achievements…

Previous achievements

At 18 years old I started my degree in Accounting atCentro Universitário La Salle, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Feb/2007

Started B.S. in Accounting

Sep/2009

Feb/2007 Nov/2011

May/2013

Aug/2013

Oct/2013

Nov/2014

Apr/2015

Sep/2015

Jan/2017



In the third graduation year, after having worked fornearly two years as a trainee, I have assumed my first full-time position as an FP&A analyst at EBX Group*. At thattime, I had the opportunity to participate in an internalrotation program within the financial department,working in different roles in areas such as financialplanning, controllership and treasury.

*EBX Group was one of the biggest Brazilian conglomerates with severalcompanies in industries such as Energy, Oil & Gas, Logistics, Mining andmetals, Entertainment, among others. The owner of the group, Mr. EikeBatista, was listed as the seventh richest person in the world in 2012,according to the Forbes magazine.

Sep/2009

First full time position

Sep/2009

Feb/2007 Nov/2011

May/2013

Aug/2013

Oct/2013

Nov/2014

Apr/2015

Sep/2015

Jan/2017



In November 2011, with two years of full time professionalexperience, I finished my degree in Accounting and I waspromoted to Financial Planning Analyst at EBX Group.

Nov/2011

Accounting Degree

Sep/2009

Feb/2007 Nov/2011

May/2013

Aug/2013

Oct/2013

Nov/2014

Apr/2015

Sep/2015

Jan/2017



I started the Master of Finance and Controllership when I was 24, at Universidade Federal Fluminense, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In this course, I further specialized within the financial area, increasing my business network and becoming more prepared to continue my career development pathMay/2013

Master of Finance and

Controllership

Sep/2009

Feb/2007 Nov/2011

May/2013

Aug/2013

Oct/2013

Nov/2014

Apr/2015

Sep/2015

Jan/2017



In the middle of my Master program, I had the opportunity of experiencing my first academic period abroad, when I did the International module with two disciplines at the Universidade de Aveiro, in Portugal.

The whole program was taught by Portuguese and Spanish teachers which allowed me to understand many particularities of business culture in Europe as well as get to know closely the various projects from the IEUA (Business Incubator from the University).

Aug/2013

International Module

Sep/2009

Feb/2007 Nov/2011

May/2013

Aug/2013

Oct/2013

Nov/2014

Apr/2015

Sep/2015

Jan/2017



Upon completing four years working at EBX Group and after having returned from the International Module, I began to look for new professional challenges. In this sense, I moved to Light S / A* as Senior Financial Analyst in the Planning and Management area, being responsible for the financial control of a big project full of challenges and learning.

*Light S/A is responsible for the distribution concession area of the electricity utility of Rio de Janeiro state, with annual revenues of over EUR 3.5 billion. The company also was responsible for providing electricity to major global events like the World Cup 2014 and the Olympics 2016.

Oct/2013

Senior Financial Analyst

Sep/2009

Feb/2007 Nov/2011

May/2013

Aug/2013

Oct/2013

Nov/2014

Apr/2015

Sep/2015

Jan/2017



That was the exact time when I decided to take riskin order to leverage my professional career...

Risk Taken

In November 2015, I already had my bachelor, master and 5 years of professional full-time experience. However, I still missed greater international experience that could further enrich my academic, professional and personal profile. It was the exact moment that I decided to risk it!

I resigned from my position at Light S/A to move to the United States and to attend two extension courses, focused on business and finance. In this change, I saw a great opportunity to become more mature, strengthen my academic background and be more prepared professionally. Also it would be an excellent opportunity to live unforgettable experiences with new cultures and people, expecting a return in medium term from the money and time invested!

Nov/2014

The time when I took a great risk

Sep/2009

Feb/2007 Nov/2011

May/2013

Aug/2013

Oct/2013

Nov/2014

Apr/2015

Sep/2015

Jan/2017


Risk Taken

These were the outcomes resulting from thisdecision of taking a great risk…

Outcomes

The first outcome came in the very short term, even before moving to the United States. As I was responsible for the whole financial modeling and control of one of the largest project at Light S/A, the CFO offered me a license to take the courses and live this experience abroad returning to the same position that would be blocked during my 5 months outside.

Apr/2015

First outcome

Sep/2009

Feb/2007 Nov/2011

May/2013

Aug/2013

Oct/2013

Nov/2014

Apr/2015

Sep/2015

Jan/2017


Outcomes

The second outcome also came in short-term, less than a year after my return to Brazil. At that time, I had a chance to take my first management position, working as Structured Finance Manager at Grupo WRR*. In addition to the challenge of management, I would be responsible for two new activities: Project finance and Mergers & Acquisition. Once again proving how the risk taken was worth it.

*Grupo WRR is a big Brazilian group with more than 15,000 employees, and 6 business units for specialized kind of services such as BPO and Outsourcing, Fleet Management, Security, Oil & Gas maintenance and operations, Trade Marketing, and Technology solutions.

Sep/2015

Second outcome

Sep/2009

Feb/2007 Nov/2011

May/2013

Aug/2013

Oct/2013

Nov/2014

Apr/2015

Sep/2015

Jan/2017


Outcomes

For this risk taken along with all my ambition for the development of my academic and professional career, I managed to achieve my goals and objectives to date.

For the continuance of my timeline, the focus now is to develop an international career. In this sense, I am sure that IE and its capacity to identify and develop great global leaders is the best option to help me to achieve all of my personal and professional goals.

Jan/2017

International MBA

Sep/2009

Feb/2007 Nov/2011

May/2013

Aug/2013

Oct/2013

Nov/2014

Apr/2015

Sep/2015

Jan/2017


Outcomes

International MBA at

IE Business School

Jan/2017

I appreciate your time and I hope that together we can make the possible, along with all other goals in my next 10

years timeline.

Next 10 years timeline...

Essay question for the International

MBA process at IE Business School

Raphael Bonotto de Souza Neto

#IEapplication

essay question for the international mba process at ie business school - #ieapplication

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