Before joining UBC Sauder’s MBA programme, Armando Rocha worked for one of Mexico's largest microfinance banks. His time there showed him the power of the financial product born out of anti-poverty efforts in developing countries. Seeing how microfinance offerings had the potential to increase the revenue, happiness, and well-being of their recipients, Rocha dared to take on bigger challenges. By speaking to several company directors and entrepreneurs on how to level up their careers, he found a common theme in their answers: earning an MBA abroad.
Having completed UBC Sauder’s MBA, Rocha saw how the programme lived up to the praises of the leaders he had reached out to. Not only did he get to explore more than the basics of business administration, he also expanded on his areas of interest.
“One of the best parts of the programme is the ability to choose different tracks based on your career goals,” Rocha says. He was drawn to how courses like "Operations," "Tech Entrepreneurship," and "Growing and Exiting a Venture" as he felt they set him up for the next phase of his career.
But it was the MBA’s emphasis on responsible leadership that showed him how to lead with a focus on sustainability and ethical practices. It shaped his views on the responsibilities of the business world toward people and the planet, readying him for a role as a product owner with a global relief, development and advocacy organisation. “During my interviews, I emphasised my focus on entrepreneurship, which really resonated with World Vision Canada,” Rocha says.
Looking back, Rocha believes the MBA equipped him to thrive in the Canadian market and in a globalised country. At World Vision Canada, he was immediately assigned to lead the project management of its annual report. “It was incredible to contribute to this project,” he says. “The MBA and my experience working with many teams from different cultures really help me in my current role.”