About Malou
Undergraduate Degree: University of California Riverside
Concentrations: Bachelor in Business Administration, concentration in Marketing
Q: Tell us about your background.
A: I moved to the United States seven years ago. I attended UC Riverside, playing Division I college basketball on a full scholarship, majoring in business administration, with a concentration in marketing. I had the privilege of leading the team as captain for a few years, which was a great experience. I am constantly applying those leadership skills I gained to my corporate residency, leading many towards achieving goals.
I began looking into MBA programs to expand upon my undergraduate degree and build knowledge and expertise to become a business executive. My undergrad was dedicated to mastering business basics, while my MBA was more about thinking and behaving as an executive. I want to lead a P&L business unit or be in a general management position. Thanks to my MBA, I'm on the right path for that and will reach my goal sooner.
Q: What were you looking for in an MBA program? Why did you choose D'Amore-McKim?
A: The predominant reason I chose Northeastern University was the corporate residency—I wanted to gain work experience. Playing D1 basketball was a full-time job in itself, so I hadn't had time for anything else. Northeastern was an excellent fit for me to gain a year of professional experience in my field while earning my MBA.
Another reason I chose D'Amore-McKim was because of the diversity of its community. The diversity in the Full-Time MBA students is inspiring—whether that's age, experience, or where the students are from. I love that my cohort is an incredible group of people of many different backgrounds brought together to learn.
I chose a supply chain management concentration so I could learn about the full value chain of the business and develop a deep understanding of how a business works from end to end. I was interested in my second concentration, corporate innovation because I could expose myself to new innovative business models from start-ups and disruptive corporations, expanding my horizons.
Q: Tell us about your corporate residency at Schneider Electric.
A: My title has been Engineering Analyst at Schneider Electric for the last year. I maintain the relationship with one of our biggest partners, an industrial software company. We do a lot of work collaboratively in R&D and commercial to bring differentiated offers to the market, often using technology integrations between our complementary products. I managed much of the R&D effort and new technology enabler identification.
My experience as a corporate resident has validated that I want to lead a business or business unit. I learned about myself in the process too. I realize that I prefer to work for a global B2B company that does meaningful work, such as the work I do at Schneider to reduce climate change by limiting CO2 emissions.
My manager at Schneider really supported me and encouraged me to explore other parts of the business to understand where I fit best, what I should do, what I am good at, and how I provide value. I got to experience many different things, not just by observing, but actually hands-on doing. I worked on sales initiatives, including training salespeople, program management for R&D execution, business cases evaluation, and even made a startup investment request to leadership.
Q: How did your corporate residency help you land a job offer from Schneider Electric?
A: Starting in three weeks, I will be the Business Incubation Manager at Schneider Electric.
I don't think I would have received this job offer without my corporate residency experience. My residency provided me with the foundation and connections that I needed to be qualified for this new position. Without my MBA education, I wouldn't be able to perform at the level needed for this role.
My MBA and corporate innovation concentration will be highly applicable to this position since I'll be managing a portfolio of offers from end to end. I will be working in Paris, leading the deployment of a sustainability initiative, and incubating businesses under this initiative for Schneider. I'm about to start a full-time position completely aligned with my career goals. I want to work in sustainability and impact the world. This is just the first step in my career, but it's already in the right direction.
Q: Tell us about consulting for a Panamanian healthcare logistics company.
A: In my global consulting class, I consulted for a Panamanian healthcare logistic company. It was a great experience. Our charter was to recommend whether they should become a fourth-party logistics (4PL) company. I was on a team of 15, divided into five smaller groups. My group focused on business model innovation, assessing how becoming a 4PL would impact the business model and the changes required to adapt to this transition.
While working on this project, I gained experience as a consultant, assessing, analyzing, and providing recommendations. I found it valuable to present to a leadership team and stakeholders. Ultimately, our final presentation was an excellent opportunity to gain visibility and experience meeting with clients and executives.
Q: What advice would you share with future students?
A: The Graduate Career Center opens the door for you if you're willing to step up. They provide many opportunities to expose you to the industry and people through networking events. I've received a lot of support from them when applying for jobs and accepting my job offer. Always be on your A-game and be willing to step out of your comfort zone to fully embrace your experience at Northeastern—your experience is what you make of it.
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