Only a little while ago, I was living what could be considered a relatively normal life, and I could check the majority of items off my ‘life action list’. However, something was not quite right. Perhaps I was becoming complacent (a terrifying word). After many months of deep analysis, I came to this conclusion: I could do more. I could push myself harder, reach higher and achieve far more. Being a dual US-EU citizen gave me a number of options.

I attained my first degree from a Liberal Arts college in the US, majoring in the scientific and philosophical study of the mind. My undergraduate years constituted a greatly enriching period in terms of developing a capacity for critical thinking, but I wasn’t sure at the time what I wanted to do professionally.

After obtaining my Bachelor’s degree, I returned to Greece and landed my first job: with Coca-Cola no less. During my seven years with the company, I took on four roles, all of them focused primarily on business process design and systems deployment. The overall customer base of the division in which I worked was spread across 28 countries.

By my final two years at Coca-Cola, I had clearly identified that my future career would lie in consulting. I realised that to make the transition I would need to close some of the gaps in my professional profile. I lacked the pure business acumen and ready-to-apply methods that are attainable only through education. A full-time MBA appeared to be my best option, and it was one that I researched for a long time.

A primary consideration in that research process was the need to remove myself from the familiar, from my comfort zone. The HKU MBA programme, and indeed Hong Kong, checked all of the right boxes: it provides an ideally balanced and modern curriculum and offers positioning, a network and exposure that tie in perfectly with my long-term aspirations.

I consider the HKU MBA a springboard, a fast-paced high-impact programme that will prepare me for the next big step. No time is wasted, and no stone is left unturned. This was absolutely the right decision for me.

Employer:     Brightidea
Position:       Senior Innovation Consultant
Location:      New York