During my 24 years of working, I gained robust experience in managing business, leadership, teamwork, business intelligence, networking, and managing financial resources, as well as reporting to different tiers of management. This experience helped me to become more creative, innovative, and business-orientated.

Throughout my 24 years of professional experience, I have acquired a great deal of technical knowledge and team management skills. Now, I am focused on improving my business acumen, strategic thinking, and leadership abilities through an MBA program. "My decision to pursue an MBA at UniAthena will enhance my business management and leadership skills, boost my workplace performance, foster proactivity, and strengthen my ability to make strategic decisions. I am confident that I will strengthen these skills through my Global MBA journey.

I have chosen to attend my MBA at UniAthena owing to the reputation of the institution, notably the accreditation and global recognition of the Global MBA program. It is perfectly organised and aligned with my selection criteria. Additionally, UniAthena is also a learning environment where I can take foundational courses to upgrade my business acumen.

My primary career goal following the MBA is to re-equip myself to continue growing in my professional career as a senior consultant and world-class agribusiness entrepreneur at an international level. At the same time, I am committed to inspiring teams, creating positive impacts, and leaving a legacy for young professionals.

I have extensive experience in managing time and combining it efficiently with other activities without jeopardising my profession. In order to accomplish this, I allocate some time and space to my online studies. I anticipate a similar experience with this program.

A specific example of a challenging goal was during my employment at the ADIPSA Program. I supervised a team of 24 staff members, and we were tasked with supporting over 20,000 stallholder farmers to enhance their agricultural productivity and connect them to markets in order to raise their incomes by at least 50%. I must admit, it was really a challenging goal. However, with my leadership and my team's support, in just three years, more than 43,600 smallholder farmer members of 121 Farmer Associations (FAs) were empowered.

Based on my own experiences, I have learnt that personal qualities are very fundamental to achieving success in our goals. These key qualities are leadership, teamwork, integrity, confidence, respect for others, effective communication, planning and setting goals, active listening, accountability, delegation, honesty, problem solving, and transparency. 

When I stepped out of my comfort zone to take on a leadership role, my first instinct was to learn from others and do things differently. My ability to overcome challenges was largely due to the communication I had with experienced people and the trust I built with my team. The end results were promising, as I have always valued teamwork and trust.

The book that I believe everyone should read is Growing a Business, by Paul Hawken (Simon and Schuster, 1988). This book is my favourite because it talks about the importance of small businesses in a country's economy. The book also explains the business scene of the United States, where large companies are unfortunately reducing the number of jobs in that country, while small businesses are generating more jobs in the economy. This makes it clear that it is not just mega companies, but also small businesses that make a very valuable contribution to economies.

My dream job is to be a business manager with an international reputation and take part in the management of large companies, such as Exxon Mobil, BP, Tetra Tech, and other mega companies. I aim to set a benchmark in business leadership and set an example for others to follow.  

My advice for those professionals just starting out is to be active listeners, learn from those with more experience than you, and believe in your creative abilities. Effective communication will be crucial to your learning process, so stay transparent and honest throughout the process.