MBA alumnus Matias Rubiolo

Matias Rubiolo (Master of Business Administration – MBA, 2017) is now a Senior Research Associate at PwC Luxembourg, but he started his professional life on a different path. He speaks to Southampton Connects about his decision to change career and study an MBA degree with Southampton Business School.

You started your career as an accountant in Argentina. Why did you want to change direction and study for an MBA?

I knew I would get far more out of an MBA if I studied overseas, especially as the UK is an internationally recognised centre for business education. I was an accountant for more than seven years back home, but felt I needed more knowledge of the business world, and should develop my soft skills to give me more career opportunities.

Why did you choose the University of Southampton Business School?

After researching several top universities around the world, I knew Southampton would be a good fit for me. It’s a member of the Russell Group, and it offers a well-structured MBA programme accredited by AMBA, AACSB, and CMI. As a self-funded student, it was also excellent value for money.

What were the highlights of your degree?

It’s an international classroom with students from various industries – you can certainly learn a lot from one another. I got to know people from many countries, including Japan, Saudi Arabia, China, Indonesia, Chile, Mexico, Fiji, and Thailand. They are now part of my business network as well as my friends, and have given me tremendous insight into different backgrounds and cultures.

Besides expanding my business knowledge, another highlight of the MBA was my consultancy placement with a regional software company that was seeking to launch a new product. I had to analyse it, benchmark competitors, and judge its potential success. It was exactly the right kind of practical experience for my career development.

How did the MBA help you to succeed in your career?

After leaving Southampton, I worked at the European Investment Bank (EIB) in Luxembourg, and I’m now in the Market Research Centre at PwC Luxembourg.

I’m sure I wouldn’t have secured my roles at the European Investment Bank and PwC without my MBA. Improving my skill sets was key. When there are challenges at work, I now step back and think about the issues in a strategic way, analysing how to solve the problem, as we were encouraged to do during the MBA.

Throughout the degree, our assignments taught us to discover the core issue behind every situation. I also learned to question my own thinking to identify bias and assumptions, and improve my decision-making.

As an Argentinian, I wanted to experience what it’s like to live and work in Europe. I’m sure my University of Southampton MBA really helped me to enhance my employability abroad as I went on to change industry, role, and country.

What are your ambitions?

There are a couple of pathways that interest me. I could return to a development finance institution, such as the EIB, as they have the drive and the power to make real changes in our communities and our world. Eventually, I would also like to set up my own business.

Qualifying with my University of Southampton master’s has enabled me to consider many new avenues of work in addition to finance. Expertise in key areas such as strategy and managing people is valuable in every kind of business.

Southampton Business School is ranked in the UK top 10 for business, management, and marketing (Guardian University Guide, 2020), and holds accreditations from international bodies including AMBA and AACSB. Find out more about our full-time MBA programme on the University website.