IMD

Pablo Kühlenthal, Chilean, MBA 2010

30-year-old Chilean, Pablo Kühlenthal played for his country’s national field hockey team, which took the bronze medal at the 2007 Pan American Games. The experience taught him tenacity, teamwork and leadership. And, after experiencing reverse bungee jumping while on a field hockey trip to New Zealand, he negotiated a sponsorship and brought a machine to Chile. In its first summer, the “little side business” quickly brought in $500,000, easily covering start-up costs.

After graduating from University, Pablo was handpicked by Sebastián Piñera, one of Chile’s most successful businessmen, to work as a financial manager in Piñera’s small family office, Bancard. He began to look seriously at MBA programs when Piñera was elected President of Chile.

“At IMD you have personalized teaching that helps you become a leader from the inside out. The skills, knowledge and values learned at IMD made me feel much more capable to succeed in big endeavors.”

Job offers came quickly during his IMD year, about a half dozen in all. The variety of the offers forced him to really examine what he wanted. Finally, he accepted a position with the Chilean office of global management consulting firm McKinsey & Company.

“I think the learning process is continuous,” says Pablo. “McKinsey has an environment of dynamic, highly-intelligent people, and a strategic approach to business. It has so much to offer in terms of learning, networking and experience in a high profile multinational company.”