Our MBA participant Ravi Pariah recently traveled to Bangkok and took the chance to connect to BSL alumni in the area. Here Ravi’s story about the interesting encounters he had there. We look forward to receiving more stories from our alumni network!
“I recently had the opportunity to travel to Bangkok on a family trip and was fortunate to connect with a few BSL alumni. I met Ms. Emmy Methiyar Phisuthikul (MBA 2002), Mr. Karan Singh (BBA 2008) and Mr. Sascha Ritter. (BBA 2008). They had attended BSL before the school had moved to the current building, in Chavannes. It was great to hear what they have been doing since graduating from BSL and to hear about their career paths. Two of the alumni currently live in Bangkok and one was visiting from Switzerland and had landed the very morning of the day we met (what a coincidence!!). When I shared the brochures of the current MBA program, Ms. Emmy and Mr. Singh were pleased with the professional layout of the program and the new school location.
Ms. Emmy, completed her MBA at BSL and graduated in 2002. She has travelled extensively and still remembers fondly of her experience at BSL. Ms. Emmy previously worked as a Brand Manager for Inditex (parent company of Zara) in Thailand. After seven years in that position, she did not feel challenged in her role and found her work too repetitive. She had some savings and decided to fulfil a childhood dream. She has always wanted to learn Spanish, so she took that opportunity and left for Madrid, Spain, where she spent the next year and a half learning the language and immersing completely in the culture. She just recently returned to Bangkok. Now having Spanish fluency under her belt, she is is back on the job market.
Mr Karan Singh, who is from Indian descent, but has been raised in Thailand, has always wanted to own a hotel and it was that dream that led him to Switzerland. He completed his studies in Hotel Management before joining BSL for his BBA. After graduating, he joined his family business (tailoring business) in Bangkok and with the business acumen earned at BSL, he expanded the business and grew to own several tailoring businesses. He and his friend started a restaurant business as they were looking for a place with good food and where they could “hang-out”. Now he has a business interest in three restaurants in Bangkok and they are looking to expand more. His business interest is on many levels. He has diversified his revenue streams and now owns controlling assets in several spa salons as well as owning a majority of shares in a small hotel. He is taking those first steps in completing his dream of being in the hospitality industry.
Mr. Sascha, who had arrived from Switzerland that day, did his BBA at BSL and is an entrepreneur as well. He started a mobile app company in Switzerland and is currently working full time in the industry. He is also preparing to return to his studies. He was recently admitted to a prestigious Business School in Germany and is starting his MBA in April ‘16.
It was very engaging to meet and talk to BSL alumni and hear about their experience that defined their careers. As I am finishing my studies and looking to pave my career path, it was encouraging to see the possibilities that are out there, especially after talking the BSL alumni. One thing we need to change, we need to ensure that the alumni get current information about the school. This is crucial as we have students from over 65 nationalities studying at BSL and it is a big network that we need to preserve and enrich further. After receiving the brochures, it was great to hear positive feedback from the Alumni as they had lost touch with the school.
What’s in store for the future? We are hoping to start an Alumni Chapter in Bangkok. We already have a few graduates (and one current student) from Bangkok and we hope it will provide a foundation for BSL’s presence in Asia. It is my hope that the alumni can meet and discuss with potential future students and let them know of the benefits and advantages of studying at BSL. It has been a good personal experience to connect with the alumni, market the school by taking advantage of the travel opportunities and I sincerely hope that many more students can continue promoting the school throughout the travels and establish the global network that can be integral for the school.”
Ravi Pariah, MBA Candidate 2016