After graduating with an engineering degree, Varun Agarwal spent six years in technical roles. But when his job evolved to include more business responsibilities, he decided to explore the corporate world a little further. So he travelled from India to Belgium to embark on Vlerick’s Full-Time MBA. Now he’s a consultant, combining his technical expertise with finely-honed business skills.

“I thought an MBA would open my eyes to different types of businesses and many perspectives,” Varun says. “And it did just that. It was a rollercoaster ride – fast-paced but overall a really enriching experience. It brought together 40 people from 21 countries and together we dove into subjects from HR and marketing through to finance. Many of them were completely new to me and some days were challenging. But we all helped each other out.”

When Rebeca Muñoz was considering her next career move, she decided to make big changes. Already a highly skilled accountant, with eight years at a huge American corporation under her belt, she decided to set herself an even greater challenge.

“I was a specialist. I’m a trained accountant and I was very comfortable in a world of numbers,” she says. But to get further, Rebeca knew she would have to learn more. “I always wanted to do an MBA – it was a personal goal. When I started to look for where I would study my MBA, I was looking in Europe. I am Costa Rican so I knew the American way of doing business – I knew the American mindset.”

Willem Beyen started his professional life in environmental science – and his role at a water treatment company took him all over the world. But after five years, he decided it was time for a new challenge. So he joined the Full-Time MBA at Vlerick – and now he’s taking his career in a completely new direction.

“I wanted to broaden my horizons and get into business – an MBA seemed like the right next step. My technical background meant I had no clue about the corporate world – but an MBA gives you a good foundation really quickly. “Before I started at Vlerick, there were many subjects I’d never studied. Corporate finance was an eye opener for me. Accounting was another – it’s not sexy but it’s so important for business.”

As a software developer at TATA Consultancy Services in India, Arshvir Singh was in a highly technical role. But he’d always been passionate about the managerial side of business. So after several years with the company, he decided to up his game and take on an MBA. 

He considered various programmes in the USA, UK and Europe – then he got in touch with a number of Vlerick alumni. They gave him a really good sense of what Vlerick was all about – and what he could expect from the MBA programme. So in 2015 he made the move to Belgium – and the Vlerick full-time MBA.

María Alejandra Bohórquez has already had three promotions in the marketing team at Coca-Cola FEMSA in her native Colombia – and has her sights set on becoming a marketing director in the future.

María knew she needed to broaden and deepen her business knowledge to continue towards her goal. She says: “When you start to reach a more senior position in a multinational corporation, you’re expected to have a certain level of education. And because the executive level is still predominantly male, as a woman you really need to make an impact. That’s why I decided to study an MBA.”

Pierre made a big decision about his future – and that was to stay and study in his home country of Belgium. The move has brought him a host of benefits.

Pierre’s first role after graduating with a Masters in Engineering Physics was at BPost. As a project leader in the R&D department, he had his first taste of how a big business operates. But he wanted to learn more. His colleagues recommended studying for an MBA.

After four years as a project manager at one of Brazil’s largest department store chains, economist-turned-marketer Stefan Furtado decided it was time to take a step back. He wanted to think about where his career was heading – and discover what he was passionate about.

For a man looking to move towards a more international role, an MBA was the logical next step. And when it came to choosing where to study, Vlerick was the clear choice – as he was already an alumnus of the school. Stefan gained his Masters in Marketing Management at Vlerick in 2009 – and his experience propelled him towards the full-time MBA in Brussels in 2015.