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Gordon Dudley, right, 28, is attending the Global MBA course of Yonsei University. It was launched in 1998 as Korea's first English MBA program. The school is also renowned for its executive education programs. The part-time Corporate MBA program for mid-level managers and junior executives was ranked 71st in the Financial Times 2010 EMBA list, the first time a Korean course made it to global MBA rankings.
What's going on these days on your course?
We are coming into the midterm exams next week so I was in the library. We have nine modules and now Module 5 is almost finishing.
Can you tell us about your background?
I was born in Scotland and did my undergraduate course at the University of Bath, with a major in international management and German. As part of my undergraduate course, I worked one year in a Siemens internship in Frankfurt. Then I was in New York for one year working for Citigroup, and then spent three years in London working for Maersk as a project manager of supply chain management.
So you mostly worked across the Atlantic. Then how did you come to do an MBA in Korea, and at Yonsei?
To be honest, I hadn't thought about doing an MBA so soon. I thought I would do it later in my career. I was simply searching online for global opportunities and global programs, and it was obvious that opportunities are in Asia. That led me to global MBAs and I came across Yonsei. The only one I applied for was Yonsei.
Why was that?
I submitted my application near the deadline, and they quickly gave me an offer, probably within two weeks. I was also offered a scholarship (75 percent of tuition), so there was no need to apply for other schools.
If you were thinking about global experience, you probably had thought about going to China, hadn't you?
I've been to China, and it's still a developing country even though the economy is booming. I could probably choose Singapore or Hong Kong where they have British systems. But I wanted to have a bit of adventure as well, so I chose Korea. I think I'm relatively early on the curve.
Had you been to Korea before, then?
Yes, I came to Korea for the first time in January 2010 for 10 days of holiday. And actually at that point, I was not sure I could live in Korea. But now I am enjoying myself a lot.
What was the best part of your MBA so far?
YonKoJeon (the annual sports competition between Yonsei University and Korea University, pictured) is my absolute Yonsei highlight - cheering and singing with thousands of students, beating Korea University!!!
What is your favorite class?
It's Business Strategy class, taught by Lee Ho-uk. It is the most amazing lecture and everyone is engaged. Most Korean professors are conservative and very calm, but Professor Lee is very animated, gregarious and humorous.
How about the job front?
I did an internship at Innocean (a PR company of Hyundai Automotive Group) last winter to get a taste of the Korean business environment. I worked for the global launch of the Kia Morning compact car.
So how was it working in a Korean chaebol company?
It was a very unique experience - I don't think I'll ever bow again so much in my life. I was the first foreigner on the team and it was a good experience to know the social interaction and business environment. Even though they are operating internationally, Korean firms have few foreigners in their organization. I was a kind of an early mover.
Are you looking for other opportunities as well?
I am going to do a summer internship at AT Kearney's Seoul office. That's the area (consulting) I want to go into. I'm hoping that that leads to a full-time offer.
How did you find those internships so easily?
The alumni association. The Yonsei network has an extensive network of Korean businesses and it has helped me find contacts for the internships. I think it's a very powerful advantage of the school.
Anything you don't like about the school?
It's not really anything, but the lunch hours are hectic and busy. Sometimes you need to queue for ages - probably an hour - to get lunch.
Interview by Cho Jin-seo
