Leonardo Grazzini

Leonardo had arrived at a point in his career where he wanted exposure to different industries and opportunities, and felt an MBA would offer him this experience. He knew that a part-time programme would be most suitable for him, but he also wanted the chance to network and meet me people. He explains why the Imperial Weekend MBA was right for him. 

Your time at Imperial College Business School

Why did you choose to study your programme and why specifically at Imperial College Business School?

My choice for the Weekend MBA at Imperial has different layers: first, I had arrived at a point in my career where I wanted to explore opportunities outside of the banking industry, and I thought that an MBA could be the appropriate tool to give me exposure to different industries and opportunities. I knew that I wanted to keep working while studying, but also didn’t want to miss entirely on the opportunity to network and meet new people – so I was very happy when I saw that there was an alternative to the pure online programme, such as the weekend option. Last but not least, I chose Imperial because I had trust in its global reputation for excellence, and in how the Business School research centres are coupled with the Networks and Centres of Excellence, giving MBA students the chance to pursue a truly interdisciplinary approach.

What was the surprising thing about the programme?

The most surprising thing was to know how many people were commuting in for all over the world to attend the lessons once a month. It felt great to be surrounded by people so committed and determined!

What advice would you give to a prospective student considering studying the same programme as you?

Be ready for to put in a lot of effort and commitment – but it’s definitely a worthwhile experience!

Tell us about your current job

How was your career transformed following your programme?

Although I haven’t completely changed career yet, through the programme I was able to take on part-time consulting projects in industries like energy and biological waste management, which are completely different from my career in banking! I’m very excited by these opportunities, and even if I end up staying in banking, I’m sure I’ll be able to apply what I’ve learned and experienced.

How do you plan to use the skills and knowledge you gained during the programme within your career going forward?

I’ve always thought that clear communication is key, in every aspect of life. The skills and knowledge that I gained during the programme will help me apply structure and clarity in my job – from both a technical and managerial point of view – which I’m sure will contribute to the success of my teams, and of my career.

What do you enjoy most about your current work?

Working in the Operations Division at Morgan Stanley means making sure that a lot of different processes run smoothly and seamlessly, so that trades and deals can be respected. This brings me to what I enjoy most about my current work – which is that we make things happen.

What are the most difficult challenges facing your sector currently?

Since the financial crisis the banking sector has seen a steep increase in regulations and oversight. Although the crisis was more than 10 years ago, this theme is still very relevant today – and the challenge is ensuring that the banks’ infrastructure changes to be compliant with the regulations, while retaining the necessary flexibility to satisfy the clients’ needs.

What is your proudest achievement in the job so far? Working in operations in an investment bank means looking after many different processes, and ensuring that they run smoothly and seamlessly. To this end, my proudest achievement has been putting together a team that has proven to be flexible and resilient in face of the different challenges and clients requests. Running a team able to prevent and avoid system issues, ensuring the achievement of the desired results is always something to be proud of.

Alumni community

In what way is remaining connected to your alumni network important to you?

It’s important because it’s a great way to maintain friendships and exchange ideas and views with people that more often than not have different opinions from your own, but are happy to discuss and engage with commitment and reciprocal respect.