How the emlyon IMBA helped Juan land his dream career at PwC
Juan Jaimes
IMBA participant
When Juan Jaimes was young, he dreamed of one day becoming an astronaut.
As an adult, that childhood ambition has evolved into a lifelong dream: to work in the space industry.
“I never worked in an industry that really impassioned me… and I told myself, ‘Once I get an MBA, I will give myself the opportunity to look for my dream job.’”
For Juan, it was the emlyon IMBA that secured him his dream position working as a senior associate in the space practice of a Big Four accounting firm, PwC, in Paris.
His path to the emlyon IMBA
Juan was born and raised in Bogotá, Colombia, but he moved to Canada for his undergraduate degree. At Concordia University he studied mechanical engineering specializing in aerospace.
After graduating, Juan stayed in Canada, transitioning from technical engineering into project management roles within the consulting sector, supported by his PMP certification.
However, Juan felt he needed to further his business education.
“In engineering school, you learn about the technical, but you never get to deep dive into the business side of the industry. If you want to continue growing in a managerial path, an MBA is a big asset,” Juan explains.
Despite this decision, Juan delayed these personal ambitions when he sponsored and brought his parents to live in Canada.
After seeing his parents settled, however, Juan knew it was time for his next step: an MBA. The question now was where he would go.
Finding emlyon
Juan had always been drawn to Europe.
“As an American I always wanted to have that European experience. To travel around and get to know different countries and cultures,” he says.
After researching various universities, he found emlyon business school and the IMBA fitted his requirements exactly.
“It was a good balance between quality and cost. And being in France gave me the chance to be in the centre of Europe.”
emlyon stood out not only for its academic quality and industry connections, but because it gave Juan the ability to focus on finding his dream role.
“I told myself: now it’s time for you to look for what you really want.”
Upskilling and gaining hands-on experience
For Juan, emlyon allowed him to grow both professionally and personally.
Firstly, the highly international cohort gave him skills to work with people from across the world.
“I think there were 16 different nationalities in the cohort. It teaches you how to deal with different cultures, different ways of working, different perspectives,” Juan says.
This diversity of culture has been beneficial in his role at PwC as his team and the space industry in general is a diverse and multi-cultural environment.
Another advantage of the emlyon IMBA is its approach to learning: “The MBA is very hands-on.”
Group work and the programme’s fast pace mirrored the realities of consulting.
Juan found one course particularly engaging and applicable: the ELP Consulting project. This course gives students the chance to advise on actual business problems.
“My client was RTE, an energy transmission company in France, and they were trying to enter the US market. It went great, and we built a great relationship with the clients.”
Landing the dream: PwC’s Space practice
Juan first approached PwC’s space branch at a VivaTech conference, and, as with most pivotal moments, it almost didn’t happen.
The VivaTech conference happens once a year in Paris and is the number one startup and tech conference in Europe. After emlyon provided him a ticket, Juan attended the conference and went to a talk on space hosted by PwC.
“PwC is a consulting firm, and I didn’t realise it had anything to do with space at first. So, when I saw they were holding a talk about space that I was intrigued.”
The woman moderating the event was the director of the space practice at PwC in Paris. Juan debated whether to talk to her, but ultimately took the plunge, and that risk landed him his dream job.
“I almost didn’t approach her. I was nervous — I was about to walk away, but I told myself, okay, I have to do it.”
Now, working at the Big Four accounting firm, he combines his knowledge and passion in aerospace with the soft and hard skills he gained during the emlyon MBA.
“It’s my dream industry, so I'm going to try to absorb as much as I can, and it allows me to apply what I just learned in the MBA. I couldn't ask for much more,” Juan says.
Juan’s advice to future IMBA candidates is simple: be present, ask questions, and make the most of the experience.
“It’s a one-in-a-lifetime experience — intense, but it goes by incredibly fast.”
Written by Laura Wise