Nanyang Waseda Double MBA

A Brother-Sister Pair Take on the Nanyang-Waseda Double MBA

Given their similar job skills and strong family bond, it’s not surprising that these two Filipino siblings chose the same MBA path.

Laura Lutao had worked in data analytics for companies in different industries, most recently for an e-commerce platform. Her younger brother, Joey, worked as a digital transformation lead in a Filipino Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) company, and was “double-hatting” as a data analyst as well.

Both Laura and Joey wanted to assume more front-facing, leadership roles. And both decided that pursuing an MBA programme was the best way to help them achieve this goal.

“I thought it would help me become more flexible in the future opportunities I can take on, because an MBA helps build my business acumen,” says Laura. Joey, for his part, wanted to prepare for taking on more responsibilities in the future: “I want to take charge, talk to stakeholders, and give insights using business data,” he tells us.

The Lutao siblings found that their goals best aligned with the double MBA programme of Nanyang Business School (NBS), specifically the Nanyang-Waseda Double MBA. Here’s how the Nanyang-Waseda Double MBA helped the siblings gain greater cultural intelligence, while simultaneously expanding their career horizons.

Laura Lutao: From technical to managerial, local to regional

For Laura, the Nanyang-Waseda Double MBA afforded her a multi-faceted exposure to the business world – starting with NBS’s highly engaging admissions process.

“They were super helpful and very prompt,” Laura recalls. “I thought to myself, if that’s the kind of engagement that they have, I know for sure I’m going to get this same treatment when I’m within the programme.”

The Nanyang-Waseda Double MBA is a 14-month programme that starts in Singapore and ends in Tokyo – with the potential for a future career in either country. “Having that kind of exposure is a very significant jump,” Laura says.

As an MBA participant, Laura noticed the difference in teaching methods between the two top business schools. In NBS, case studies formed the core of most lessons, engaging students to share their ideas and insights with each other. The Waseda classes, on the other hand, were more structured in presenting the concepts and frameworks.

The diverse background of her fellow Nanyang MBA peers, in particular, enriched Laura’s in-class experience. “Learning doesn’t only happen within your class; it happens by simply engaging and interacting with people offering very different perspectives,” she explains.

The international cohort, in fact, became a major talking point in her job interviews: “I kept on highlighting that I was with such a diverse cohort,” Laura recalls. “My interactions with people from many different countries and industries really made me qualified for the job.”

Her Nanyang-Waseda Double MBA prepared Laura for the cross-border, regional roles she wanted to pursue. Fresh from her Nanyang MBA, Laura already found significant professional opportunities right on her doorstep. “I think the fact that I was already in Singapore really put me in a very advantageous position,” she recalls.

She first landed at Foodpanda as a Sales Performance Regional Specialist, before moving on to Xendit as Sales Operation Lead. She credits NBS’s Cultural Intelligence modules with significantly improving her career prospects. “After my MBA, I did a regional role where I was handling 11 different markets,” Laura tells us. “[The MBA] prepared me to handle conflict resolution and problem-solving conversations.”

Joey Lutao: Similar pivot, different approach

After several years of working for Universal Robina in the Philippines, Joey knew he was ready to take on an MBA, just like Laura. “I was really inspired by my sister,” he says.

He also considered the MBA as a good way “to pivot from a technical role to a more business role.” His initial plan was to go to Nanyang-St. Gallen, but he changed his mind after Laura shared her positive experience of Nanyang-Waseda.

Joey quickly realised that at NBS, resting on his laurels was no longer an option, as he was studying alongside “a lot of talented people [who are] really good at the course.” He decided to step up his approach to thrive in Nanyang’s highly diverse and competitive environment, and hold his own among his peers.

“In a way, they’re helping me out indirectly, because I’m motivated by these people,” Joey says. “They’re so good, I want to be like them! I have to put in more hours of work just to be on the same level.”

The course on cultural intelligence was something he initially took lightly – but eventually learned to embrace. “If you would like to work with clients from different parts of the world, it becomes really important that you build on your cultural intelligence,” Joey tells us.

Joey is on track to complete his MBA by 2024. Laura, for her part, notes that Joey’s approach to the Nanyang-Waseda Double MBA programme is poles apart from hers. “He has more concrete plans, he is more ambitious and he is definitely more organised in the way that he approaches things,” Laura says of her brother, who is already adding to his double MBA coursework with various extracurriculars.

He is presently the EXCO VP for marketing and communications, has joined multiple MBA clubs, and is participating in the BNP Sustainable Finance case competition, while also applying for the JMCC case study competition. “I want to take on as many roles as I can, because I feel like that’s how I grow,” Joey tells us.

Conclusion: Making connections and changing mindsets

As somebody who has already finished the Nanyang-Waseda Double MBA programme, Laura knows that 14 months can fly by fast. She advises her brother – and others planning to take the same double MBA programme – to “enjoy it and absorb as much as you can in this short period of time.”

The theoretical frameworks encountered in class discussions helped Laura the most. “I thought these things were just common sense, but there’s so much structure in the way that you should be thinking about business ideas,” Laura tells us. “Later on, you realise that you start thinking very differently.”

For his part, Joey intends to build on his cultural intelligence education, as he seeks future opportunities in Singapore. “It’s a melting pot of tech startups, consulting, and FMCGs,” he says. In terms of his workload, he’s keeping an open mind and taking his sister’s words of advice: “I’m enjoying the process.”

Like the Lutaos, you’ll experience a shift in your mindset after qualifying for the Nanyang-Waseda Double MBA programme. The dual programme combines the strength of two of the top business schools in Asia – enabling professionals with or without business backgrounds (like the Lutao siblings) to have a deft grasp on both global business and the management of technology.

Find out more about the Nanyang-Waseda Double MBA. Applications are now open.

The Nanyang MBA is a flexible 12-month or 18-month programme designed to fuel your growth into a future-ready leader equipped with the skills needed to excel in a global, digital environment. The programme aims to develop impactful, culturally adept leaders who embrace the connection between business, technology, and innovation to excel in global environments and adapt to each new wave of digital change.

NANYANG MBA

Nanyang MBA – APEC scholars share their experience

Meet Four APEC Scholars Blazing New Trails in Business

These future change-makers found a gateway to a better future, by securing an APEC Scholarship.

This prestigious and highly exclusive scholarship is open only to citizens of “member economies” of APEC, excluding Singapore. It covers the full cost of a Nanyang Business School MBA programme; only one place is granted every year.

Those who pursue it find their careers and lives transformed, in more ways than they imagined possible.

Song Han Nguyen – Shifting from MNCs to tech

Prior to her Nanyang MBA, Song Han Nguyen (Nanyang MBA Class of 2019) was working as a consultant in EY’s Ho Chi Minh City office – and was also pondering a problem that consulting firms often face in developing markets.

“You get a really nice strategy written up by consultants, but implementation gets really hard,” Song Han explained. The dilemma got her wondering “if there’s any way that that could improve.”

She realised a Nanyang MBA could help her learn about “building more competitive strategies,” but Song Han got more than she bargained for. Securing an APEC Scholarship triggered a whole career perspective shift.

“Before, I was really into consulting and strategy for large corporations,” she tells us, but the Nanyang MBA showed her that “there are a lot more options for me out there in the market.”

Her time as an APEC Scholar led her to pivot to the tech industry. “During the MBA, I got exposed to tech at a deeper level,” Song Han explains. “There is so much more innovation there, compared to the traditional industries that I have been exposed to.”

In the course of her Nanyang MBA, she dove head-first into digital and tech activities. “I was able to join projects covering tech startups; we also had tech people in Singapore sharing in our class,” she recalls.

Today, as a strategy manager at loyalty platform tech startup TapTap, Song Han is now a consummate tech professional. The future is wide open, but she won’t say no to a return to consulting. “Professionals with both consulting background and hands-on experience are very rare in Vietnam,” she explains.

Victor Medina – Building a future in sustainability

Victor Medina (Nanyang MBA Class of 2022) discovered a career path in sustainability from his time as an APEC Scholar – not an obvious outcome, given his background as an electrical project engineer at Petron, the Philippines’ largest oil and gas refinery.

He would not have considered taking on a Nanyang MBA, if he had not won his year’s APEC Scholarship. “The scholarship provided me with the financial security to complete my MBA without constant worry about expenses,” Victor tells us. “I’m incredibly grateful – without the APEC Scholarship, obtaining my MBA degree from a prestigious institution would have been nearly impossible.”

At Nanyang Business School, Victor discovered a passion towards sustainability – inspired by the commitment shown by the university and professors, in particular Sustainability Professor S. Viswanathan.

Victor put his principles into practice, joining a Social Innovation Challenge case competition in 2021; taking part in two sustainability-related internships; and even joining the Student Executive Committee, where he learned how to effectively navigate and lead a diverse group comprising individuals from various nationalities, cultures, and backgrounds.

Today, Victor is pursuing a post-MBA career that aligns with his interests, aiming for a Chief Sustainability Officer role in the next ten years. He is also committed to making a sustainable future possible in the Philippines, his homeland. “I am committed to figuring it out and making a meaningful difference,” he tells us.

Jessica Han – Future tycoon finds grounding in Singapore

Jessica Han (Nanyang MBA Class of 2023) used her MBA experience to make room for all the big plans she has for her life. “I joined the Nanyang MBA with the intention of looking for more possibilities,” she explains.

Prior to her time at Nanyang MBA, Jessica had been working for six years in China PRC’s burgeoning tech industry – spending the latter two years at ByteDance as a strategy manager. Even then, she always planned to start her own business and believed an MBA would help supplement her knowledge.

The APEC Scholarship helped validate Jessica’s entrepreneurship goals, giving her a “strong boost” of confidence. As she expected, the MBA curriculum helped fill out the information she needed for her future as an entrepreneur, particularly insights in finance and supply chain. She shares that it gave her a foundation in thinking through business strategies systematically – something she felt was out of reach in her previous working experience.

“Before the MBA, I worked for ByteDance to support the Chinese brand for growth,” she explains. “I had no initial background, because my undergraduate degree is biomedical engineering; and working in a tech company is not like a traditional business background.”

Today, Jessica is building her business from scratch – Newbyte, an online marketplace with operations throughout Southeast Asia. She attributes the Nanyang MBA and the APEC Scholarship with giving her the knowledge and motivation to start her own business in today’s competitive environment.

For future APEC Scholars, Jessica has a few simple words of advice. “Know what you are looking for, and have a clear path to reach that goal,” she explains. “Be true to yourself – don’t pretend to be somebody you are not.”

Arief Kresnadi Ignatius Kasim – Out of his comfort zone

Arief Kresnadi Ignatius Kasim (Nanyang MBA Class of 2024) finds himself out of his comfort zone as this year’s APEC Scholar – and he’s enjoying every minute of his experience.

An Indonesian citizen, Arief achieved a bachelor’s degree at the Nanyang Technological Institute’s School of Electrical and Electronics Engineering in 2018. He has worked in Singapore ever since, spending the last five years rising through the ranks at Siemens Singapore.

His present stint as an APEC Scholar pursuing a Nanyang MBA has been eye-opening for Arief. For starters, his APEC Scholarship has motivated Arief to make the most of his time in NBS’s MBA programme. In practice, this has resulted in Arief striving to push himself out of his comfort zone, and become more proactive academically and socially.

He also realises that being an APEC Scholar gives him a high profile, whether he likes it or not. “I’m expected to set an example, both academically and in personal character and conduct,” he explains. For him, this means “active participation in class, assisting peers whenever possible, and building relationships not only with my peers but also professors and staff.”

The Nanyang MBA’s leadership modules are a highlight of the experience, in his opinion. “They give me valuable skills such as cultural intelligence, talent management, and negotiation which are essential for leaders in a global and diverse world,” he explains. He specifically calls out the Cultural Intelligence (CQ) module taught by Dr. Catherine Wu as an “eye-opening experience to learn how we can function in a culturally diverse environment.”

These insights will serve him well after he completes his MBA in 2024: “I plan to go back to my home country, Indonesia, and grow my career there,” he shares.

Do you have what it takes?

The APEC Scholarship is the only scholarship that covers the full cost of the one-year full-time Nanyang MBA programme. Applications open in November and close in December each year.

Chart new paths in your career with the support of the APEC Scholarship.  Find out more about Nanyang Business School’s scholarships, or contact the Nanyang MBA office at mba.admissions@ntu.edu.sg.

The Nanyang MBA is a flexible 12-month or 18-month programme designed to fuel your growth into a future-ready leader equipped with the skills needed to excel in a global, digital environment. The programme aims to develop impactful, culturally adept leaders who embrace the connection between business, technology, and innovation to excel in global environments and adapt to each new wave of digital change.