Darys Estrella, CEO
Darys Estrella, CEO, Bolsa de Valares de la Republica Dominicana, S.A. ("BVRD")
Undergraduate Degree and Major:
B.A., Hispanic Studies, Vassar College
Graduate School(s) / Degree(s) / Year(s):
Stephen M. Ross School of Business, University of Michigan, MBA in Finance and International Strategy, 2002
Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Executive Certificate for Leadership as a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum, 2008
What are your responsibilities at work and how does your degree help you achieve them?
Before Ross, I had achieved a high degree of success in a narrow area of buy-side fixed income, yet I felt I had hit a ceiling. From Ross, I gained a broad yet refined set of portable tools, relationships, and experiences that equipped me to manage the widest set of day-to-day business challenges, which made me far more commercial in the market and allowed me to determine my own trajectory. At the BVRD I handle everything: budgets, HCM, operations, strategy, inter-agency and -governmental relations, business development, regional planning, etc...everything from soup to nuts.
What do you enjoy most about what you do?
Everyday is different. Everything is on my shoulders. I can largely control the direction of the whole institution and see the direct relationship between my efforts and results. To be able to make a long-term institutional impact on capital markets in my native country fills me with pride.
What do you enjoy least about what you do?
Coming from an environment of working in finance in New York City on both the buy-side and sales-side, I grew accustomed to certain standards of efficiency that I believe I took for granted. Coming to a new and developing country environment, I have had to adjust my expectations and approach to work to manage productive change. It has been a challenge; however, my Ross education has prepared me well to meet the challenges.
Why did you choose this career?
Finance really found me after college, but once I got into it, I found that I loved how dynamic and challenging it could be—perfect for my personality. And, now that I get to lead my institution, I love the entrepreneurial aspects of what I do as well.
Why did you choose to get an MBA?
Sometimes, successful people accelerate rapidly through one silo of professional activity, bypassing traditional training that would give them greater breadth in their professional development, making new career moves at lateral or higher levels considerably more difficult. I felt I needed to devote time to my personal development to allow me to expand my future access to every possible new opportunity without limits. I feel I have set myself up in the best manner for continued and future success.
What was your first job post-MBA?
Fixed-income, currency and commodities at Goldman Sachs & Co.
What traits should someone have to be successful in your career:
Passion. In any job, you have to love what you do to succeed. I love the dynamic, ever-changing environment of finance and feed off that energy and those challenges. If you can wake up every day excited about what you are doing, you can be successful in most anything.
Traits to be successful in an MBA program:
Passion, again. Getting an MBA is both humbling and empowering. All MBA candidates are used to success, but in the MBA you have to be able to risk failure on a regular basis to grow. A candidate must crave the access to knowledge and information and be willing to commit themselves completely to the process. It is a privilege to be an MBA candidate; access is only given to those who are perceived as likely to make the most of it. And so, you must commit yourself completely to the MBA, with gusto.
What advice would you give someone considering an MBA?
There is never a perfect time for anything in life; if you wait for the perfect time, life will pass you by. Be assertive—be the driver of your own career path and recognize that any dedicated investment in yourself has the potential to pay off significant dividends. The only way to risk success is to risk failure: go for it!
When considering MBA programs, what do you suggest prospective students look for?
What is going to be the best fit for you (and your significant other or family, if that applies)? The application process is a two-way street: schools want the candidates that will thrive in their program and represent their institution well in the future; likewise, you need to determine and make the case why any differentiated environment would make the difference in your personal and professional growth and development. Ross was right for me, and I made the right decision because I was systematic and strategic in how I pursued the opportunity. If you want to go to business school, don't pursue it halfway; commit yourself to it 100%!
