Having moved to the US, Arthur landed a prestigious job at Accenture, one of the world’s leading management consulting companies, but he remained troubled by the vast division between the rich and poor, a disparity that was mirrored in the US as everywhere else in the world.
Arthur sensed that helping to make the rich richer without addressing the underserved meant that he would remain detached from the causes that truly mattered to him. Before transitioning into more social impact-orientated roles, Arthur decided to do an MBA at Temple University’s Fox School of Business to acquire the concrete skills he needed to make a switch.
The Fox Global MBA also dramatically expanded Arthur's professional network. On it, he met a classmate who worked at The Enterprise Center in Philadelphia—a non-profit organization providing access to capital, capacity building, and economic development opportunities for minority entrepreneurs.
Arthur met his classmate for a coffee to learn more about his role, and this meeting ultimately led to a job offer. After working there for almost four years, Arthur moved on to work for PIDC, a public-private economic development corporation that seeks to 'drive growth to every corner' of Philadelphia.
BusinessBecause caught up with Arthur to find out more.
Tell us about your work experience pre-MBA.
I completed an undergraduate degree in software development in the Philippines and started my career in that field. I worked for a startup that developed SMS text-based applications back when the Philippines was the texting capital of the world.
After about two years I accepted an opportunity to move to the US and work for Accenture. I stayed with the firm for six years. My role was to help Fortune 500 companies streamline their procurement and payment processes.
What inspired you to transition into social development roles?
Growing up in the Philippines, I always thought of ways to address the divide between the rich and poor. Back in high school, my friend introduced me to this volunteer group that would teach children in poverty how to read and write, and I loved it.
After working in software development, mainly benefitting large Fortune 500 companies and their wealthy shareholders, I wanted to find a career that benefitted the underserved instead.
Why did you decide to pursue the Fox Global MBA?
Ultimately, what attracted me to Fox School of Business was the high-calibre faculty. I witnessed this first-hand when I attended the 'MBA for a Day' event, which included a sample class with Dr. Youngin Yoo.
I was very impressed by his explanation of the challenges Sony faced in converging with the digital world. He vividly explained how Sony’s internal anti-collaborative culture and complex organizational structure made it very difficult for its engineers to work together to create compelling digital devices.
I chose Fox because I wanted to expand my knowledge of corporate finance, marketing, and generally change my way of thinking.
