Life after TIAS: evolving career

How are our alumni doing since graduating from TIAS? Which carrier path did they choose and at which organization did they end up? And what advice do they have for current and potential TIAS students? Find out in this blog!

This blog post is written by Dhimas Utomo from Indonesia | Full-time MBA 2018-2019.

Entering the job market in the Netherlands

I was lucky that I landed a fulltime job as a consultant at Catalyze quite soon even before the elective courses finished. I could not be more grateful for the generous and attentive support from TIAS career consultants (especially Marleen Croonen and Anneli Jurrij) for getting me ready for the job hunting here in the Netherlands, both mentally and in practical ways.

Initially, I visited a career event in Utrecht specialized for the pharma- and life sciences industry. I met the recruiters from Catalyze and had a chat with them which turned out to be an interview invitation at their headquarters in Amsterdam. Thanks to strong TIAS alumni network, I had a chance to talk to TIAS alumni who work there, which gave me valuable insights about the company, and more importantly on how to approach the selection process (2 interviews, 1 case study test). Long story short, I passed the process quite smoothly and was offered a position as a consultant at their Utrecht office.

My job as a consultant at Catalyze

Catalyze is a consulting company specializing in strategic funding and international grants for innovative projects in life science and bio-economy. As a consultant, I helped clients across Europe in preparing business plans and pitch decks, consortium building, conducting market research and feasibility studies to get them investment-ready. One of the proudest moments during my tenure with Catalyze is when one of my clients won the Eurostars project from the European Union. To me, it is very satisfying to see the clients happy and knowing that I made a positive impact on their business.

Back to Jakarta as a banker

Due to personal reasons (and lately the pandemic situation), I decided to return to my home country Indonesia. At the same time, I got an offer from one of the largest banks in Indonesia as a digital partnership and innovation manager. Entering the financial industry was a completely new game for me. However, this is where I can clearly see the true value of the TIAS MBA program that has prepared me for a strategic (over technical) way of thinking, especially in this VUCA situation.

My advice to you (current students)!

First of all, please make use all of the resources available at TIAS such as career consultancy, especially when you are not sure which direction you want to pursue. They are very resourceful and more than happy to help you out. Secondly: network, network, and network. I am extremely introverted, but I pushed myself to reach out to people, strategically. Lastly, have some fun! To keep me sane, I worked part time behind the bar. Not to mention the lucrative extra cash, it is a very effective way to understand Dutch culture and integrate easily later in the work environment. Veel success!!

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