Sosthene Avoundjema

I came to Queen’s MBA Program because ...

I wanted to transition to the business environment. Having worked for seven years in the Oil and Gas industry in an operational planning role, I aspired to switch to a more strategic planning role in Business. I chose the Queen’s MBA because of its innovative team-based and experiential learning schemes. I found the program well-suited for my long-term career vision of becoming an effective manager, and a transformational leader. In the long-term, I plan to return to Sub-Sahara Africa to help the continent (particularly my native country - The Congo) solve the challenges it faces in developing its economy. Smith School of Business gives me the opportunity to start this journey.

The Queen’s MBA has a high performing team of motivated staff working tirelessly to ensure each student gets the support he, or she needs. Indeed, I have a career coach who guides me in fine tuning my short and mid-term career aspirations, a team coach who assists me in developing my team performance skills, and an executive coach who helps me get a more holistic view of my long-term career vision. So overall, the Queen’s MBA experience is not only improving my business acumen, but also allowing me to better align my career aspirations with the next phase of my life.

• Hometown: Pointe Noire
• Country of Origin: Republic of Congo
• Prior Industry: Energy
• Career Focus: Business Consulting