Though born in Hong Kong, Eimund Loo moved to Australia at a young age and, when it came to choosing a part-time MBA, felt sure that Macquarie Graduate School of Management (MGSM) offered the benefits he was looking for. “I think Australian schools get the balance just right between theory, practice and application; they put students outside their comfort zone,” he says.
Having taken a degree in computing in 1999, he felt it was too early back then to move straight on to master’s level qualification. “For 15 years, I had been in formal education and wanted some real-world experience, which wasn’t just playing by the rules,” says Loo, who still prefers applying in practice to simply learning the theory.
He therefore accepted a graduate trainee position at Deloitte and, landing on his feet, stayed there for the next 13 years gaining plenty of diverse exposure. “Work took me to four different continents, collecting a wealth of experience and skill sets which have since proved extremely useful,” he says.
The open road to the world
Naturally, those moves also changed the way he approaches life. Learning to adapt easily and calmly to new surroundings and cultures, he discovered what it took to fit in and not feel like a fish out of water. “Those life-changing experiences challenge you personally and emotionally because your immediate support structure is no longer readily available. Learning and adapting to unfamiliar surroundings can be disorienting and make you question your own abilities and confidence,” he says.
At work, a series of secondments brought him into contact with Fortune 500 clients, providing insights into their structures, processes, and their inherent complexities, while also highlighting his own strengths and weaknesses as a young person in business.