4 Ways The HEC Paris MBA Prepared Me For Managing A Global Team

Shubhi Khare grew up in a small village in India, where societal expectations often limit girls to early marriage, restrict education, and confine women to the home. At 16, she had to fight to be educated. 

“I was told that I couldn’t have that opportunity,” she states. “But I  resilient. I would not take no for an answer.”

Shubhi’s implacable determination took her all the way to Jaipur. There she became one of the few women working in B2B sales at Saint-Gobain. She continued to persevere, shaking off disparaging comments over women’s place in the workforce as she climbed her way to a management position. 

Her grit paid off, and she eventually landed a job working as an Amazon strategic manager in their Middle East team. It was a marked achievement—but the experience only strengthened her resolve to aim even higher. She wanted to work on an international level, managing a global team. 

Her new ambitions led her on the search for an MBA. She quickly landed on HEC Paris. Not only is HEC Paris one of Europe’s top-ranked business schools, but the school also offers critical connections to global e-commerce industries. 

Now a senior partner consultant at Europe’s largest e-commerce fashion brand, Zalando, Shubhi works with global clients to help them source the right logistics for their ecommerce business in Europe—a role that necessitates a high degree of interculturality and social innovation.   

So, how did the HEC Paris MBA help her get there?

1. Acclimate to other cultures 

Given that the HEC Paris MBA features over 63 nationalities, Shubhi had to quickly adjust to working with people from opposite ends of the planet, which often entailed opposing ideas on how to solve problems, too. 

“You become very adaptable in terms of your personality,” she says. “You get to know different people’s working styles.”

For the first eight months of the program, students are divided into groups of four or five, where they collaborate over core business modules such as Leadership Communication and Managerial Economics. 

This learning style not only builds cross-cultural communication skills, but also strengthens students’ global network, believes Shubhi. 

Now managing a global team, Shubhi draws on the cultural adaptability she picked up during the program.

“I am very comfortable speaking to people from all over the world and navigating cultural biases with ease,” she says. 

2. Develop interpersonal skills via the HEC Paris MBA

Studying for an MBA isn’t all about hardcore finance skills. Half the battle in leadership is being able to win people over, which requires a high degree of emotional intelligence.  

“The further you grow in my career, it's not about how much more you know, but instead how approachable and kind you are with people around you,” Shubhi says.  

At HEC Paris, MBA students study courses such as Leadership: Influence & Decision Making and Ethics & Sustainability, which emphasize the importance of allocentric management. 

“It taught me how to be a more empathetic leader who is better prepared for the future.”

3. Make a social impact 

Before embarking on the MBA, Shubhi had already served Save and Educate Girl Child: a government program in India that operates on a grassroots level to provide girls from underprivileged areas opportunities for both education and employment—a struggle she herself had overcome. 

Determined to continue her impact on the program, Shubhi led the HEC Paris Women in Leadership Club, where she brought in guest speakers including the former French minister for diversity, Élisabeth Moreno. 

“I wanted to be a part of something that has both social and professional impact,” says Shubhi. 

Her drive has propelled her to make a difference in Zalando, too, where she is now a member of the core women network. On top of her daily workload, she sets up sessions in allyship and provides women with workplace tactics to assert their voices. 

“I want to give back, because I got it, and I'm continuing that cycle here.”

4. Learn how to talk about important issues 

No business is an island, and in order to be an effective leader, you need to be able to discuss the most relevant global issues.

At HEC Paris, MBA students can specialize in future-facing business topics such as Data and AI for Business Transformation and Sustainable and Disruptive Innovation, which provides them with practical knowledge that can be incorporated into the workplace.   

Thanks to my academic studies at HEC, I now approach client conversations with a deeper understanding and the right vocabulary to communicate effectively,” Shubhi says.

Being able to communicate complex issues, particularly regarding technological disruption and the environment, is crucial in order to instigate tangible change in companies—especially when leading global teams. 

Shubhi believes that a HEC Paris MBA can provide the knowledge, skills, and tools to drive social change and make a positive impact as a top global business leader.