MBA Interview with Kane Cuenant
19 August 2010

MBA Interview with Kane Cuenant
Skolkovo Business School, Russia
Class of 2010
 

“Some of the best things about business school life are the opportunities, the ability to work with emerging markets, practical experience, and the network.”  

Like many MBA candidates, Kane Cuenant sought to broaden his knowledge in a more formal business school setting. However, unlike many other MBAs he chose a Russian business school over the top North American schools to pursue his MBA degree. He talks to QS about the choices he made and why.

If there was one thing Cuenant wished he’d known before embarking on his MBA it was the importance of languages. “Languages are very important for the BRICs,” the Canadian born MBA graduate says, referring to the world’s fastest growing economies of Brazil, Russia, India and China. “Anyone that has a few of them is far ahead of their peers.” 

But language proved no barrier for Cuenant, who left Canada to study for his MBA at Russian Business School, Skolkovo. “Everything came down to what school had the most opportunities,” he says, explaining his criteria for choosing a business school. “I started by taking a list of top schools in different countries, including the US, Canada, China, India and Russia. In the end, the schools in the US and Canada were only interesting because of their brands and a top MBA graduate position.” 

However, Cuenant says despite the reputation of many North American schools he did not believe they showed as much promise in terms of opportunity to go beyond the mainstream consulting and finance positions in developed countries. Meanwhile, he felt the Chinese and Indian schools were impractical because they mostly copied US business schools’ MBA models, rather than focusing on gaining the practical knowledge about their own emerging markets. 

“Skolkovo encompassed all the good qualities of the other schools, plus a few other factors not typically seen,” claims Cuenant. “That is, the ability to spend most of the time working with real projects in emerging markets, personal mentoring by successful people, and a very personalized MBA development path.” 

During his decision making process, Cuenant attended one of the many QS World MBA Tour events, where he was able to meet representatives of the Russian business school without getting on a plane. “The school now regularly attends these events in major cities across the globe, and it is one of the few venues in which prospective students can compare the real added value of different MBA programs,” he says. 

Getting into business school

Cuenant currently works as a consultant for Cuenant & McCarville PL, a Florida based law firm specializing in bankruptcy and real estate litigation. But for the last 16 months he has been immersed in the world of MBAs.

“In Canada, a great number of businessmen and other types of managers have, or plan on eventually having an MBA,” Cuenant notes, before pointing out the appeal. “Some of the best things about business school life are the opportunities, the ability to work with emerging markets, practical experience, and the network.” 

Cuenant did not need to sit the GMAT entrance exam, but he still had to go through the ordeal of the MBA essay for his application. What were the key things he thought the admissions committee liked about his essay? 

“We both wanted the same things,” he reveals. “The committee looked for a certain kind of business experience, academic background, cultural knowledge and approach. Most of all, they wanted high performing people with large ambitions. These characteristics were no different from what I was looking for in a school.”