Introducing Cristián Ruiz Guiñazú: a man with big dreams to change the world around him and the drive, passion, and determination to back them. Cristian is an Argentine native with years of experience in government and social policy who aims to use his MBA degree to open up doors for himself and to empower those around him.
Cristián’s passion for government policy and social impact began seven years ago, when he first began working for the Argentina National Government. Having held many different positions within Argentina’s administration, Cristian holds a deep understanding of the complex bureaucratic machine. His career began with the Instituo de Vivienda for Buenos Aires and he quickly ascended to assume his most recent position as Senior Executive Advisor in the Office of the Executive Director of ANSES. For those unfamiliar with the government organization, ANSES is a decentralized social insurance agency that falls under the Ministry of Health and Social Development. The organization plays an important role in social welfare as it is the principal administrator of social security in Argentina and its programs offer family and childhood subsidies, poverty alleviation and unemployment insurance.
Cristian has spent the last four years in this position, monitoring the national social situation and working to develop pensions and family allowances. His role was no easy task, and some of his responsibilities included strategically analyzing information from 50 national directors of other government agencies and serving as a liaison between the General Director’s Office and Congress. It’s safe to say that there is a lot of weight on Cristian’s shoulders, but one of the highlights of the job for Cristián: meetings in the Office of the Argentinian President!
A pivotal moment in Cristian’s career occurred through his work with McKinsey & Co on designing a one-stop-shop concept in which he oversaw citizen experience and opened up a self-service model in over 400 offices in Argentina. These offices start pensions paperwork and family allowances, facilitating over 27 million annual transactions and increasing population coverage by 95%.
Cristian understood that he would be able to manage and implement socially impactful projects without the barriers of bureaucracy.
The success of Christian’s work with McKinsey inspired him to reflect on his own career trajectory. He was immediately attracted to the consulting industry and considered the way in which he could use problem-solving strategies to improve the situations of those around him. Additionally, by switching over to the private sector, Cristian understood that he would be able to manage and implement socially impactful projects without the barriers of bureaucracy. In 2018, with these thoughts in mind, Cristian decided that pursuing an MBA would be his best option to shake things up.
Fresh on the MBA scene, Cristian began the arduous task of planning his future. He connected with people he worked with in order to learn more about his options and began immediately looking into top consulting MBA programs in Spain. But before he could set foot on any campus, Cristian knew that the first step in his MBA journey was to prepare for the GMAT. After coming into contact with another Merchant student, Cristian began the Merchant program. The GMAT test is no easy feat, and Cristian struggled at first as he hadn’t studied math in English in 5 years. With a little bit of practice, Cristian shook the rust off and quickly excelled in his preparation.
The key to his GMAT success was striking a proper work-life balance and surrounding himself with people who were able to support him on his journey. Cristian admits that his biggest mistake was studying alone. By learning alongside other MBA candidates, he found that he could share in the collective struggles and frustrations that every MBA-hopeful faces and and ultimately help each other grow.
Cristian’s success earned him a spot at IE University in Madrid, one of the top MBA programs in Europe. IE is a hub for students from around the world, attracting top talent from over 110 different countries- the average student even speaks 3 languages! Cristian ultimately chose IE because he was excited to be surrounded by such a diverse group of fellow students. His classmates hail from around the world (India, Germany, the U.S, Panama to name a few) and Cristian can’t wait to learn alongside them. Additionally, IE has a wonderful consulting program as well as a special focus on entrepreneurship, which Cristian is very excited about.
Cristian ultimately chose IE because he was excited to be surrounded by such a diverse group of fellow students.
For a man who has already accomplished so much, you might wonder what lies ahead for Cristian. We know that his drive and determination will carry Cristian very far as he begins his studies at IE, but for Cristian, pursuing an MBA is just the beginning. His ultimate goal: work for a top consulting firm and return to Argentina to continue working on projects that will positively impact the world around him. Cristian is proud to do his part for his country, and we are so proud of him as well! Keep up the amazing work Cristian!