Profile Evaluation

Question

35 yo F, with 10 years experience in Procurement/ operations ranging across Manufacturing and Logistics.

Education: B.Tech in Computer science, followed by MBA in Marketing & Ops both from tier 2 ( tier B) colleges in India with around 6.5 CGPA

Career : Started career at Holcim in Procurement, worked for 3 years with 2 promotions. Focused on India market.

Moved to Maersk in India as a part of Global procurement team working on procurement projects across the globe. Lead for Africa projects,3 months stint in Africa and then focused on Asia and Europe projects with 6 months stints in Singapore and Netherlands.

Moved to Luxembourg - Amazon, network execution of their Air team ( logistics). Only worked here for 1 year. Had to quit and return to India for personal reasons during Covid

Retuned to Maersk in India ( a step up from previous role in same team) after a 1.5 year career break. Moved to Maersk, Netherlands within 9 months. In this role ( for past 2 years), leading procurement in a region while also focusing on investment opportunities in my region

Led teams in Holcim. Throughout career in Maersk and Amazon, no direct reportees but handling very high spend projects.

Future career goal : Want to pivot into M&A consulting. Specifically want to get into Bain, to work on their PE track. Eventually want to work on entering partner track in a VC firm and in the far future want to work on building my own firm.

Target school : Columbia

jadechan · Answer

Your 10 years in procurement and operations, especially with global giants like Maersk and Amazon, is a huge asset for Columbia! The international stints in Africa, Singapore, and Netherlands show adaptability—highlight that in essays. For M&A consulting at Bain, a GMAT score would help; aim for 715+(to offset your CGPA). Your career break is explainable, but focus on recent leadership in investment projects.

shishimaru · Answer

Your career break during Covid is totally understandable, and bouncing back is impressive! Columbia will value your resilience. For M&A consulting and VC goals, emphasize your investment opportunity work in essays. Add a competitive GMAT score—705+ for proving the adcom that you can handle the academic rigor despite your low CGPA. All the best !

ExpertsGlobal · Answer

Hello  sirapg ,

You have not shared your GMAT score with us for us to aptly assess your profile.

With the low GPA and high years of experience, it is not going to be straightforward at Columbia or any of the top ~10 business schools.

All the best!

LilacBuds · Answer

Hi Sirapg

You have 10 years’ progressive experience in procurement and operations across global supply chain leaders like Holcim, Maersk, and Amazon, demonstrating strategic impact and rapid promotions, but primarily without direct people management in recent roles. Your strong international exposure (India, Africa, Europe, Singapore), leadership of high-value projects, and functional breadth align well with your goal to pivot into M&A/consulting with a PE focus at Bain, though your functional specialization may be perceived as narrow, and the non-top-tier academic background (6.5 CGPA, tier 2 schools) could be a hurdle for top MBA admissions and consulting firms.

Emphasize your global scope, cross-cultural adaptability, complex project leadership, and clear career vision in your Columbia application, and proactively address the “why now/why pivot” and people leadership aspects to strengthen your candidacy for MBB and future VC/partner-track ambitions.

Best 
 Rajiv 
 Founder CEO - LilacBuds 
 www.lilacbuds.com

CareerLauncherMBA · Answer

Thank you for sharing your profile details. This is Deepak Aggarwal, Senior Admission Consultant for Global MBA/MS Programs.

You bring a distinctive mix of 10 years in procurement/operations across manufacturing and global logistics, with on-ground stints in Africa, Asia, Europe and roles at Holcim, Maersk, and Amazon. That breadth, coupled with leading high-spend, cross-border projects and current exposure to regional procurement and investment opportunities in the Netherlands, gives you a strong foundation for a strategic pivot.
Global operating exposure; deal-adjacent responsibility (large spends, supplier negotiations, investment evaluations); accelerated progression (promotions at Holcim; step-up return to Maersk after a break); female leader in ops (diversity edge).These factors make you a goof fit for Columbia (and similar Tier-1 programs)

Primary risks to address:

1. Academics: Tier-B undergrad + MBA with ~6.5 CGPA → perceived academic readiness risk for finance-heavy recruiting.
2. Finance toolkit gap: limited direct M&A/IB/PE experience.
3. Leadership optics: fewer formal reportees at Maersk/Amazon (though you led sizable, high-impact projects).
4. Career break (1.5 years): explain clearly (COVID/personal), show momentum since (promotion, relocation, regional leadership).

Bottom line: With the right testing outcome and positioning, Columbia is plausible. You’ll need to over-index on academics (test score + quant upskilling) and show a credible, de-risked path into M&A/PE.

Your M&A/PE goal ,realistic pathways:
Breaking directly into buy-side PE post-MBA is toughest without prior IB/PE. More viable routes:

MBB (Bain/Bain PE Group track) as a generalist → heavy commercial due diligence with PE clients → optional later move to PE/VC or stay in PE practice.
Investment Banking (M&A) Associate → lateral to PE/Corporate Development after 1–2 years.
PE/VC Portfolio Value Creation / Ops Excellence roles → leverage your procurement, network design, cost-takeout, supply-chain value creation.
Corporate Development (M&A) in F500/tech/logistics/industrial → transactions + strategy (a great fit with your background).

Given your age (35 at application), route (1) or (4) is typically the most efficient; (2) is doable, but the reset into IB’s hours/culture is a real consideration. You can keep portfolio ops roles as a strong parallel target.

PoA (critical for Columbia)

Target GMAT Focus 685–725 (or GRE equivalent). This offsets GPA concerns and signals quant readiness for finance recruiting.
Quant & finance upskilling (pre-MBA) to neutralize the “non-finance” concern and CV risk
Application positioning (Columbia-specific)Why MBA, why now: you’ve topped out on ops scope; you need structured finance/transactions training, PE-style problem-solving, and New York access.
Why Columbia: proximity to IB/PE ecosystem, PE/VC resources, value investing/PE electives, term-time internships, and strong consulting + finance pipelines.
August entry (not J-term) to secure a summer internship in IB/MBB/Corp Dev (critical for a career switch).
Essays/Resume: Convert ops stories into deal-style outcomes (e.g., “€XM annual savings, N-month payback, % margin expansion, cash conversion cycle improvement”).
Leadership without direct reports → emphasize influence, budgets controlled, suppliers negotiated, cross-functional steering, board- or ExCom-level exposure.
Career break: one-line factual rationale + what you did to stay sharp (courses, certifications, consulting, caregiving—be concise and confident).
Recommendations: current Maersk leader (Netherlands) + a senior stakeholder (Amazon/Holcim/major supplier). Ask them to quantify budget size, savings, cycle-time reduction, risk mitigation, cross-region scope.

Want a Free Profile Evaluation: https://2ly.link/291au

sirapg

35 yo F, with 10 years experience in Procurement/ operations ranging across Manufacturing and Logistics.

Education: B.Tech in Computer science, followed by MBA in Marketing & Ops both from tier 2 ( tier B) colleges in India with around 6.5 CGPA

Career : Started career at Holcim in Procurement, worked for 3 years with 2 promotions. Focused on India market.

Moved to Maersk in India as a part of Global procurement team working on procurement projects across the globe. Lead for Africa projects,3 months stint in Africa and then focused on Asia and Europe projects with 6 months stints in Singapore and Netherlands.

Moved to Luxembourg - Amazon, network execution of their Air team ( logistics). Only worked here for 1 year. Had to quit and return to India for personal reasons during Covid

Retuned to Maersk in India ( a step up from previous role in same team) after a 1.5 year career break. Moved to Maersk, Netherlands within 9 months. In this role ( for past 2 years), leading procurement in a region while also focusing on investment opportunities in my region

Led teams in Holcim. Throughout career in Maersk and Amazon, no direct reportees but handling very high spend projects.

Future career goal : Want to pivot into M&A consulting. Specifically want to get into Bain, to work on their PE track. Eventually want to work on entering partner track in a VC firm and in the far future want to work on building my own firm.

Target school : Columbia

GyanOne · Answer

Thanks for posting. Here is our assessment: 
- Columbia is a reach given a second MBA, a 6.5 CGPA from tier-2 colleges, and age 35, so you will need an exceptional test score (target 675+ FE GMAT or 327+ GRE), crisp rationale for a second MBA, and clear evidence of recent academic rigor to be competitive.
- Your spike is global procurement and operations at Holcim, Maersk, and Amazon with Africa, Asia, and Europe execution; quantify spend managed, savings, supplier terms, capex, and any investment screening to show deal-adjacent impact that others cannot claim.
- The gaps for an M&A consulting pivot are limited direct finance exposure and a career break; fix them by completing Accounting and Valuation with transcripted grades (HBS CORe or university credits), adding financial modeling certification (WSP or CFI), partnering with corporate development on one live diligence, and producing two short investment memos tied to logistics or manufacturing deals.
- If Columbia is the target, align your story to its PE and value creation ecosystem (Value Investing Program, PE/VC Club, Executing Strategic Transactions, Operations labs) and line up recommenders who can attest to ownership, cross-border negotiation, and quantified results; for prudence, broaden to INSEAD, LBS, IESE, Booth, Kellogg, and Tuck, where age and international operating depth can read as assets.

GeneralEducation · Answer

Hello,

Columbia is a reach given your age and GPA, so aim for a strong GMAT (675+) and a clear reason for a second MBA. Highlight your global procurement and operations experience with quantified impact. Close finance gaps by completing accounting and valuation courses, earning a financial modeling certificate, and gaining diligence exposure. Align your story with Columbia’s private equity focus and choose recommenders who can attest to your leadership. Also, explore and apply to other MBA programs where your experience is valued.

You can also try our  B-school selector  tool to explore other programs that suit your profile.

Profile Evaluation

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards