Tafadzwa: Masters in Financial Analysis

Tafadzwa Chinanzvavana (MFA2022) studied in Melbourne before making the move to London. The impact of the financial crisis on his home country, Zimbabwe, motivated him to pursue a career in finance, and he knew that studying for the Masters in Financial Analysis (MFA) would give him the best possible foundation for his future.

I was born in Zimbabwe, but I left at a young age and moved around a lot, living in several countries over the years. In 2017, I moved to Australia to study economics and finance at RMIT University in Melbourne. My undergraduate degree gave me an understanding of different areas in the finance sector, and I realised I wanted to do something in the private market like investment banking or private equity. I started looking at how I could further my skills in these areas, and a Masters seemed like the obvious way forward.

Choosing London Business School wasn’t difficult. There are a few incredible business schools out there, but it really stood out. I was impressed with the response I got back from people at the School. I also reached out on LinkedIn and lots of people were happy to talk about their experience. The overwhelming message was that you’ll be challenged, but it’ll be worth it. Ranking also came into play, as London Business School is a top business school with world-class faculty that deliver courses in a practically oriented manner.

What differentiates London Business School from other schools is how friendly and diverse the whole LBS community is, with different nationalities across all the programmes. Coming from Melbourne, that was something I was looking for. I grew up experiencing different cultures, so it was important to me. The location also appealed. If you want to work in finance, you have to study in London and at the best business school in the UK.

On the MFA, you are pushed, but the rewards are high. A standout course was Corporate Finance, taught by Professor Alex Edmans. He showed us how theories apply in the real world. He’d bring in guest lecturers working in the industry and took the time to share his own background – he worked in banking, which is what 90% of the whole class wanted to do, so it was helpful having a lecturer who’d worked in the field. Another stand out elective was Distressed Investing, taught by the head of one of the biggest investment companies in the world – Bain Capital Credit. We had to present cases to him, and he gave us some really helpful feedback.

One memorable thing that made London Business School special is how the course is delivered. Every term you are put into a group with people from different educational backgrounds, cultures and skill sets. This helped us to collaborate and understand other people’s opinions. It helps generate fresh ideas, as you’re thinking in new ways and are up close to people who are similar to you, in that they have the same ambition and drive, but are seeing the world from a different perspective.

London Business School opened my mind to how you can lead in many different ways. It’s not one approach fits all. Studying alongside so many people from around the world, you understand how others think about leadership and what being a good leader means to them. It felt like an education in stepping up and believing in myself, constantly being pushed to my limits and always finding ways to exceed those limits – that’s something I’ve taken away from the MFA.

During the course, I also went on a Global Immersion Field Trip. Students get to go to a different country for one week and learn about the culture there and how business operates. I went to Austin to learn about the venture capital network and startups. It was great going there with people from different programmes, learning together, being able to share thoughts on how the economy will evolve.

It was helpful to learn how businesses are trying to grow and be the next big thing. Being able to look at a business when it’s still at an early stage and being able to spot whether it will grow is a crucial skill for someone who wants to work in private equity or investment banking. The one continent I hadn’t been to was North America, so it was also a good opportunity for me to experience the culture.

My dad works in finance, and I wanted to follow in his footsteps. Being Zimbabwean and seeing how the financial crisis impacted my country and society made me want to figure out what went wrong. I saw how Zimbabwe had been damaged economically and I hoped that by taking this career path, I could, one day, make a difference to people, and hopefully stop it from happening again.

Since graduating, I’ve been interning as a private equity analyst in a private equity fund. My main task is looking at businesses, their potential and how they operate, and determine whether they’d make good investments. Sometimes, the businesses that don’t seem exciting at first can offer higher potential than those that look interesting on paper. It’s about being able to spot key future trends early. After this internship, I’m heading to Jefferies to work in investment banking.

The Career Centre at London Business School is unmatched: they’re with you all the way. If I need any help with any aspect of my career, they’re always on hand to talk to. When I was applying for jobs, they’d help me prepare for interviews, even on the weekends.

Having London Business School’s name on your CV signals a lot: it shows you’re hardworking and motivated and opens so many doors. People hold you to high expectations once they know you’ve studied at such a renowned business school. It gives you a skill set that differentiates you from everyone else. I have been given so much responsibility and was able to take the lead on so many different projects, which I wouldn’t have had the chance to do if I hadn’t attended London Business School.

Eventually I’d like to start my own Investment firm, focused on investing in countries people often overlook and to hopefully be able to make a difference to people’s lives in those regions. There’s a massive portion of the world that is being excluded from technological advances, and there’s lots of potential there to make huge changes to ordinary people’s lives with well-thought-out initiatives, which can still be profitable.

In ten, twenty or thirty years, I know I’ll look back and think of London Business School as a pivotal time in my life. It’s an experience that really challenged me at a fundamental point in my career. To me, a challenge in your early twenties sets a very strong foundation going forward. I’m grateful for the experience – the things I learnt, the people I met. It was an enlightening experience. The intensity of the programme helped me learn to plan properly, manage my time, be able to multitask and handle multiple deadlines at the same time, all of which have prepared me well for the world of work.

My advice to anyone considering studying at London Business School is to go for it. It’s the place for you if you want to be a leader in the world, if you want to be challenged in everything that you do – the way you think, the way you act, how you respond to situations. It’s a place where so many smart people come together, and where you’re pushed to improve on yourself. It’s a very challenging but also very rewarding experience.