Bat Zorigt

Tell us about yourself, and how you got to where you are today both on a professional and personal level?

Prior to INSEAD, I studied engineering at Dartmouth in the US and worked at a copper-gold mine, majority owned and operated by Rio Tinto Group, in the South Gobi Desert of Mongolia. 

My operational experience in mining in the past four years has been an extremely fulfilling journey and I have grown as a leader while developing myself to become well-rounded operations-focused general management professional. From operational planning and process improvement to leading a team, I have learned as deliberately as I can towards becoming a capable operational leader. 

Yet, along my professional journey, I have become aware of other essential traits I, as a general management professional and as an individual, lacked as much as I have honed and learned other important skills. After five years working in operations and project management, I decided to broaden my exposure and scope of my work to bridge the gaps and so here I am at INSEAD today.

What motivated you to choose the INSEAD MBA, and how do you envision it aligning with your future goals, even at this early stage?

I chose INSEAD mostly because of the unparalleled diversity and because of the opportunity to study and live in multiple continents. 

The variety of perspectives and cultures will certainly enhance my MBA experience. Building capabilities and networks, getting the dream job and advancing ones career is certainly a big part and is probably the main goal for many students. 

For me, what’s equally important is making the MBA experience a transformative one so I can grow personally as an individual and as a global citizen, and truly transform myself into an inclusive business leader who is committed and well-equipped to take necessary steps to positively impact others and communities I’ll be part of.

What were your impressions of campus life so far and how did you navigate accommodation, and sorting out all the admin? Any tips for incoming students?

The academics have certainly been beyond my expectation. Having a quantitative background and having done some prior business coursework, I didn’t expect much from some of the core courses at the start of P1 and, in fact, looked forward to electives in P3. 

But I am now amazed as the professors have been exceptional and I still learned a ton, and I’m looking forward to the rest of core courses in P2. For incoming students, I would not recommend exempting from core courses unless there is a very good reason.

The students are super capable and supportive which helps create a very inclusive and comfortable environment to be in. 

Prior to coming to the campus, the programme management and student life offices were very helpful and made it much easier to move to and settle down in a country that I had never been to before.

Could you share a little about your application process, securing financing, and making your way to Singapore/Fontainebleau?

I attended an INSEAD webinar a year before I actually applied for admission, and I was pleasantly surprised by the experiences and opportunities that INSEAD could offer me. As I let it sink for some time, it became clearer and clearer that INSEAD is a fit for me as I researched more about the programme. So, I applied through Round 1 and received admission. 

Later, I was kindly offered a scholarship and I’m honoured to have been awarded INSEAD Rémy and Verena Best Endowed Scholarship. In retrospect, my application process was smooth probably because I spent much time thinking and learning more about the programme and the admission process. 

In your first few weeks, what aspects of the INSEAD MBA have stood out to you as unique or particularly appealing?

Before the start of the programme or P1, we spent a lot of time reflecting on self-awareness and working in a group. 

These exercises are part of the programme and initially I thought I had done these before as I had already written many essays for my MBA applications which included a lot of thinking and reflection and had worked in various team environments during all my professional years. 

But soon enough, I realised that there was rooms for improvement. So, there is a reason that, for example, the Personal Leadership Development Programme (PLDP) is a big part of the INSEAD curriculum. It’s now a big part of my experience too.

Aside from your academic pursuits, what extracurricular interests or activities are you exploring at INSEAD, and how do you see them enhancing your overall MBA experience?

In addition to pursuing activities that are related to my post-MBA goals, I also intend to explore areas and activities that are very new to me or even areas I will probably not work in for the foreseeable future. 

Coming to INSEAD with a clear idea about what you want to do is a great thing. At the same time, there are so many resources (peers, professors, clubs and INSEAD centres) here for us to utilise and become a more knowledgeable, well-rounded and interesting person.    

Any parting words of wisdom, and are you willing to be contacted for more information by prospective students?

I would be happy to share some personal tips and insights for both prospective students and new admits. My best advice would be to come prepared in terms of what you could do before setting foot on campus and have some well thought-out ideas about what you want to do during and after your MBA, so you can spend more time in building friendships and having fun.