Mary L. | Leland

Mary L.

5.0

Studied at Harvard Business School

Worked at Cambly

Not currently taking new clients

Protected by the Leland Experience Guarantee

Not currently taking new clients

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About Mary

I graduated from HBS (Class of '18), and I am passionate to help clients get into their dream school. Last year in 2021, I was one of Leland's Top 15 Coach.😊 Over the last six years, I’ve also helped countless number of clients with their applications and acceptances into HBS, GSB, Wharton, Sloan, Kellogg, Haas, etc. I want to first congratulate you for thinking about applying to business school and investing in yourself! 🎉🎉 An investment in yourself will always pay off! 🤓 Having gone through the business school application process myself, I know how scary and nerve-racking the process can be. I've spent hundreds of hours studying for the GMAT and applying to different business schools! I experienced imposter syndrome and went from someone who didn’t think I would get into any schools to becoming a graduate from one of the top business schools, Harvard Business School. As a coach, I will work with you to help you gain confidence and clarity on who you are as a person and what strengths you can surface in your applications to WOW the admissions committee. Not only will I shepherd you through the process, I will always be your biggest cheerleader! Life is about the journey, and I will most definitely encourage you to enjoy the business school application process as much as possible! You will be surprised at the things you can learn about yourself along the way. I’d be honored to work with applicants of all backgrounds - traditional, non-traditional, immigrants, etc. My style is direct, honest, compassionate, and encouraging. I'm excited to help you achieve your dreams! A bit about myself: I immigrated to the US at 11 to receive a better education. Prior to business school, I worked in investment banking and the airline industry. Post business school, I worked in FinTech and EdTech/Education. In my free time, I volunteer with education and sustainability/green organizations. I enjoy being in nature and outdoors, where I get most of my inspiration from! To make my coaching accessible to everyone, please reach out if you are experiencing financial hardships and I'd be happy to offer a discount!

Work Experience

General Manager

Cambly

January 2020 - August 2021

I moved from China to the US when I was 11. As an immigrant, education has transformed the trajectory of my life. Through education, I was able to gain access to opportunities that I never would have dreamed of as a young girl. I want to create the same opportunities for others so they can too experience the transformative power of education. Cambly is a series B ed-tech marketplace with a mission of providing quality, affordable and accessible English lessons to learners from all over the world. Cambly has students from almost every country (190+ countries) around the globe. Billions of people around the world are learning English to unlock economic opportunity for themselves and their families. Cambly gives those English learners on-demand access to native English speaking tutors to help them reach their full potential. Tutors are Cambly's product. I led the supply side (tutors) of the marketplace with a wide range of responsibilities: * Tutor growth and acquisition, funnel optimization * Tutor-side branding and content marketing * Tutor vetting and onboarding * Tutor support and quality * Tutor community, engagement and happiness * Managed a team of 20+

Finance and Strategy Manager

Square

June 2018 - July 2019

After business school, I wanted to join a fast-growing, mission-driven organization in a role where I can drive impact. That led me to join Square, to help Square go global, one of Square's top priorities. I worked with senior management to define our international strategy, for both new and existing markets. I collaborated directly with the GMs of Canada, Japan and Australia and supported them with product pricing, GTM strategies, channel optimization, resource allocation, partnership/contract negotiation, process improvement and planning & budgeting. In this role, I worked cross-functionally with stakeholders across all products (10+) and all GTM channels (partnerships, sales, marketing). I was promoted to people manager after 3 months.

Strategic Planning Fellow

KIPP Public Schools

June 2017 - August 2017

As an immigrant whose life was transformed by education, I wanted to use my summer in between the two years in business school to explore the education industry. I was accepted into Education Pioneers, a competitive program that places professionals into the education industry as a Summer Fellow. My fellowship was with KIPP Bay Area Schools, an innovative public charter school that provides quality education to underserved minority communities. At KIPP, I worked on two projects: 1) Led the four-year strategic planning process by first defining the team’s vision and theory of action. Thereon, crafted the right strategies to achieve team objectives and clearly laid out the metrics to measure success. Finally, scoped and sequenced the specific workstreams and DRIs necessary to achieve those strategies. 2) Designed and managed a recruiting/hiring process by developing evaluation criteria, sourcing candidates, conducting interviews and incorporating Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives, all while ensuring an enjoyable interviewing experience for both, candidates and hiring managers.

Finance, Strategy & Business Operations Manager

Virgin America

August 2013 - May 2016

After working in investment banking, I decided to leave the professional services industry and enter the corporate world in order to learn and understand how companies actually operate. I had the most fortunate opportunity to join Virgin America, a domestic airline with the mission to reinvent travel and make travel fun again. As a member of a small team, I wore multiple hats: 1) Worked directly with C-suite executives on high impact/priority projects, including IPO, compensation and benefits design, aircraft lease versus buy analysis, fuel hedging program, union labor contract negotiation, etc. During the IPO, I built the company's long-term operating model that was used to build the Virgin America growth story for the IPO roadshow. 2) Served as the trusted thought-partner to our COO, SVP of People and Inflight Operations, VP of Technical Operations and partnered with them on strategic, operational and financial decision-making by providing analysis, insights and recommendations, and supporting with the execution and implementation of these recommendations. 3) Acted as the culture ambassador and demonstrated leadership by spearheading monthly Lunch & Learn program and organizing headquarter-wide excel training course for over 50+ teammates. Starting as an analyst, I was soon promoted to manager after 15 months, as the youngest manager at headquarters.

Investment Banking Analyst

DC Advisory

June 2011 - June 2013

I started my career as an investment banking analyst at Sagent (now DC Advisory), a boutique firm focused on middle-market mergers & acquisitions. Starting my career in investment banking helped me develop strong understanding of business fundaments and gain solid analytical and client management skills. As a generalist, I acquired experience working across multiple industries, including tech, fintech, retail, telecom, consumer in a variety of capabilities, including mergers & acquisition, leveraged buyout, due diligence, competitive analysis and corporate strategy advisory. In addition, I also led analyst/summer analyst recruiting efforts, created/taught training materials and mentored/managed junior analysts. At the end of the two year program, I was offered a third-year analyst offer.