Ask Clear Admit

Hi there,

Looking for some feedback.

Here's my background:
Age: 30 years - Indian, Male

Education - BS- Mechanical Engg. India, 70%, top 10% of class
Dual MS - Industrial Engg. and Operations Research, Penn State - Top 3 IE grad program in US with focus on supply chain, 3.3 GPA
GMAT - 680 (Q-77%, V-83%, O-86%)

Work Experience - Total 5.5 years. All after completing grad school.

3.5 years in a $200M+ private company in a leadership development program (LDP) -- company provides supply chain services for the retail industry. Reported to the COO, as the LDP program was his vision. I wanted to gain experience on the "buy side" of supply chain services and in a bigger company with bigger scope of projects. Left on very good terms.

Currently - 2 years in a mutil billion dollar private company with some of the biggest brands in the world. Started in the supply chain network strategy group as manager. Heavy analytical work. Got promoted after 1st year and identified as a potential supply leader via the formal talent pipeline process. Current role is operations planning manager (production and inventory management) for an iconic billion dollar confectionary brand for the North American market. I lead a team of 3 analysts and manage production plans at 2 large manufacturing plants and inventory in the $75M+ range.

Long term, I want to stay in the CPG/FMCG industry and to get to a "C" level role, I will need a MBA. I believe the formal management education will help me develop a good understanding of all the business levers and provide me with the the tools to deal with the ambiguity that executives face while making decisions in ever changing operating conditions. And the other obvious intangibles like be part of a network with some of the smartest business minds (peers and professors).

Should I choose to pursue an executive MBA option, there is a good chance that the company will sponser 50%+ of the tuition. I am thinking about applying to Wharton and Columbia's executive MBA program. But willing to take the chance to leave for 2 years and get a full time MBA, if I can make it to HBS. I can easily make R2 HBS and EMBA deadlines.

Are these stretch schools/programs or should I consider alternate strategy (perhaps take the test again)? I can make a good case with my application, especially coming from a supply chain/operations background. After reading multiple websites and posts, got a little worried about the pool that I belong to, which all schools consider as a very important factor. Obviously a lot of Indian engineers with 700+ scores looking to get into almost all top programs, but at the same time, a lot of them seems to be from consulting/finance or IT industry. At this point, I am not considering any other full time program other than HBS. I do not think it will be worth the time to take the 2 years off from work for any other program. I want to return to the CPG/FMCG industry and in an operations role, I will not really gain much in terms of compensation (at least in the short term). I have read about HBS not really looking for a 30+ engineer. So not too sure if I should even bother applying there.

It will be great, if you can provide some feedback.

Thanks.

Sorry, forgot to mention that I have been volunteering as a mentor for a high school for underprivileged kids for the past 2 years. I also volunteer regularly through company sponsored events.