By Will Wieters
As an HR Business Partner at ExxonMobil, Mariam Amusan (MBA’18) supports the company’s global finance teams, shaping people strategy, guiding leadership decisions, and creating pathways that place talented individuals where they thrive. Her role sits at the intersection of business and people, blending analytical insight with empathy and foresight. But Amusan’s path to Exxon was far from linear. Before entering the energy industry, she built her career in banking and professional services. The Vanderbilt MBA became her launchpad for change, helping her develop the confidence, leadership, and strategic perspective to succeed across industries.
From Banking to Energy
Mariam Amusan
Before joining ExxonMobil, Amusan held HR roles at EY and Citi, where she moved through several positions as part of a rotational program. “I think it was half happenstance and half I was ready,” she said. “I was looking for a challenge, and that’s a plus side about HR—you can do the same job but in a different space, and each space calls for a different part of your skillset.”
Her transition from banking to energy marked a pivotal career moment. “It’s a very new industry for me,” she said. “Moving from a heavily regulated space like banking to one that’s still regulated but in a very different way has been fascinating…What I find most exciting about my role is that you’re really embedded in the business. You get to sit with leadership to understand what direction they’re going in and help them build strategies to achieve their goals.”
Working closely with ExxonMobil’s finance leaders has also allowed her to connect her business knowledge to people strategy. “Finance is not my natural talent,” she joked. “But with my background and classes from business school, I can read a financial statement and understand why we operate in one area versus another.”
The Vanderbilt MBA Advantage
Amusan credits the Vanderbilt MBA with sharpening her ability to think strategically and lead effectively across teams in her role with ExxonMobil. “A lot of what I learned during my time at Owen gave me the confidence to even try making these pivots,” she said. “I think of classes like Managerial Effectiveness—those lessons show up every day in how I work with my team and coach leaders through change.”
She points to the curriculum and leadership opportunities as two of her most significant growth drivers. “You can learn to lead from any position,” she said. “It’s not always about having your name at the top of the list. I learned how to recognize where I’m needed and move things forward without waiting to be told.”
Her MBA also gave her a firmer grasp of how people and business strategy align. “It expanded my thinking,” she said. “I used to think of HR in a more rigid way. But going through Owen helped me connect everything to the bigger picture. It was a skill that I hadn’t fine-tuned but going through the MBA helped me, and it became a lot sharper.”
Community and Connection
Amusan also credits the Vanderbilt Business community for helping her navigate the recruiting process and discover new opportunities. “Part of the reason I went to Citi was because of the connections I made early on at Owen,” she said. “Within my first week, I met someone who had interned there, and talking to her helped me realize it should be high on my list. During the interview process, alumni like Fernando Valdez were an instrumental part in helping me prepare for interviews and succeed when I was there in the summer.”
That level of support, she said, made all the difference. “I never felt like I was going through the process alone,” she said. “I remember practicing with people who were literally at the exact same stage with me…It was like we’re all in this together now.”
Navigating Ambiguity and Change
Throughout her career, Amusan has learned to embrace change and uncertainty. “In a lot of the roles I’ve been in, I’ve had to deal with ambiguity,” she said. “The MBA helped me get comfortable with that, put on my problem-solving brain, and know where to start.”
Her adaptability has been tested through multiple relocations—between countries, industries, and companies. “I’ve moved around a lot. I’ve moved jobs. I’ve moved cities, and that comes with its own challenges,” she said. “But I now feel comfortable doing that.”
Redefining Success
Looking back, Amusan says her definition of success has shifted as her career has evolved. “I think it changes with every phase,” she said. “Before school, success was about getting the job and the title. Now, I’m more focused on impact—how I’m making a positive impact on people and the organizations I’m in.”
She laughed, adding, “Money’s always good—you can always give me more—but what matters most is how what I’m working on makes things better.”
That mindset has shaped how she approaches leadership today at ExxonMobil. “Whatever’s on my table, I ask myself: how does this positively impact where the organization is going, and how does it help the people around me?”
Advice for Future MBA Candidates
Amusan encourages prospective students to take the leap and to do so with openness and curiosity. “You should take the chance,” she said. “It’s an opportunity to really explore what you want to do next. If you go in with an open mind and are open to all the different opportunities, it can lead you in the right direction.”