Ines Dumont Grad ‘12

ALUMNI STORIES LIFE AFTER PATANA

INES DUMONT, GRAD ‘12

When Ines Dumont (Grad ‘12) first landed a job at Amazon, she said she found it tough with really high pressure. Now, as a Senior Operations Manager with the global conglomerate, she recently reflected on her Bangkok Patana School experiences. “I am grateful to have learned the ability to handle multiple priorities! The IB Programme is very demanding and I would say that balancing the studying and coursework of six subjects taught me how to navigate high pressure situations and prioritise tasks effectively,” she said.

After her graduation from Bangkok Patana School, Ines went on to complete her B. Comm at McGill University in Canada, with a major in Information Systems and a minor in Economics. Her top memories at Bangkok Patana include all her Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) International Award excursions. “Our DofE Gold cycling trip from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai was one for the books. We were a group of six or seven people and by the end of the trip we became so close. I remember the scenery being so beautiful, especially when cycling through the hill tribes of Chiang Rai near the Burmese border. We stayed in monasteries and campsites perched atop hills. One lesson learned from that trip is always to check elevation gain on Google maps when planning a route. Let’s just say we had a nice surprise when we got there and had to walk our bikes up some hills,” explained Ines, “Residentials and field trips were great opportunities to explore new areas of Thailand and get close to people in your classes. One that stands out to me was a GCSE PE trip in which we had to learn how to flip our kayaks after capsizing in white water. I have to admit it was scary at the time but such a great experience!”

Learning at School to Practical Work

“Additionally, I learned leadership qualities – in Year 9, I remember joining a peer mediation programme, aiding students with disagreements to reach a solution. In Years 12 and 13, my roles as Phuket House Captain and Senior Delegate gave me my first taste of leadership. These early leadership experiences, including managing conflict, were great foundations for me and are skills I use to this day. Furthermore, my parents always instilled in me the importance of writing clearly and effectively. I would say that through all of the coursework we had to do during IB - such as TOK essays, English literary analyses, and the extended essay - I learned to structure my thought process within a very limited word count. In my current role, I’ve had to write multiple one-pagers and whitepapers where being concise is so important. And finally, one of the greatest things about studying at Bangkok Patana was the exposure to various cultures. International Day allowed us to learn about different cultures, which opened my eyes to the world. This prepared me for the work environment in Canada, and specifically Montreal, which is a melting pot of different cultures.”

Shortly after graduating university, Ines began her role at Amazon. She navigated through challenges and was promoted to leading a small team of workers in the fulfilment centre. “There were days where I would question how much longer I could last as it was a very high-pressure job. About a year into my role, I had a turning point in my career due to my inspiring manager. She pushed me to reach my fullest potential and opened my eyes to all the opportunities available in the company. Five years and eight months later, I am still here! I have gone through several different roles to get to where I am now. I am most proud of launching Quebec’s first ever Fulfilment Centre in July 2020.”

In September 2022, Ines moved to Madrid and took on a new role at Amazon in Programme Management. She said she was excited to be experiencing a new side of the business and being able to fulfil her goal of living and working in Europe. “Madrid has been amazing. There is so much to love about this city: beautiful architecture, great weather, the food scene and the Spanish way of life. It is also a bonus that I am a little bit closer to home now. I have been taking intensive Spanish courses while here. I learned Spanish during IB and it was one my favourite subjects! I hope to become fluent after some time here.”

Ines describes her main passions as music and food. “I play the piano on the weekends to decompress from busy work weeks and love discovering new artists at festivals. With food, I love to experiment and to cook new dishes - mainly Thai and Filipino cuisine. Montreal also has an amazing food scene, and I am constantly exploring new restaurants with friends.”

Looking ahead, Ines remains enthusiastic. “In ten-years, I’ll probably still be working for Amazon or another big corporation. I love the fact that you can move around the world with your job! Hopefully at some point in the future I’ll also be able to take an extended break from work to travel. There are still so many places on my bucket list. My dream is to spend months exploring my home country the Philippines. I’ve been to quite a few destinations already, but I still have hundreds more islands to see!”