Author: Veronica Rafaniello

Why people are the best investment

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The secret of Italian excellence? People, without a doubt. It’s one of the teachings that students enrolled in the International Master in Marketing Management, Omnichannel and Consumer Analytics programme of the School of Management at the Politecnico di Milano “took home”. Five days, from 6 to 10 May, in which well-known Italian companies talked about their approach to the Italian Way, illustrating the characteristics that led to their brand’s success.

Studying and innovating

«We at Artemide have always been very supportive of collaborating with all those groups in which research and training are priorities, in the university setting but not only», explained Laura Salviati, marketing and communication manager of the company which is a leader in the lighting sector. «For over twenty years now we have worked with the Politecnico and other educational institutions. The spirit of Artemide is to support training accompanying it with research. We launched a campaign, GenerAction, that follows this double track. We support young talents that have distinguished themselves for their ideas: for example, using the laser to connect to Internet (Valerio Pagliarino) or coming up with a way to detect lead in water (Gitanjali Rao). Intuitions that are also far from our company, tied to light and its variants, but on which we want to focus on all the same. Because we care about innovation regardless of its application». And Piaggio also cares about innovation, as stresses the executive vice president for marketing and communication Davide Zanolini: «Piaggio is the ideal environment for those who want to address the new challenges offered by the present and the future. We work on hybrid, on sustainability, on artificial intelligence systems. We have even opened in Boston, in the United States, a plant entirely dedicated to robotics. We are strongly oriented towards continuous growth». A characteristic that is also encouraged among employees.

The team spirit is born at the university

However, the proactive approach must also involve studying. Indeed, it would be a mistake to passively face this period of learning. Dennis de Munck, head of employer branding in Ferrari, wanted to offer some very clear advice: «There’s nothing more precious than curiosity, a characteristic that shouldn’t be set aside when studying, but instead should be cultivated. It’s the best moment for learning, discussing not only with professors but also colleagues. A one-of-a-kind opportunity, that helps to improve oneself and the ability to work in a team». As de Munck explains, Ferrari believes that the education of people is fundamental. «Throughout the world we form selective partnerships with the best universities, in every field. It’s a two-way relationship: we bring our experience to students, but at the same time we listen to know the needs of the workers of today and tomorrow».
A similar approach is taken by Alessi, a historic Italian design brand, as explains CEO Marco Pozzo: «We want the people who work with us to be put in the best condition to maximize their skills. Our Omnichannel division, for example, was born thanks to the creation of a new team made up of human resources already present in the company and hailing from different fields like marketing, sales, information systems. Thanks to the union of their expertise, we can face the challenges and take advantage of the opportunities offered by digital».

Training: a corporate mission

The value of companies, therefore, no longer consists solely of the product. It’s a consideration that applies to consumers, increasingly inclined to reward groups with a strong brand identity, but also for those who are considering a job: «Today more than ever, the sense of purpose conveyed by the company is important. What is the goal? What is the purpose? What are the values in play, and what can a company give its workers? Those who choose Ferrari», continues de Munck, «want to share their capabilities and increase their skills, in a perspective that is both top down and bottom down. In addition, training no longer takes place solely upon entering the company, but over one’s entire career. For us it is important that this applies to everyone, blue-collar and white-collar employees, labourers and managers. Our company professions school is open to everyone.».

The strength of ideas

Learning and knowing how to enhance your capabilities, therefore. The same message that came from Tancredi Alemagna, chief executive of T’a Milano, a Milanese confectionary company also active in the events, catering and banquet sectors: «Our country is facing an economically turbulent period. I and my brother started out in two, working from a room, entering a ruthless sector like food. Despite the difficulties, today we have 54 employees. We are a country with many brilliant minds. This makes the difference compared to competitors. With a strong and original vision, emerging is a possible challenge».

Gabriela Galati: a manager in the art world

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As I’m about to finish my MBA journey at MIP soon, I wanted to share an interview focused on the Italian cultural scene, where I would like to continue working after graduating. I would like to introduce Gabriela Galati, a very special friend and colleague who came to Italy from Argentina twelve years ago and is currently Director of the Milanese art gallery aA29 Project Room. We had the opportunity to discuss the role of the curator as a manager, the art market in Milan, as well as the impact of digital technologies on the commercialization of artworks.

What is the job of a curator?

The job of the curator varies, depending on where you work. In a contemporary art gallery, the director is usually the one who curates the shows. This means looking for artists for the gallery, as well as working with the artists who already collaborate with the gallery. Curating a solo show means accompanying the artist in the process, deciding which works will be featured and defining the central topic of the exhibition. For a group show, on the other hand, you pick the artists and the works that are most coherent with your idea. In smaller shows and commercial galleries, the independent or invited curator often acts more as an advisor or PR. Being a curator in a museum is very different, as you have to deal a bit more with bureaucracy. Exhibitions usually have bigger budgets and spaces and, in general, more research is involved. A curator in a museum is probably a scholar, who researches and works on a show for a year or even two, depending on the complexity of the exhibition. When you are bringing works from abroad you also deal with permits and shipping. You also write texts, curate catalogues and liaise with other institutions, as well as the press.

What does Milan mean to you?

Now it’s home for me. I really like living and working here and how things work. It’s a great place for managing a gallery and teaching as well. Even though it is a small city, a great share of the main cultural manifestations in Europe and around the world arrive here and it has evolved a lot in the last couple of years. There are many private institutions and patrons like Fondazione Prada and Hangar Bicocca bringing first class international art shows to Milan. However, the main complaint from the galleries since I’ve been here is the fact that there is no real Contemporary Art Museum in Milan. This means that there is no institutional commissioning for buying works of art from a museum, compared to other European capitals. Hopefully, this will change in the future.

Tell me about your work at aA29 Project Room and the role of this gallery in the Italian art scene?

This gallery is relatively new, having been open for only three years. Its role is to promote young and mid-career artists. This is a very good niche to avoid competing with large established galleries, to present young, emerging and experimental talents. Our roster of artists deals with different media and aesthetics. The central topic of their work is socially relevant issues like the environment, biocentric matters or antispecism, for example, according to which the gallery works. Most of our collectors are from the Italian market and some are quite young, actually. We also have medium-specific clients from the Americas who collect photography. Regarding our exhibitions, we are ending this summer season with an exhibition by the Italian artist, Matilde Sambo. In the fall we will have an exhibition by Kyle Thompson from the USA, in January Liu Yi from China and for spring 2020, Ivan Grubanov from Serbia.

What do you think has been the impact of social media and e-commerce on the art market?

Many small galleries that are struggling economically have decided to go virtual. I don’t think it is a bad model, depending on the price range for the commercialized artworks. Personally, I don´t look for artists on Instagram, but I have heard social media channels are becoming popular, especially for younger artists to promote and sell their work. For high price ranges, however, I don’t think it works, as you don’t buy expensive art online. In the visual art market, for example, what happened with music has never transpired. Platforms like Amazon and Yoox have tried selling art but for limited editions or low-priced works. Selling online has not even turned out well for Artsy, which showcases works of art from very important galleries. Nobody spends a million Euros to buy a work of art online unless they already know the work of an artist who is probably on the other side of the world. No-one who really knows how the contemporary art world works is going to put a tag with a price in the gallery or buy a piece of art with a price tag on Instagram. Most people need to see what they want to buy in real life, as they are making an important investment. Shopping for art in a physical space will still be a unique and relevant experience in the future.

Stay tuned for my next chapter, where I will tell you all about my Project Work experience.

 

About the author
 Roberto Niño Betancourt

Roberto is a student of the International full time MBA. He is a Colombian filmmaker and new media artist based in Milan.
He has collaborated as a post producer for MTV Latin America, as well as many European production companies. He is very passionate about international cross-cultural collaborations, craftsmanship and the sustainable conservation of natural resources.

 

 

Silicon Valley Experience

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Technology entered my life the day I built my first AM radio together with my father, to look after my baby brother. That was just the beginning and from there on, my interest just grew exponentially. Vacuum tube music amplifiers, machines or any other devices to design, repair or program became my playground, leading to the point at which my passion was converted into discovering and learning new technologies, so into my profession. So you can easily imagine that the opportunity to go where it all started was something I would not let pass by.

I want to start by saying that going on either vacation or even business to the Bay Area will not be assimilated in any way with what The Silicon Valley Experience means. I have been to Silicon Valley repeatedly on business and for holidays, managed relationships with suppliers and customers in this area and even worked with teams in my company which were located in the Bay Area, but what this program provides is nothing comparable.

Let’s begin with the environment. The University of Santa Clara takes you on a journey which, if you have never studied previously in the States, you will find overwhelming. The campus creates the perfect ecosystem for setting your motivation at the highest level. But without any doubt, the best is to come.

As a customer, partner or supplier, I have often asked myself about the mechanisms that drive Silicon Valley. You can read articles, watch videos or spend a reasonable amount of time interacting with Bay Area firms and not figure it out. Here is a case where meeting a selective group of key players in this environment will change your perception forever.

First, you can get the inside story from major Venture Capital investors and hear what makes companies successful, how many who start with such a process carry it through, how each financing round will have its own challenges and will be crucial for achieving the overall goal and, even more importantly, what is the mindset at both ends of the table, entrepreneurs and investors.
Second, reviewing the financial and marketing strategies applied in this unique ecosystem is instructive. This inside information will come from key members of academia and industry, plus there are invaluable contributions such as that by Prof. Hersh Shefrin.

The last part of this journey was completed by visiting some of the most successful companies in Silicon Valley and sharing time with some of their renowned executives. At these visits, I realized another unique factor surrounding the valley, and this is how top executives will spend their valuable time discussing with a group of MBA students rather than focusing on other aspects of their lives ̶ giving back part of their success to society, transferring knowledge to others. During these sessions, they shared their life’s achievements and failures, the process that brought them to this point and the unique socioeconomic factors that allow Silicon Valley to be what it is.

So the message I learned during this journey is clear, as much as you might learn about finance, social economics and investment anywhere else, nothing would be comparable to an experience such as the one provided by the MIP Silicon Valley Experience. As already mentioned, it is extremely hard to find those things that will take you to a higher level, and without any doubt, this program is one of them.

I hope you have enjoyed this article. In the next one, I will focus on how my perception of the day-to-day in a public company changed drastically during my MBA program and will discuss how to increase your value and engagement using all the tools provided during the MBA journey.

 

About the author
 Pedro López Estepa
I am Pedro López Estepa, an International Part-Time MBA student at MIP Politecnico di Milano. I received a Master in Telecommunication Engineering from Granada University in 2010, spending the last year, including the Master Thesis, at the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne.

My career has been focused on high-tech corporations, initially as part of their R&D departments and during the last few years, the focus has been on developing long-term strategic partnerships in different sectors, including IoT, Automotive, Robotics and Medical.

Being part of u-blox strategy team allows me to working with international cross-functional teams inside and outside the organization, key partners, investors and at the same time that contributing to worldwide projects as business opportunities arise.

 

 

The entrepreneur born on the benches of the MIP: the history of TMI and Stefano Urbani

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For many of our students, the graduation ceremony is not just the launch pad for a new adventure. This was the case for Stefano Urbani, who laid the foundations for Medical Tourism Italy with the MIP Executive MBA. A project that has now become concrete.

As is appears from the name of your company, today you deal with medical tourism. How was the interest in this sector born?

It all started in 2012: at that time I was employed in the automotive sector and I was in Turkey for work. By chance, during that trip, I came into contact with a well-known ophthalmologist Azerbaijani, who introduced me to another aspect of Turkey, that of medical tourism.
Several patients from Germany, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, from the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council and the area of the Commonwealth of Independent States, were choosing Turkey to treat diseases and undertake various types of health or cosmetic treatments.
In fact, when we talk about medical tourism, we refer to those people who go to foreign countries for improving their health or physical condition, for example, cosmetic surgery procedures, dentistry, cardiac surgery, oncology, transplants…

In Italy, this type of market was not yet developed – except for in an unstructured way. So, as I was interested above all in the social value that is the basis of medical tourism, or to offer to a patient the possibility of finding a solution to his problem not only in his country of origin but also abroad, I started to wonder if Italy too could be competitive in this market.

TMI is a project that has become reality thanks to the Executive MBA. How?

I am an Alumnus of Management Engineering at the Polytechnic of Milan and I chose the Executive MBA of MIP, the Business School dell’Ateneo, as a tool to deepen my idea.

In fact, since 2013, I started participating in B2B events and trade shows in Europe, Arab countries, Asia and the United States.
In this way I was able to increase my network and explore the ground with both foreign facilitators – who asked me for information about Italy as a possible destination – and with Italian hospitals – interested in understanding what medical tourism was.

It was during the EMBA that I laid the foundations for my project – TMI Incoming – which was also awarded as the best project work of my course at the time of graduation.
Moreover, this allowed me to meet some of the people who are now an active part of the project, then considerably enlarging the network leading to establishing contact with Dr. Cristian Ferraris of Assolombarda. Thanks to this contact, today TMI has produced the website “healthlombardy.eu”, with the objective of presenting in an institutional manner the Lombard health excellence in the global health tourism market. This work was for TMI the opportunity to develop a Minimum Viable Product – just like they taught me in the classroom! – For our current Italian virtual hospital project on which we are working thanks to the newly established capital of Medical Truism Italy Ltd (Turismo Medico Italia Srl ).

The search for the investor was a fundamental step for TMI. What were the challenges you faced and how did Cav. Lav. Nardo Filippetti influencing the development of the project?

I have to be honest, the search was not long. In fact, we came into contact with Cav. Filippetti shortly after the end of the journey with Innovits, an innovation laboratory in which we were accelerated at the conclusion of the EMBA and which allowed us to start the project on the benches of the MIP to be marketed.
This short research time, however, has allowed us to deal with some interesting challenges, above all the paradox that every startupper must face: the numbers!
In fact, investors often support an idea only when the business is considered “reasonable”, without considering, however, that an investment is necessary for the startup to reach that level, especially in sectors where the activities of Compliance & Legal, Cyber Security, Marketing and Communication have high costs.

Moreover, it was also an opportunity to understand who the right investor for TMI was. Therefore, when we contacted Cav. Filippetti in 2017, a visionary and successful entrepreneur in the hospitality sector who had been cultivating the idea of entering this market for years, he was ready to confidently communicate the vision, strategy and service of TMI.
In fact, respect for work and for people, creativity and intuition are the values that have characterized Cav. Filippetti during his entrepreneurial career and who are part of the project TMI.
Our investor, as well as President Lindbergh Hotels Srl (Ltd.), is also President of ASTOI Confindustria Viaggi and Vice President of Federturismo Confindustria. Those are prestigious institutional positions that give us the authority we needed, in addition to daily comparison that allows us to use his skills acquired over the years for the benefit of the project. Finally, I want to emphasize that his approach has been an industrial and non-financial investor, an extremely important element that allows us to think about the long term.

How do you feel as an entrepreneur? What are the things you have learned of the EMBA that guide you today?

My personal feelings changed following the establishment with Cav. Filippetti of Medical Truism Italy Ltd (Turismo Medico Italia Srl ) at the end of 2018.
If at the beginning I was moved by the enthusiasm and the desire to communicate my project to the world, today I am comforted by the trust the investor has given me, which has become a traveling companion in hard daily work.
However, sometimes, and as I believe it is natural, the right expectations of the investor can generate fear of not making it, but we must find the right balance without creating organizational stress.

For this I have elaborated the AI-KI-DO factor: thanks to the right balance between (Ai), Harmony, (Ki) Conjunction and (Do) Union, I try every day to guide TMI towards the achievement of the set objectives, eliminating the fear of failure , which I believe is human, with the gratitude of having had an opportunity!

The awareness of the present moment and the responsibility for my actions towards the project, and the people involved, myself included, allows me to manage the economic activity by assuming the so-called business risk with the right serenity.
All this is, evidently, built on the foundations of the EMBA, first of all those on organizational behavior, strategy, project management, decision making, marketing, communication and finance. These allowed me respectively to give structure to awareness, make long-term choices, manage individual development projects, make daily choices, sell, develop brand awareness, and finally take care of the ordinary administration.
Without forgetting the people who have characterized my journey, the professors I have met and the colleagues I have known.
Now our challenge will be to be able to industrialize the product, creating efficiency but keeping the quality and service levels extremely high, with a tailor-made approach for every single request. To do this, we are adopting a lean startup methodology with the aim of avoiding waste of resources, building a sustainable business and experimenting ideas with the creative process “Creation – Measurement – Learning” (Creazione – Misurazione – Apprendimento). This methodology is being taught during the master’s, too.

What advice would you give to those who want to launch a startup today?

To begin with I would recommend being honest with yourself, asking yourself questions so as not to get hurt later. Such as how innovative you are, if it’s the right time to launch it and if you have a good team. But also how to finance yourself and where to establish it.

Another tip is to talk about your idea to as many people as possible: it’s a good way to test the interest. Often, when I talk about medical tourism, I get several questions about it. This curiosity is a good sign.
Once received a positive feedback, it is good then to take the marguerite in hand and concentrate only on a few petals, focusing time and energy.

Launching a startup is an act of great responsibility towards others, towards those who believe in the project, so I can only encourage people to do what they love. Besides being a great sacrifice, which can only lead to success with passion and dedication.

At the end I advise you to bind yourself to the vision, not to the product or service.

The factors that influence a startup’s growth path are countless and sometimes not controllable; only by leaving the ego aside of the ownership of its own idea and putting the “own creature” in the conditions of going alone can one truly show that vision which is the flame that burns inside!

MSc Marketing Programs Get a Digital Reboot

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Neuroscience, artificial intelligence and data analytics are reshaping the work of marketeers (and marketing degrees)

Creativity and innovation have always been at the core of marketing. The function used to depend on one’s talent to dazzle the audience, like Mad Men’s Don Draper. Creativity and innovation are still very important, but are being enhanced by data and technology. Marketing is one of the fastest-changing professions of the 21st century, with neuroscience, artificial intelligence and data analytics reshaping the work.
“Marketers are increasingly expected to make evidence-based and accountable decisions leveraging on vast data generated in the inter-connected world,” says Shan Chen, Director of the International Master in Marketing Management, Omnichannel and Consumer Analytics course at MIP in Milan. The program is one of many that are being given a digital reboot as technology transforms every facet of marketing.
“We continuously innovate and update the program with technological progress,” says Chen. For example, the applications of neuroscience in consumer research have been recently introduced — essentially using brain science to appeal to customers on an emotional level. […]

Career prospects for MSc Marketing grads

Those who have this magic mixture of technological prowess, creativity and ability to innovate, are in high demand among a wide array of employers.[…] MIP’s graduates find career opportunities in three main areas. The first is the in-house marketing department, usually in larger corporations, with responsibilities such as product management, communication and promotion, PR, marketing intelligence, CRM or strategy.

The second is consultancy, which helps clients to analyze the marketing condition, to define strategy, to develop marketing tools, and to make project execution plans. The third is various specialized marketing agencies, such as advertising, digital marketing, design and content production. They execute the respective marketing activities on a daily basis for their clients.

The wide array of career opportunities is reflected in the diversity of the cohorts. At MIP, candidates can come from any discipline, provided they have a proven passion for all aspects of marketing. Cass says participants learn from students from chemistry, physics, fashion design, architecture, engineering, sociology, philosophy and other backgrounds.
Given such impressive career opportunities, it may be competitive to secure a place on a top marketing master’s program. Entry requirements at MIP include a motivation letter, reference letters, university transcripts and a motivational interview, which is all done in English. […]

Smart parking as an efficient customer value proposition for smart drivers

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Time goes by so fast! I can’t believe it was 2 years ago when I decided to start this distance learning program at MIP Politecnico di Milano, and today we are nearing the end. Behind the difficulties and challenges faced when working and studying simultaneously, needless to say, I will miss this great experience when it’s over. As Henry Ford said in one of his statements, “Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. The greatest thing in life is to keep the mind young.”

Now it’s time to connect the dots. The ultimate goal of this study program is to inspire and empower students to think big, even when facing minor customer needs. The final project work is organized as teamwork, requiring us to prepare a genuine business plan for a new business concept or start-up. We were asked to create individual project ideas to be presented at a sales pitch event, in front of all our classmates, with the scope to “sell” the most attractive ideas and thereafter to form working groups, based on individual preferences and backgrounds suitable for each project proposal. I was in doubt as to whether to choose a topic in banking and finance, which is my area of expertise or to get out of my comfort zone. I decided on the second option. I had this opportunity to enlarge my knowledge about the ‘smart city’. Despite being a buzzword, the topic has attracted me a lot recently, because of the wide variety of new opportunities it represents for individuals and businesses.

Increasingly, cities are acting on smart digital information and communication technologies to meet many urban challenges such as the environment, good governance, mobility, prosperity and growing population, by several means of collaborating, innovating, saving, integrating, participating and simplifying. Within this huge field of study, I chose to focus my project work on the smart parking platform, part of the city’s smart mobility. Two other classmates volunteered to join the project and together we are still working on the technicalities to define the most appropriate customer value proposition.

Fast emerging technologies such as GPS, IoT, cloud software, wireless sensor networks, radio frequency identification and digital cameras, combined with the wide use of Smartphones, allow for the development of easy wayfinding applications by generating real-time data on the occupancy of parking places. This data can be used by drivers through a mobile application to easily navigate to the nearest available space. On the other hand, this information might be used by the municipality to further optimize the city’s traffic and parking pricing policies. Designing the right value proposition and generating a new business model that fits with the ecosystem are key success factors for entrepreneurs around the world.
When studying the industry and existing technologies, we came across plenty of innovative projects, systems and applications developed to address this topic, but unfortunately, it seems that most of them have not yet been successfully implemented. It seems that very few drivers can really benefit from smart parking around the world. The reason behind this is the fact that each city is different and develops its own smart city vision to meet specific needs and challenges. San Francisco (SFpark) and Los Angeles (LA Express Park) are reported as being two of the most famous successful stories (Lin, Rivano, Le Mouël 2017).

To make a concrete business proposal, we are studying the city of Tirana, the capital of Albania. Although the reported number of vehicles per inhabitant is the lowest in the region, Tirana has the highest population density per square kilometre or five times the average of the country. As there are no or few direct profits linked to the service of smart parking in available parking spaces, our main focus is to reduce capital investments in the choice of smart parking technologies. The main objective of this project work will be to improve and facilitate the driver’s experience when parking in public spaces by using information gathered by users, with the scope to reduce investment cost. Among other technologies, we are assessing some emerging parking information dissemination systems, such as crowdsensing, peer-to-peer communication, multi-agent systems, parking meter networks, etc.

The new term ‘crowdsensing’ has emerged to present those smart parking applications, which are using crowdsourcing as a tool to gather parking information from Smartphone users. The accuracy of the information will rely on the drivers’ participation. Further, some algorithms like fuzzy logic and time series might be used to predict parking occupancy information based on historical or sample data, to improve the accuracy of information provided to participating users. The capital investment, in this case, is very minimal as there is no need for hardware installations or maintenance. But the challenge is how to motivate drivers and persuade them to participate, to update occupancy details of parking spaces every time they park their vehicle, by designing and proposing the most valuable and efficient value proposition to the city’s smart drivers.

 

About the author
 Elivar Golemi

Elivar Golemi is an Albanian candidate at MIP International Flex EMBA. She is working as an Executive Director in the dairy industry, after a long experience in the banking system. Skilled in Financial Analyses, Risk Management and Internal Audit. Nature lover, passionate photographer and mountain climber.

 

 

The leader put to the test with soft skills

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In the life of a company, a merger represents one of the most delicate phases. It’s the moment in which two entities with different cultures, histories and leadership styles join forces. It’s a process that must be carefully planned and managed, with the aim of creating a new, shared corporate culture. Only in this way can an integration be truly considered successful. Sergio Gonella, Culture and People Development & Recruiting Director at Wind Tre, a company created at the end of 2016 from the biggest European merger in Telecommunications to date, that between Wind Telecommunication and H3G, followed this process first-hand and talked about it with the students of the Executive MBA programme of Politecnico di Milano’s School of Management as part of the series “A point of view on Leadership”: «We worked two years to best carry out this merger and, from the very beginning, it was clear that the biggest challenges we would face wouldn’t only be at a technological or business level. It was fundamental to concentrate on people. So we decided to involve them, through a wide range of initiatives in which soft skills played a preponderant role».

The three pillars of leadership

These initiatives included «listening activities like engagement surveys, involvement activities through communities, initiatives dedicated to welfare, to development, to learning and to performance management». A strategy that immediately earned Wind Tre the Top Employer certification and that took inspiration from a new leadership model, also in this case defined by the people chosen to lead the new company. «Thanks to interviews and focus groups that involved managers», explains Gonella, «we identified the three pillars that make up the leadership model of Wind Tre: self, people and business».
As far as the context regarding self, «the leader must demonstrate qualities of stability, entrepreneurship and exemplarity». Internal characteristics which, however, must then be translated to the outside, that is brought to the team. «Our leaders must motivate their employees and give them confidence, allow them to express themselves freely and in a constructive manner and stimulate the growth of a network of relations both within and outside the company», continues Gonella. All elements where the mastery of soft skills is central.
The constructive approach of leadership also reflects on the business: «On this front, our priorities are value creation, a strong customer orientation and an aptitude for exploration and continuous innovation».

Observe, learn, innovate

The centrality attributed to soft skills is consistent with transformations underway globally, which will profoundly change the hierarchy of required job skills. Gonella himself explains this, citing the Future of Jobs Report prepared by the World Economic Forum in 2018: «If we compare the most requested skills in 2018 with those that will be most needed in 2022, we can see not only the latter ones will be all soft skills, but that the ability to learn, creativity, and originality will take on a preponderant role». This is because we forecast that in 2022 the pace of innovation and changes in scenarios will be even more rapid than they are now. «The ability to learn, but also that of knowing how to learn, putting into practice set strategies, will become even more important than omnipresent problem-solving. The leader of the future must be able to analyse critical issues while also thinking of innovative solutions. And, to do so, he will need to draw on all his learning skills», concludes Gonella.

What makes us different? The importance of working on our Soft Skills

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Around a couple of years ago, on several occasions, I found myself having to justify to friends, family and co-workers the reasons that were leading me to soon start my International Part-Time MBA at MIP. I believe this is something MBA students often face prior to, during and after completing their course. Why are you spending this amount of time, effort and money on an MBA program?

To be honest, at that time the answer was quite simple ̶ I wanted to increase my knowledge and complement my curriculum. As an engineer who had been working in the same industry since the beginning of my career, I felt that I could benefit from gaining certain competencies in fields such as finance, marketing and business law. What I would find out during my MBA journey was that those reasons, even if important, were not the main value that I would acquire during my time at MIP. In this set of articles, I will reveal the way that I would answer that question today, “Which are the greatest tools with which the International Part-Time MBA at MIP provided me for my personal and professional life?”

Learning theory is important, but most likely it will not make you any different from your peers. With this statement, I do not intend to underrate the importance of the main theoretical courses, but in today’s highly competitive ecosystem of work, it has become more important than ever to explore those skills that will take you to a level above pure theoretical knowledge.

Let’s start from the beginning! Since most of the students work full time, the journey of the International Part-Time MBA is a tricky path on which the amount of time that one can dedicate to a certain task varies over the course of the two years that the program lasts. So in a certain way, it is “easy” to fall into an automaton mode. As unpopular as it might sound, it is a defence mechanism to continue with work and lessons in parallel during certain periods of the program. This is unless you cross paths with Prof. Passerini.

It took me one minute to understand that the course that I would receive over the following two days would be everything except orthodox. I was arriving directly from a business trip to China, so I must admit that I had not reviewed Prof. Passerini’s profile in detail prior to the “Soft Skills” course. During the first break, most of the class members were on their computers reviewing his outstanding curriculum, which will tell you the impact that he had on the audience.

Prof. Passerini is, in my personal view, all that you could wish an MBA professor to be; first, he has an extensive and successful career record, holding several executive roles in firms such as P&G, including CIO and President of the company’s Global Business Services division. Second and even more important, is his great sense of communication and the care he takes over the different topics which are handled during his course. No questions are avoided, deviations are taken as opportunities to explore new learning scenarios and make an audience eager to go further down the learning path.

When an executive with his record explains to you concepts such as Leadership, Contextual Intelligence, Listening and Communication Skills, you know that this is not contained in any book. All this knowledge comes from a lifetime of experience and the willingness to share it and communicate it with others. Coming back to my initial statement, theory can be learned but the skills that you can acquire on a course like this will be what will make you different.

In a personal dimension, Prof. Passerini has coached me for several public speeches that I have faced over recent months. He provided me with feedback in great detail that positively impacted my performance, which, knowing his position, makes me feel extremely lucky and grateful. These are tools that I will need to exercise and which will help me differentiate myself from others. Without my MBA at MIP, this would not have been possible.

The MBA program includes a deep learning phase but I am convinced that it is the experiences such as the one provided by Prof. Passerini, which are those that will impact your professional and personal future in the greatest way.

Following this path of reasoning, my next article will be focused on how the MIP Silicon Valley Experience provided me with a set of insights that will be extremely helpful in my professional future. This is another topic that you will not learn in any book! Hope you enjoy it!

 

About the author
 Pedro López Estepa

I am Pedro López Estepa, an International Part-Time MBA student at MIP Politecnico di Milano. I received a Master in Telecommunication Engineering from Granada University in 2010, spending the last year, including the Master Thesis, at the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne.

My career has been focused on high-tech corporations, initially as part of their R&D departments and during the last few years, the focus has been on developing long-term strategic partnerships in different sectors, including IoT, Automotive, Robotics and Medical.

Being part of u-blox strategy team allows me to working with international cross-functional teams inside and outside the organization, key partners, investors and at the same time that contributing to worldwide projects as business opportunities arise.

 

 

How studying an MBA abroad can change your career

Posted on | by Veronica Rafaniello | Leave a Comment on How studying an MBA abroad can change your career

Ernesto Ibarra moved thousands of miles, from Mexico to Milan, to pursue an MBA and he hasn’t looked back since

From international trade to business development, Ernesto Ibarra’s career was thriving in his Northern Mexican hometown of Monterrey.
He worked in Mexico for almost four years, doing market data analysis for brands and promoting his region’s manufacturing industry. His earnings were good. With a business and marketing degree under his belt, he was focused on his country’s development and comfortable with his career growth.
However, he soon realized that he wanted more.
In 2009, after turning down an offer to study an MBA in France, he began a 6,000-mile journey across the Atlantic to Italy and MIP Politecnico di Milano School of Management (MIP), the same year it joined the rankings of the Financial Times’ best European Business Schools. It’s now ranked 42nd in Europe.
Ernesto says his MBA experience helped him develop into a global business leader.

Settling into a new lifestyle

The most challenging part of Ernesto’s MBA journey was being so far from his family.
While his peers were able to easily catch a train to Rome or Naples for the Christmas holiday, Ernesto initially found it difficult detaching himself from his life in Mexico—there simply wasn’t a budget available for him to travel back and forth.
However, he recounts how attentive MIP Politecnico di Milano School of Management was to the international students struggling to settle in, both socially and professionally.
“They know very well, from their experience, what people have more trouble in,” he says. “They really build a very safe and comfortable path for new students to cope.
“They [also] know the landscape in terms of business, companies and connections, to be able to give project work opportunities to the students in the different areas of expertise, or new areas students were trying to move into.”
During the MIP MBA, students are given the chance to work on a full-time project for three months inside one of the official partner companies of the school. Companies include Amazon, Gucci, Ernst & Young, Microsoft, Ferrero Group, and Vodafone.
Ernesto worked as a business consultant at IT firm EnginSoft on a project that used prediction model software to forecast financial KPIs.
He says he developed soft skills during this experience—networking, interaction, and learning about working cultures—which have helped him in his career since graduating.
“In Mexico, most of the business is done between Mexico and the US,” he explains. “It’s a very different way of doing business, so I think this international exposure helped me a lot to interact and work together with people from all over South America, Asia and Europe.”
International students can also attend courses abroad due to MIP’s International Exchange Program. Partner schools include EMLYON Business School in France, MIT Sloan in Boston, USA, IPADE Business School in Mexico, and Beijing University School of Economics and Management in China.

“I wanted to do something that was more drastic”

Ernesto started his MBA during the financial crisis. Finding a post-MBA job was tricky. After his MBA, Ernesto took a bold step, relocating to a city he knew absolutely nothing about: Bangalore, India.
“I wanted to do something that was more drastic,” he recalls. “In that moment, I was very hungry to know more about other places—that was the main motivation.”
Although Ernesto says he now loves India, his year as a marketing and economics lecturer working in Bangalore was the most difficult part of his career journey so far. He recalls having a hard time blending into Indian culture for the first six months, but his experiences at MIP Politecnico di Milano School of Management stood him in good stead.
He says his initial move from Mexico to MIP prepared him for working abroad, not only by allowing him to open his mind to professional possibilities he hadn’t previously thought of, but also by teaching him to make assured decisions and remove areas of uncertainty from his life.
“Moving abroad is a huge bet in many ways, especially financially,” he says. “This experience helped me over the years to be more exhaustive in foreseeing anything that can go differently as planned, to have a Plan B and to respond to changes.”
After India, Ernesto moved back to Italy, this time to Rome to work in the mobile entertainment industry. He was then promoted and transferred to Madrid for a few years, before leaving and finally settling in Madrid in 2018 to help launch an influencer marketing agency.
Over the 10 years Ernesto has been away from Monterrey, the main lesson he has taken away is to always have a good understanding of your objectives when studying abroad.
“When you’re best prepared for the outcome, you’re going to have fewer surprises,” he says.

Originally published on

Three inspiring films that reflect my MBA journey

Posted on | by Veronica Rafaniello | Leave a Comment on Three inspiring films that reflect my MBA journey

It is time for my listicle article. As I’m a filmmaker, I am going to share with you 3 films that expose different views of the world: just like in the International MBA program at MIP, and also related to some of the courses I have experienced throughout the year. These movies are probably not the best known, but their stories contain valuable business lessons that could come in useful for developing our professional careers.

Margin Call (2011) – Directed by J.C. Chandor – USA
Understanding the implications that led to the 2008 financial crisis can be complex. I discovered this film prior to starting my MBA journey, thanks to my father’s recommendation. The story is set in New York City in 2008. The fictional head of a Wall Street investment bank, John Tuld, is told that the firm is drowning in toxic mortgage-backed securities. Tuld orders his traders to rid the firm’s balance sheet of the junk by dumping it on unsuspecting counterparties and customers in less than 24 hours. Even though he knows his decision will have a negative impact on how his bank will be perceived, he chooses this path to defend his interests and avoid major damage on the firm. Most of the film is about discussing solutions for preventing major damage during an imminent economic crisis at a global scale, due to negligence on behalf of the bank employees at some point in time. Now that the chaos is unfolding, extreme measures are meticulously taken, for the bomb to produce fewer casualties when it explodes. This is a masterclass in human behavior for detecting and preventing risks before it is too late, that is in line with the valuable lessons from the Organizational Behavior and Leadership course.

Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989) – Directed by Hayao Miyazaki – Japan
This one is for all the family. The mastermind of Japanese anime films takes us to the magical universe of Kiki, a 13-year-old apprentice witch who starts her own business. This film highlights the innovation of flying as a means of improving a service, as well as the creation of a lean-startup venture. Even though Kiki has magical powers, she struggles to find her true calling to be useful to society and differentiate herself from other witches. Her willingness to help others is her secret weapon and she eventually discovers she can cause disruption, by creating a swift delivery service for a bakery, cruising on her broomstick across the skies. Business seems to be going great until Kiki’s magical powers start to fade and she is unable to fly. She will be forced to find the way to restore her powers using her wit and social charm, to save her witch status and her delivery business. During the process, Kiki learns how to price her services and be patient and resourceful when weather conditions disturb her operations. The film is also a metaphor for the continuous transformation of the world as technologies evolve and how we should be prepared to adapt to these changes.

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (2019) – Directed by Chiwetel Ejiofor – UK/Malawi
This is a Netflix hit, closely related to the Innovation and Sustainability courses. It is based on the true story of William Kamkwamba, a curious teenager from Malawi who is expelled from school because his parents cannot afford to pay the tuition fees. He is forced to work with his father in the fields preparing the crops but a storm floods the country, causing a drought and social unrest. William is fascinated by science and sneaks into his school’s library to read books and try to come up with a solution to end the famine. By using old batteries and materials from the junkyard, he tests his ideas for producing electricity by building a windmill. When he finally completes a working prototype, the adults in his village help him build the first windmill to generate electricity and pump water from the ground. The main take from this film: a lack of economic resources is no excuse for not creating solutions that could positively impact a whole nation or even the world. Creative reasoning and perseverance are the keys for success and sustainable energy resources should be our primal concern for securing the future of our planet.

Stay tuned for my next chapter, where I will interview a manager in the art world.

 

About the author
 Roberto Niño Betancourt

Roberto is a student of the International full time MBA. He is a Colombian filmmaker and new media artist based in Milan.
He has collaborated as a post producer for MTV Latin America, as well as many European production companies. He is very passionate about international cross-cultural collaborations, craftsmanship and the sustainable conservation of natural resources.