Posts Tagged ‘diversity#8217;

Current IMBA student Deep Mehta gives some insights into his IE experience. Check out his other posts here!

Without a doubt the number one reason why people pursue an MBA is to bolster their professional career. Some perceive it as a ticket to a high paying job, some are tired of the same old routine and some don’t know what they want from their professional lives and try to discover their true professional calling. All the reasons are one hundred percent valid.

Most of the subjects taught during the MBA ameliorate everyone’s business acumen and certainly augment their prospective careers. Yes, for someone like me with zero finance and accounting knowledge I can now confidently say I understand at least the basics. But is the knowledge the only thing that we can take from IE? And, is a “better career” the only thing we want? I reckon not.

For almost six months now I have been surrounded by 400 top professionals from across 70+ countries. Being immersed in an intensive program like this has certainly made me a better business professional, but is this only thing I am taking back? No!!

When you are made to work in a forced (willingly for some and unwilling for some) environment of multicultural teams, your learning goes beyond the “text book”. The typical conversations during the day would be about the volcano peak you can climb in Nicaragua, to the presidency elections in Venezuela, to the poverty crisis in Africa. Is this important? According to me this is more important than learning from a “text book” whose knowledge might become redundant within a few years due to advancements in technology and business. But these discussions not only make you a wiser person, help you to get a broader perspective of things in life, and – for those who think “classes” are the only thing that matter – it makes you a well-rounded global business leader.

So I submit to you a humble argument that the MBA experience is not just grades and careers. According to me, it’s the friends you make for a lifetime, it’s about the friends who you will call at 4AM and they will do anything in their reach to help you, it’s about the friends you will call to map your travel plan when you visit one of the 70 countries, and most importantly it’s about being a part of THE BIG IE FAMILY FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFETIME.

Gerardo Lara

Si hiciera un análisis de las palabras más utilizadas durante el programa, seguramente NETWORKING se encontraría dentro de las primeras. La construcción de una red de contactos es uno de los principales atractivos de cualquier programa de negocios, y el IE pone a la disposición de sus estudiantes tanto sus herramientas como su capacidad de atraer centenares de estudiantes provenientes de todas las regiones del mundo para la construcción de networks de gran complejidad, sumamente diversas en cuanto a cultura, experiencias, conocimientos y otros.

A pesar de que el concepto de networking pareciera sencillo de entender y es usado ampliamente en nuestra vida cotidiana, no fue sino hasta el inicio de mi programa cuando pude empezar a comprender su inmensa utilidad. Empecé a entenderlo gracias a varias charlas que nos imparten al respecto. Y seguramente no será hasta después de la culminación del programa, luego de que evidencie los resultados tangibles, que aprecie lo poderoso que puede ser esta herramienta.

El concepto de networking está presente entre nosotros hoy más que nunca. Hoy en día, gran parte de nuestra interacción con el mundo virtual se lleva a cabo a través de redes sociales. Todos tenemos una red, por lo tanto estamos familiarizados con el concepto. Pero la construcción de la red no representa ninguna dificultad pues el valor agregado proviene de los contactos que hay en ella. Imagina una red de contactos pero en vez de estar compuesta por familiares y amigos, cuyo vínculo sea afectivo, esté integrada por profesionales de distintos ámbitos que puedan solucionar o referirte en cualquier inconveniente que se te presente en diversos campos y hasta en distintas geografías. Su utilidad es tan importante como para el candidato que busca oportunidades laborales en determinada industria como para el emprendedor que busca nuevos proveedores para su negocio.

Lo mejor de este proceso de creación de redes de contacto en el IE es que no sólo se trata de contactos profesionales sino de amigos. Desde que iniciamos nuestra jornada, hemos estado en constante exposición con nuevas personas quienes están ávidas de conocer mi origen, así como yo lo estoy por conocer el de ellos. En el camino nos hemos ido conociendo, compartiendo de múltiples maneras: cenas, viajes, reuniones, etc. Oportunidades que nos permiten aprender más de otras culturas, de diferentes maneras de pensar. Oportunidades que nos permiten fomentar nuevas amistades, las cuales serán de por vida. En mi opinión es una experiencia imprescindible en el camino de formación de líderes en esta era de globalización.

The New Year has already started and Christmas is over, but there is still time for some season’s greetings; at least in our book! Check out the video below and get to know section A2 from the April 2012 intake. All students wish you a happy 2013. Who knows; maybe one day you will be in one of these videos.

The International MBA at IE is truly international, with students from 75 different countries partaking in last year’s program. Click here to see how our diversity spans across different regions.

Check out our new video below celebrating all the different nationalities we have on campus.

IE Business School holds the 3rd position worldwide in the ranking of non-US schools published by Forbes Magazine. According to Forbes the ranking measures the return on investment (ROI) of MBA programs five years after completion. In order to draw up the ranking, analysts from Forbes calculated the time it took graduates to recoup their investment and how their salaries have evolved over the last 5 years, having deducted program fees and associated costs. For additional information click here.

Click below to watch an interview with David Bach, our dean of programs and renowned professor, speaking about the advantages of studying at IE and what kind of applicant fits into IE’s culture.

Meet four IE students from Africa talk about their experience in Madrid by watching the video below.

Cultural diversity is a key feature of studying at IE Business School. With around 85 different nationalities studying on campus, how could it not?!

Video of Global Village 2010

One of the ways we like to celebrate our diversity is through Global Village. Organized by the NetImpact club, Global Village is a one-day event hosted on our campus in Madrid where students prepare food and activities from their respective countries to share with the rest of the IE community. The atmosphere is fun and relaxed and students are welcome to bring their partners and children along to enjoy the event as well.  Check out the action unfolding through our Alumni twitter!

You may also click here for a video of last year’s Global Village.

Richard Barnard current student of the International MBA program – Class of 2010 describes his experience during the MBAT Sports Weekend.

 This past weekend close to a hundred IE Business School students from across the English, Spanish, November, April IMBA intakes and the other Master programmes flew to Paris to take part in the annual MBA Tournament (“MBAT”). MBAT is hosted by HEC Business School on its campus close to Versailles west of Paris.

MBAT brings together business schools from across Europe including the UK, Spain, France, Italy, Switzerland, Holland, among others. For 3 days each year these business schools compete in a broad spectrum of sports, winning individual event trophies and aiming ultimately for the MBAT Cup, awarded to the overall champion.

Coinciding with the end of Core Period 2 and a few days holiday from the IMBA programme the mood was relaxed. IE students competed in several activities and the teams performed superbly. Special congratulations must go to the IE Football Team who once again proved they are the best in Europe in 2011, beating LBS in the final to be crowned MBAT champions.

Gold medals were also won by the IE Golf Team and for Women’s cross-country. Silver medals were won by the Women’s Football Team, Men’s Rugby Team, and Bronze by the Swimming team and Golf Team 2. Personally, I represented IE at Cricket and Tug-of-War; whilst not participating in a champion team at either of these two sports, the sporting camaraderie made the weekend extremely enjoyable.

 The diversity of the IE student body shone through and the MBAT weekend provided a fantastic opportunity for all students from all the various programmes to meet, mix and have fun. The weather helped; three days of glorious Parisian sunshine ensured that good times were had by all participants on and off the sports fields.

We also made time to visit the centre of Paris and see the sights. The cricket team decided to do this on the first day, taking the approach of “bringing cricket to Paris” and playing at each of the major landmarks across the heart of the city, culminating in a game of cricket beneath the Eiffel Tower.

On a final note, although there was not a prize for it, I believe that by popular consent IE also won the disco dance floor challenge … at least I won something!

At IE Business School we take the threat of climate change very seriously. We therefore encourage our students to care about the environment while they develop their managerial skills. Symbolic of our dedication to corporate responsibility we would like to introduce you to the IE Energy Day – taking place on Thursday the 19th of May at 19:00(CET). This event is organized by IE to stimulate discussion on the environment and ways that businesses can help promote a carbon neutral world.

 We invite the IE Community to learn more about the energy sector by attending the speech titled “The Goal of Climate Change” by Mr. Jesús Abadía Ibáñez – IE Business School Executive MBA Alumni and Director of Environmental and Sustainable Development for ENDESA. Also participating and moderating the debate will be Mr. Carlos Garía Suárez – CEO of Tenoma Energía Sostenible S.A. and professor of Renewable Energy and Corporate Social Responsibility at IE Business School.

 At the end of the conference we also invite you to an informal cocktail where you will have the opportunity to network with members of the IE Community, professors and professionals from the sector.

To register for the IE Energy Day Event click here.

En IE Business Business School nos tomamos muy en serio el asunto del cambio climático. Por esto, animamos a nuestros estudiantes a que se preocupen por el medioambiente a la vez de que desarrollan sus habilidades en gestión. Nos gustaría presentaros el IE Energy Day, el cual tendrá lugar el jueves 19 de mayo a las 19.00 (CET), un acontecimiento que simboliza nuestra dedicación a la responsabilidad social. Este acto está organizado por IE, en el que se discute sobre medioambiente y el modo en que los negocios pueden ayudar a promover un mundo libre de carbono.

Invitamos al IE Community a aprender sobre el sector energético asistiendo a la charla titulada “El objetivo del cambio climático”, del Sr. Jesús Abadía Ibáñez, ex alumno de IE Executive MBA y Director de Medio Ambiente y Desarrollo sostenible de ENDESA. El Sr. Carlos García Suázer, CEO de Tenoma Energía Sostenible S.A.  y el profesor de Energías Renovables y de Responsabilidad Social Corporativa en IE Business School también participarán y moderarán el debate.

Os invitamos al final de la conferencia a que asistáis a un cóctel informal donde tendrás la oportunidad de charlar con los miembros de IE Community, profesores y profesionales del sector.

Para registrarte en el IE Energy Day pincha aqui.