09/05/2006 | MBA, Europe
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Telefónica Internacional

Marcelo Andrade Abdo, Manager (planificación estratégica area)

ESIC Logo

ESIC Alumnus

 
 
Marcelo Andrade Abdo
MBA, ESIC (04-05)

 

Please tell us what your company does: main products or services, size, turnover.

I work for a Spanish multinational telecommunications company with a strong presence in Latin America and Europe. I am part of the strategic planning team, at the business unit responsible for the management of our international operations.

Please tell us about your educational and career background before Bschool.

My academic background, before business school, was at University of Săo Paulo (Escola Politécnica), in Brazil, where I took a degree in Industrial Engineering and a masters in Strategic Management of Operations.

An MBA generally expands career choices. However, I could say from my own experience that
the program itself, and the title, shouldn’t be expected to be an endorsement of professional success.

Please tell us how your career has progressed since Bschool.

During business school, I developed the summer job at the headquarters of the company I originally worked for, in Brazil. At the end of the three month program, the experience was converted into an invitation to incorporate into the strategic planning team.

How has your MBA helped you reach your leadership position?

An MBA generally expands career choices. However, I could say from my own experience that the program itself, and the title, shouldn’t be expected to be an endorsement of professional success. Actually, it is the whole experience of the years dedicated to the international MBA that develop the capabilities important for professional progress: international exposure, immersion in a totally new environment, need for adaptation to distinct languages and cultures, complex problem- solving situations in heterogeneous groups, capacity to deal with shortage of resources (time and money), and many others that an MBA in the home country may not be able to fulfill.

An MBA generally expands career choices. However, I could say from my own experience that
the program itself, and the title, shouldn’t be expected to be an endorsement of professional success.

Do not forget to consider that the investment you are about to make is going to have long term effects, and that living abroad is easy for some, but not for others.

What advice would you offer for young professionals considering an MBA or about to graduate?

Before deciding to enter an MBA program, one should make sure that the decision has been constructed on a solid basis. Being sure that the masters is perfectly aligned to your career plans and that the professional moment is right to leave for a certain time, are essential for your satisfaction in the years that follow the program. Do not forget to consider that the investment you are about to make is going to have long term effects, and that living abroad is easy for some, but not for others. Don’t save effort in pressure testing carefully your hypothesis, you have nothing to loose in the preparation. If, finally, you decide that the MBA is the right thing for you, go ahead. Certainly you will enjoy and take the most advantage of your experience!

Source: QS TopMBA Career Guide

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