IE Business School: An MBA Profile

After studying her MBA at IE Business School, Irina Polovneva says that her outlook on life has changed for the better.

Now IE’s country representative for Russia and Ukraine, with a key role in business development and brand promotion, Polovneva says that studying for an MBA has opened her eyes to the fantastic opportunities available in non-corporate industries – prompting her to refocus her career aspirations.

Polovneva decided to undertake an MBA three years ago in order to equip her with the necessary managerial skills, after being offered a promotion as head of brand and marketing at the leading technology manufacturer Samsung.

“I was confident in marketing but I didn’t know how to deal with people. So I decided to go for an MBA in order to study organizational behavior, coaching, HR and courses of such a kind,” she says.

Shifting career values

She chose IE Business School in Spain to do the 13-month MBA and before the end of the program, she says it “changed my preferences in life.”

“When I started the MBA, I wanted to continue developing my career in a corporate industry. I envisioned myself as a top executive of a big multinational company. But as the program progressed, I changed my mind. I didn’t want to be limited by numerous guidelines and complicated company structures and so when IE approached me with the position of a country representative for Russia and Ukraine – I took it!”

Polovneva now plays a pivotal role in education management, representing all programs including masters and MBAs, and has key responsibilities in strengthening alumni relations.

“It’s very different from working in a corporate world but it has lots of benefits. If you have a great idea, few people need to approve it. The majority of my colleagues have an MBA from the same school which creates great basis for the company’s culture and spirit.”

Being at the forefront of the MBA world is one of the aspects that Polovneva enjoys most about her job.

“I deal with a great product that helps people improve their lives, and hopefully help countries to gain more competitiveness on the global scope because they will have an increase of well-educated people. Plus, I work closely with professors who have the latest knowledge in their fields. In short, we keep close to the MBA world.”

Self-management on an MBA

Prior to her current role, Polovneva held marketing management positions with some of the biggest names in digital technology. She worked as a marketing manager at Apple in the official distributor company that was responsible for marketing activities on the Ukrainian market and lead brand marketing department at Samsung Electronics Ukraine. Now having graduated with an international MBA in the top 20% of her class, she feels she is a better manager.

“I have a totally different opinion about myself and the world around me. It takes me longer to make decisions now, but they’re of a much better quality.”

When asked how she managed the pressure of full-time MBA study, she says time management was key: “People generally say MBAs are very tough and demanding. Well they are, but that doesn’t necessarily mean sleeping three hours a day. If you manage your time correctly you will go to go to sleep at a reasonable time and have times for socializing and other hobbies.”

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