César Imbelloni: “EADA provided me with the tools I needed to achieve top performance in any organisation”
After gaining some experience at Accenture and Ab-InBev, you decided to do EADA’s Master Internacional en Finanzas – Bilingüe. What made you choose this moment for the Master?
After working for a few years, I was ready to study again and make a qualitative career move. I felt the need to continue growing. I also looked forward to the idea of living in another country, travelling and meeting people from different cultures. It was clearly the moment to do the Master. I chose EADA because it matched with what I was looking for in terms of content, teaching methodology and location. What’s more, I had received excellent recommendations from EADA alumni.
You have said on various occasions that you felt you were another person when you graduated. In what ways do you think the master changed you?
It was truly a very special year, a unique experience. I lived every moment very intensely. I met a lot of people from different backgrounds with perspectives very different from my own. I made new friends and contacts. I was constantly taking in new information. All this makes you see things from a different perspective and enables you to question everything. When I graduated, I felt like I was taking a lot more away from the experience than what I had expected.
You have said on various occasions that the master allowed you to acquire the skills needed for “any business”. Can you give an example?
Yes, what I mean is that the programme is very comprehensive because it covers all of the technical aspects and the numbers that a CFO need whilst at the same time providing a holistic view of the business world as a whole. I particularly remember the managerial skills modules at the Collbató Residential Training Campus, the soft skills workshops and the visits to different financial centres. The professors encouraged us to go beyond strictly “financial” issues and to think strategically. We were asked to analyse the viability of a business and constantly required to take decisions. The dynamics were intense, always working with case studies, which prepared me to tackle everyday issues in a real company.
Two months after finishing the Master, you landed a job with Unilever UK as a commercial executive. Tell us how this opportunity arose and what your role is in the company.
The UK has always appealed to me as a place to work. It was during the Master that I decided to move to London and look for a job after graduation. I took part in various selection processes, most of them in consultancies. After four applications, I was selected by Unilever for the commercial and financial management of convenience channel customers. Among other things, the job involves interacting with different retailers, taking part in price negotiations, finding out which products are the most profitable and deciding where to channel investments in promotions.
What does it mean to you to work for a company of international renown such as Unilever? How did what you learned at EADA help you in your current position?
I love a challenge, and I get great satisfaction from working in this market in a company like Unilever. It’s an important career move and obviously a very motivating job
EADA gave me all the tools and competencies to achieve top performance in Unilever, or in any institution. The key is this: the more self-demanding and dedicated you are, the more you can take advantage of opportunities and the more intense your experience will be.
Would you recommend doing a Master programme? Do you think it is a necessary step nowadays?
Yes! I think you have to take a step forward once you have completed your university degree to continue to grow as a professional. Moreover, the current job market is very competitive, and you need to differentiate yourself and deliver added value; a Master programme can provide this value. The experience can be even more rewarding if you have the opportunity to study abroad, because you can combine the content-based learning from the Master with the once-in-a-lifetime experience of living abroad.
You can learn more about César’s experience in this video.