We interviewed Maria Briones Vidal, a Spanish alumna from the International MBA class of 2014. Maria’s professional career is very closely linked to her sports career as a hockey player. She graduated with a degree in Psychology and Politics from Spain and the United States. After working for several years in human resources, she completed her MBA at EADA. Maria describes her experience in the MBA as a turning point in her professional career that enabled her to take up posts such as the one she currently holds as a member of the Young Talents Programme at Anheuser-Busch InBev.
What has the MBA meant for you?
It was a step forward in my professional life and in my personal life as well. It not only enabled me to learn a great number of the skills that I apply in my day-to-day work, but the fact that it is such an intense programme allowed me to test my personal limits together with people from other countries, languages and cultures.
What’s more, EADA’s approach not only focuses on technical knowledge, but also on developing managerial skills. It allowed me to think more in depth about the next steps I needed to take in my professional career.
How has the MBA helped you in your career?
I wouldn’t have the job I have now if it weren’t for the MBA at EADA. I found out about the job thanks to an exchange programme I went on at Rotterdam School of Management. During the 4-month programme, I worked on team dynamics, teamworking activities, personal interviews and case studies, all in a short period of time. The preparation I received in EADA –knowledge about companies, capacity for analysis, handling stressful situations– in addition to the coaching that helped me with the final interviews in the selection process, enabled me to address the process in a way that I wouldn’t have been able to previously.
What makes the EADA MBA stand out from other MBAs?
- The EADA methodology based on “learning by doing”.
- The quality of the professors, who also have extensive professional experience.
- The programme is a general programme with a focus on innovation and entrepreneurship.
How did what you learned in the MBA help you in your current position?
I can distinguish clearly between a knowledge of management and management skills. As a psychologist, I had very different qualifications to those of many of my classmates at EADA, and I think this ultimately helped me because a large part of the MBA was new to me. I gained a great deal of perspective during the MBA, and the case studies and methodology helped me to always maintain a holistic view of the business. Today, when I come up against a problem or a project, I can look at it from different perspectives and this is very enriching.
Moreover, having worked with so many cultures and languages helps me in my current company, which is a multinational. I work in English 60% of the time with people from all over the world.
What is the most special memory you have from your year at EADA?
It’s hard to choose just one. The truth is that I have taken a lot of memories with me from EADA. Perhaps one of the best moments was the day we presented the final project, realising that you I had changed and improved in many aspects and that I had done an incredible job with my team.