We caught up with EADA International Master in Management alumnus Alessandro Birritta in his position as Manager of Strategy & Operations at Deloitte consulting in Spain. Alessandro started his career in Deloitte nearly 5 years ago as an Analyst, and in this interview he explains a bit about the industry and offers advice to new graduates.
What was the highlight of your experience in the International Master in Management?
Looking back, the two aspects of the International Master in Management that have had the biggest impact on my experience are the people that I met and the final project that we developed. In my year, there were more than 150 international students with different backgrounds to learn from – these peers became friends and now form an important part of my professional network. For my final project, I chose to work as a consultant for 6 months, with the very real challenge of working for a real client.
How did your experience in the International Master in Management prepare you for your current position in consulting?
The International Master in Management helped me to understand where I wanted to work, thanks to the in-depth classes, and it prepared me to compete in an international environment, thanks to the 40 nationalities in the classroom. On top of that, all of the modules at the Residential Training Campus helped me to strengthen some of the most important soft skills to adapt and succeed in this industry.
At EADA, there were more than 150 international students with different backgrounds to learn from – these peers became friends and now form an important part of my professional network.
What advice would you give to current MiM students or candidates interested in getting into consulting?
Consulting is the best way to start a professional career. Whether you want to go into HR or finance, pharma or banking, a startup or a multinational, this industry teaches you the skills you need to succeed in any business (planning, time management, problem solving, excellence). So go for it!
What skills did you learn during the programme that you use in your day-to-day?
To name just a few: teamwork; presentation, negotiation skills; the capacity to connect the dots and see the big picture; and the ability to work (efficiently) under pressure.
What is it like to work in an area like consulting that is constantly evolving? How do you keep up?
In order to keep adding value to your clients, you have to constantly look at the way the world is changing. You must understand how these changes will affect the industries in which your clients are players. At the same time, you need to identify the skills required to compete in this new environment and commit to developing those that you still have to learn. The world is changing faster than ever, and this is the only way to keep up.
What are your professional plans for the future? Are there any areas, sectors that you would like to explore, etc.?
I love this job! At the moment, I can’t see myself in any other industry. The only other area that is appealing to me is education – at some point I would like to have the chance to teach young students everything that I have learned during my years in consulting.
