We interviewed Canadian Rankin Lutz, recent graduate of EADA’s International Master in Management. Before joining EADA, Rankin worked at Duxbury Law in Canada after obtaining his LLB from the University of Sussex, Brighton (United Kingdom). Rankin had also previously studied at Universitat Autonóma Barcelona where he learned Spanish and lived in Barcelona for 2 years. He currently works as an entrepreneur in Quito, Ecuador.
In the interview, Rankin shares his experience in the Cross-Functional Management Specialisation. Participants in this specialisation completed a project with Enric Pujol, SVP Corporate Operations of Avicanna Inc. The project analysed the challenges facing the innovative biopharmaceutical company Avicanna. This is one of 3-4 specialisations offered each year in the third trimester of the International Master in Management. The specialisations provide an opportunity for participants to explore where their passion lies and jump-start their career.
The Cross-Functional Management Specialisation opened my eyes to these concepts, and taught me how to put them into practice – it has changed my approach to almost every aspect of business.
What has been the greatest take away from the Cross-Functional Management specialisation?
As I don’t have a business background, the Cross-Functional Management Specialisation (CFM) was the perfect specialisation for me. The CFM specialisation does a great job of taking everything that I had learned throughout the year, amalgamating it and digging a little bit deeper. It helped broaden my understanding of business functions and allowed me to take a step back and see the bigger picture.
My biggest takeaway has to be how much of an impact modern-day technology is making on businesses today. The first weeks of the specialisation were all about how integrating new technological systems in a business can help maximise performance, cut costs, and produce better, more efficient results. This up-to-date strategy combined with our weekly presentations on improving a real-world businesses really helped consolidate my knowledge.
How did the faculty and professionals in the specialisation contribute to your learning?
The professors during the specialisation were very informative – it was a pleasure to work with them. They were practicing professionals in their respective fields, excited and passionate about sharing their experience with the class.
Now, when a prospective client requests advice on strategy, marketing or supply chain, I feel prepared to quickly understand the issue and devise a solution.
What was the most important thing you learned from working as a consultant with AB InBev?
My class was fortunate enough to work with a company from my home country of Canada. We consulted on daily operations as well as supply chain management.
Through working with AB InBev, I learn that consulting is interesting, confusing and exciting! I experienced first-hand that consultants do not always receive all of the necessary information from clients. I also saw that if you enjoy a challenge and like discovering solutions for a real problem, consulting can be both thrilling and rewarding. Now, when a prospective client requests advice on strategy, marketing or supply chain, I feel prepared to quickly understand the issue and devise a solution.
To read other interviews in this series, click on the following links:
- MiM Specialisation Consulting: Lucia and Anne-Sophie learn about the industry first-hand
- MiM Specialisation Innovation Management: Judith and Cosma bring ideas to life
- MiM Specialisation Cross-Functional Management: Clara gets ready to face transformation
- MiM Specialisation Entrepreneurship: Aryan learns a new approach to business