Posts Tagged ‘MBA#8217;

Moritz Heck, Dual Degree IMBA-MIAF

Moritz is a passionate entrepreneur with a strong drive to revolutionize the offline shopping experience through the stocard App. After graduating from IE Business School, Moritz has been working on his business venture and is currently holding the position of Business Development/CFO of Stocard, Germany.

Here is his entrepreneurial story:

Are you tired of the mess in your wallet overfilled with loyalty cards and coupons? – The free Stocard app collects all loyalty cards on your smartphone and is now available on the Spanish app store. Providing users with personalized offers and coupons, Stocard creates a unique communication channel, through which offline retailers can reach young mobile customers. Moritz Heck has joint Stocard after completing his dual degree at IE Business School last December. He is convinced that the Stocard app has the potential to change the offline shopping experience. Working as CFO & Head of Business Development he can put the entrepreneurial knowledge into practice, which he acquired during his MBA and Master in Finance at IE Business School.

The Stocard app has already replaced about four million plastic loyalty cards for more than one million users in several countries. Now it also puts Spanish customers’ wallets on a diet. Stocard currently ranks 1^st in the Spanish app store – just a few days after its launch. “Smartphones are the future. They can completely replace all loyalty cards with the free Stocard app for iPhone and Android”, says David Handlos, CEO and founder of Stocard.

Stocard is very easy to use: Simply scan your loyalty card with your smartphone’s camera. The app then creates a digital version of the card on your phone. Stocard already supports 100 default loyalty cards – from Club Vips, over El Corte Ingles to Shell Clubsmart. If a rare card is not on the list, you can type in the store’s name by hand and easily add the desired card. Whenever you want to use your loyalty card, just show your phone with the digital copy and receive discounts and rewards, just as you would with the plastic card.

In May, Moritz will be able to put his IE experience into action, when he will pitch Stocard at the biannual IE Venture Days in Madrid. Stocard has been announced as one of the ten finalists presenting in front of VCs from across the globe. This will be an excellent opportunity to find potential international partners for Stocard’s future expansion in Europe and beyond.

First published on Finance Masters Blog.

There’s a Japanese proverb that says that the person who makes poor quality goods is worse than a thief, because he makes things that neither last nor provide true satisfaction, while a thief at least redistributes wealth in society. Well, when it comes to quality Prof. María Eugenia Girón knows everything there is to know.

Here she speaks about luxury and perfection, while touching on the ancient and intriguing Japanese Wabi Sabi concept of beauty, which is about seeking beauty in the imperfections found in all objects. As you might know, the aesthetic values of Wabi Sabi have inspired a great many aspects of Japanese culture, including the tea ceremony, flower arranging, haiku, garden design, and noh theater.

Prof. Girón has many sides and talents. She holds a degree in industrial engineering and is a Harvard MBA graduate. She has also studied art, worked as CEO of Carrera & Carrera, is a member of a large number of boards, including that of Oceana, and also she is the Executive Director of the Premium & Prestige Business Observatory etc. etc. But most of all she is just a really nice person. What else can I say?

P.S. Prof. Girón is the author of the book “Inside Luxury”.

First published in The Other Side, the blog about the other side of IE Faculty

It is difficult to get a sense on how students spend their non-lecture time at IE. For potential candidate this piece of information however is important as a Master degree in a foreign country should not just only be about academics and learning. Immersing into culture, learning Spanish and build up the personal and professional network are as critical to the overall experience.

It is a reality that students spend long hours working in teams preparing presentations, discuss projects and find solutions to the problems highlighted in each case. It is also true that on top you have to spend several hours prior to your team meetings to read all those case studies and technical notes.

However, there seems to be also time for the other “more exciting student life” meaning joining student clubs, networking and partying. Check the web of the IE Campus Life and their facebook page to really learn which student clubs are doing what.

In this video IE Business School leadership professor Margarita Mayo uses tango dancing as a metaphor to speak about leadership. She draws an interesting comparison between the two from the perspective of the dancer’s role in tango.

The origin of the word tango has always intrigued me. There are many theories about its roots. One is that it is actually an onomatopoeic term because the word tango sounds like the drums used in early forms of the dance. Opposers of this theory say that the drum was never a typical tango instrument. The first tango instruments were the violin, guitar, flute, and later a concertina-style instrument called the bandoneon.

Another theory is that the word tango originated from the Italian word tangere, which means ‘to touch’. However, considering that early tango did not feature the close embrace it is known for today, the word tangere is hardly likely to be the origin.

Some say that the most plausible theory is that which claims the word tango has African roots. In several African languages, tango means indoors – the closed space which was used for dancing… Well, who knows. The fact is that tango has become a dance form that is admired the world over.

Maybe we can’t be certain about the origin of the word tango, but one thing is for sure and that is that the world needs meaningful leadership. Listen to what Prof. Mayo has to say about both. You might end up wanting to dance with her just like Prof. Burak Konyuncu from Rouen Business School did.

First published on The Other Side, the IE Blog about the other side of IE faculty

In an upcoming talk about “How to create successful brands” (Singapore, April 17, 19.00, register here) Prof. Dr. Martin Boehm will reveal the strategic role that brands play in driving business growth and profitability and why have brands become key assets in organizations.

In a highly competitive and saturated market environment, building strong brands has become an imperative need. The best way to keep customers and attract new ones is to ensure you have a unique value proposition that is both rationally and emotionally different.

To know Prof Boehm a little better, we asked him some questions about himself and why he is so passionate about branding and marketing. Another impression you can gain from this short video.

How did you come to IE?

As a faculty member I was interested in working at a business schools which is among the best business schools in the world and at the same time follows a very practical, hands-on approach to teaching and research.

What is your background?

I am a marketer by training. However, before joining IE Business School I also gained experience in the management consulting industry.

Why are you is so passionate about what you teach

Marketing rocks! It rules the world.

What do you learn from IE students?

As I am teaching marketing at IE Business School, I am in the fortunate situation to teach a subject which is accessible to everybody. Students are more than happy to share interesting marketing stories from around the world. This provides me with the great opportunity to constantly learn about new marketing ideas and concepts.

There are certain people you meet in life that make you feel you could tell them anything. I call them “Divan People” because it’s as if there were an irresistible force pulling you towards them and causing you to talk as freely as if you were on a psychologist’s Couch. This is the case of Juan Humberto Young Elser, IE Business School Prof. of Positive Leadership & Strategy. When he looks at you, he looks deep into your heart. I know it isn’t possible for him to look at you right this minute, but if you listen to what he has to say you will probably see what I mean.

Prof. Humberto Young Elser graduated from Harvard, spent years at UBS, and now runs his own investment consulting firm. He does kick-boxing, yoga, and aikido. Everything he does seems to flow in the same direction, and he explains how important this flow concept is not only for aikido, but also for management.

One of the secrets of his success appears to be that he never stops learning (he is currently taking a course on mindfulness based cognitive therapy at Oxford University. When I said that I thought it was too late for me to start with Aikido he said “You really think so? I started with Aikido when I was 54. It’s not as late as you think…”.

Enjoy the flow!!!

First published on The Other Side, the blog about the other side of IE faculty.

Deep Mehta

My name is Deep Mehta and I am a current student of the International MBA (November 2012 intake) at IE. As some of you must have guessed, I am an Indian and an engineer (that’s almost obvious) by qualification; but a polymer engineer (we are a rare species) and not an IT guy. Post that I have also done a short course from India’s premier institute Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad and a diploma in Marketing Management. After graduation I worked for a Dutch Multinational as Business Development Executive (for engineering plastics) for around 3 years. However, at the back of my head I always knew that I wanted to be an entrepreneur and be my own boss. After a lot of introspection and networking trying to find out what my true calling is, I quit my job in March 2012 to co-found Bombay Clothing Company. Bombay Clothing Company is a clothing company which has its own brand name TYGR (www.tygr.in) and also caters to corporate orders.

Choosing the right MBA program which caters to one’s specific career needs can be one of the most difficult tasks – I know it was for me. I remember spending hours researching, reading and talking to alumni from various schools to find out which school fits my needs.

When choosing a school my top three priorities were –

a)      Focus on Entrepreneurship – I fell in love with IE the moment I read “a school built by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs”. Coming from an entrepreneurial background and always wanting to build my own company, I wanted to go to a school that would help me do just that. The courses, the venture lab (an accelerator/incubator), and the venture network (every Thursday 7pm there are three or more start-up who pitch to Venture Capitalists on campus) are amongst the things that attracted me to the school.

b)      Diversity – IE’s focus on diversity is one of the best facets of the IMBA program. In the November 2012 intake we have 68 nationalities – it’s a little odd when you meet someone and don’t know where that country is or you don’t know anything beyond “oh ya I have heard of it”. IT ADDS MANIFOLDS TO THE LEARNING. Also, IE during its launch program and the study groups ensures that you don’t have more than one person from one nationality in one study group. This means that you learn from people from different educational backgrounds, work experiences and cultures.

c)      Course Flexibility – For me it’s amazing to see how IE has miraculously fitted in a whole bunch of options in its 13 months program. In term 4 and 5 I could either do a long exchange at one of the most revered universities in the world, I could put my project into the Venture Lab and get a dedicated mentor for 4 months while taking some elective subjects, or I could choose from a whole bunch of electives and tailor everything to my requirements, which is especially interesting for people looking for a career change, or I could do an internship among other options. The things to do are numerous but everything depends on what YOUR SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS ARE.

The above mentioned points were my top 3 reasons for selecting IE as my school. However, I forgot to mention that “it has been RANKED EUROPES #1 BUSINESS SCHOOL” and “RANKED #11 for its MBA PROGRAM in the world by the Financial Times in 2013”…

This post was first published on the International MBA Blog.

Work hard, play hard and have fun – this is probably a statement every MBA student can sign. After long sessions of case discussions, presentations, negotiations, there is always time to enjoy. Watch the video from one of the sections of the MBA which graduated literally one year ago in December 2011.

The 7th edition of the IE Social Responsibility Forum was held on November 23rd and 24th, and welcomed speakers from a number of companies including, Gabi Zedlmayer; Vice President of Global Social Innovation at HP, Maite Arago; VP and Director of Corporate Social Responsibility at Grupo Vips, Stephanie Schmidt; Director FEC Mexico at Ashoka, and Jean-Christophe Laugee; Director of Social Innovation and Ecosystem at Danone. The IE Social Responsibility Forum is the largest student-run event at IE.

For more information on this event: http://srforum.ie.edu/
For more information on Social Responsibility at IE:http://www.ie.edu/values/social-responsibility.php

Various IE Business School alumni spoke to current students about career changes, how to deal with failure, and about keeping your mind open.