Tell us a little about your background prior to coming to study with DMEM:
I did my Bachelor’s degree in Engineering Management at the Universidad de Santiago.
I worked for 2 years in the field of Marketing Analytics within two companies: BASF and Oriflame.
During my Bachelor’s I spent one semester in Wiesbaden, Germany, as an exchange student at the Hochschule RheinMain.
Throughout my work experience at Oriflame, where I was a Demand Forecaster, I worked very closely with the Product Planning department and got interested in product development and afterwards in innovation management.
Why did you choose to study at DMEM?
I chose to study at the Department of Design, Manufacturing & Engineering Management because it offered a degree, MSs in Global Innovation Management delivered by two universities in two different countries that I am interested in.
Studying this course also gave me the opportunity to improve my English and German language skills. Additionally, both universities seemed to have very good reputations and successful alumni.
Where are you currently working and what does your role involve?
I work in the Digital Banking division of BBVA in Santiago de Chile as an Innovation Consultant / Facilitator / Agent (my title in Spanish is Gestora de Innovación). My main duties involve analysing the Latin American innovation ecosystem, identifying promising financial technology (fintech) start-ups, exploring them and co-developing projects, when suitable.
We find appropriate fintech start-ups through an annual innovation call as well as during innovation and entrepreneurship events. There are also many start-ups that come to us voluntarily and pitch their ideas to us. Besides that, my daily work involves mostly the management of the innovation projects we develop with the start-ups that have been chosen.
How did studying with DMEM provide you with the opportunity to begin or further your career?
For my current position, my company was actually looking for people who had studied Innovation Management. Also, my Master’s degree provided me with the opportunity to gain work experience within the field of Innovation Management at Airbus in Hamburg, where I completed an internship and wrote my Master’s degree thesis.
Have you faced or overcome any challenges or obstacles in the pursuit of your studies and/or career?
The whole MSc course experience was often a challenge, in terms of culture, language, finances, studies and social life but I believe I overcame all of these challenges and I had a really enriching, unforgettable and amazing experience.
What have been the highlights of your course to date?
Successfully completing the MSc in Global Innovation Management.
What advice would you give to a current DMEM student?
Don’t limit yourself to just attending your compulsory lectures in order to study for your exams and just pass them. Join all kinds of activities, immerse yourself in the culture, take on internships/student jobs and learn as much as you can in every respect.
What do you consider your greatest success and did DMEM contribute to such success?
I consider living and studying abroad for two years while facing and overcoming big personal and professional challenges my greatest success. From my perspective, I am a better person now than I was before this experience because I gained so much knowledge, not only about the field of Innovation Management, but also about work, relationships, cultures, etc.
Thanks to DMEM I got to see one of the most beautiful countries in the world, I met great people and had a really exciting student life. Being a “Strathy” was really fun and I honestly miss it a lot.