Georgetown-ESADE Global Executive MBA: Alumni Interview

Emilio del Castillo
Entrepreneur, Senior International Consultant
Georgetown-ESADE Global Executive MBA, Class of 2010

Almost 20 years on from university, Emilio del Castillo headed back into the classroom. He tells Ann Graham about the insights he’s gained at business school.

Emilio del Castillo has a Bachelor in Economics, as well as an MBA from ESADE Business School in Barcelona, and that’s not to mention 19 years of professional experience for multinational consumer and pharmaceutical companies in Spain, Portugal and the United Kingdom. But del Castillo wasn’t done with education – just yet.

Early last year, del Castillo enrolled in the Global Executive MBA (GEMBA) in Barcelona, a joint Executive MBA program between ESADE Business School in Spain and Georgetown University in Washington DC, US. “Nineteen years after leaving university I thought it was the right time to ‘recycle myself’ and to get new insights to play successfully in the environment of international business, which is quite different to the one two decades ago,” del Castillo says.

A month away from graduating and del Castillo, a senior international consultant, says the program has been a fascinating experience. “In my professional career I have always worked for multinational companies, with international responsibilities and have been expatriated for some years. However, the reason I decided to pursue an EMBA was because I was aiming to strengthen my international skills to push my international career and to get a deeper knowledge, especially of emerging countries – which is a focus of the program.

“There are several highlights of the program but first is becoming a member of a truly intercultural group with classmates from 13 different countries; second is having classes in eight different locations in six countries in three continents; and third is to go through a program with courses focused on developing international and cross-cultural skills.”

As an international consultant, del Castillo is responsible for developing projects in the fields of competitiveness, trade and SME’s improvement, funded by multilateral institutions such as the EU, the development banks and the United Nations agencies. He also works on providing training and consulting in the private sector on corporate strategy, sales, marketing and business development. “Undoubtedly, the GEMBA program provides you with a competitive advantage versus other professionals because the knowledge and skills developed are quite unique, so for sure it is making a difference and opening new professional doors.

“I haven’t finished my program yet, but some opportunities have appeared recently so the next months promise to be very interesting. I’m sure my career will change positively,” he says.

Back in the real world and del Castillo says the social network he has created through his EMBA program is ‘priceless’. “I have had the opportunity of meeting people from diverse countries, not only within the class but also in the different locations where we have had the courses.

“To give you some examples, I have increased my networking in the US, Russia, India, China, Brazil, Argentina and the Emirates. The contact will be kept – we have already organized our first meeting post-program in Germany in October 2010 and we are planning another one in Dubai in the first quarter of 2011.”

Apart from the knowledge and skills you can learn through the academic content of the Executive MBA program, del Castillo says the program “opens your eyes”. “It helps you to really understand what is happening in the international environment of business and provides you with insights and guidance to understanding how to play in the future,” he says.

“The global businesses in the future will require new ways of thinking and much more flexibility, innovation, competitiveness and intercultural skills and these are some of the key areas that the program aims to develop.”

del Castillo may have waited almost two decades to return to the classroom, but he’s encouraging others to embark on their own EMBA experience. “I would really encourage any professional to pursue the GEMBA because it is a unique opportunity of personal and professional development,” del Castillo says.

“It makes a difference and I’m sure that in some years I will say that my professional career has had two big stages: before and after finishing the GEMBA program.”