ESIC's International MBA: a cutting-edge program

Interview with Daniel Martínez Canca, Director of the International MBA at ESIC

ESIC Business & Marketing School, with more than five decades of history, has established itself as one of the most prestigious business schools in Spain and internationally.

Founded in 1965, ESIC has developed an educational approach focused on marketing and business management, offering high-quality academic programs that combine theory and practice to prepare the leaders of the future. With campuses in Spain and Brazil, ESIC has trained thousands of professionals who now stand out in various industries around the world.

El International MBA (IMBA) from ESIC It is distinguished by its focus on leadership and entrepreneurship, aspects that have been intensified in the last three years. This program has integrated mentors, tutors, experts and partner companies to enrich the student experience, incorporating emerging trends and technologies crucial for decision-making in business administration with a global perspective.

The specificity and depth of the academic content are reflected in the intensive use of business cases, providing a high practical level to the classes. In addition, the teaching staff has been further internationalized, made up entirely of active CEOs, executive directors and senior management consultants, of whom around 70% are PhDs. This structure ensures that students receive training from highly qualified professionals with real experience in the business world.

The program also has a international partner network which is continually evaluated to guarantee total and specialized immersion of students in different global markets. This international orientation, together with the double accreditation of AMBA and EFMD, positions ESIC's International MBA in a competitive position within the world ranking of MBA programs.

With Daniel Martínez Canca as director, ESIC's IMBA sets the standard in the training of global business leaders, prepared to face the challenges of a constantly changing business environment. Daniel has a degree in Molecular Biology and Medical Pathology from UCLAN University, and has an outstanding academic and professional career. He has carried out research projects in chemotherapy and has several postgraduate degrees in Medical Genetics from the International Agency against Cancer in Lyon, in Education from UNIR and in Marketing and Commercial Management from ESIC. With more than 25 years of experience in the health and pharmaceutical sector, he has worked in oncology research, medical center management, clinical trials and business model transformation. In addition, he has led business plans and digital transformation at a global level in multinational pharmaceutical and consulting companies. Currently, he is a consulting analyst on digital trends and artificial intelligence in the health area and CEO of ESEMED, where he leads corporate strategies focused on omnichannel and process optimization.

What distinctive features does ESIC's International MBA have that differentiate it from other similar programs?

Daniel Martínez Canca: In principle, we would try to group them into eight. The first would be the nature of entrepreneurship and leadership that the program proposes. It has focused on entrepreneurship and leadership precisely because of the exit profile we intend for the students. Although it is the main point on which the entire program pivots, it is also important to highlight its ranking worldwide, although it varies each year. Of the 1500 institutions that exist at this moment, being in the top 60 is something that matters a lot to us, and we continue working so that, thanks to the work we do and another of the differentiating points, which is precisely being double accredited at an international level, That ranking can continue to rise.

Being double accredited also has an implication on the type of people, both students and teachers. It should be noted that the entry profile of each student is measured very exhaustively. That is, the admissions process is exhaustive. A very specific profile is requested, people who provide professional experience within an amalgamation of students who come from many countries. In an average of 20 or 25 students, we always have at least ten or twelve different nationalities, where the Spanish presence does not particularly stand out, but rather We have students from almost all continents, except Australia. All the other continents have already passed through the INBA classrooms. And as for the teaching staff, the fact of being internationally accredited It implies that we have to monitor, required by the accreditor and by our internal team, the type of experience that each of these professionals has.

It is very different from other programs in that we not only aim for 100% of the group of teachers to have both a business and academic activity. Therefore, all of them are CEOs of our companies or general directors, or marketing directors or consultants at management level to be part of the list of teachers. At the same time, the fact of being accredited requires that these teachers, at least 50%, have a PhD. At this moment, 70% of our professionals have a doctorate, which provides much more added value when it comes to classes. If we also focus on differentiating the program in content, we will realize that if you do a small sweep of programs at a national and international level, not only in Europe, but also in United States, the program contemplates or includes a whole series of subjects, latest trends, technology and any other dynamics or management methodology that is currently leading in various markets.

How is the program structured to foster management and leadership skills in an international and entrepreneurial environment?

DM: Mainly it has a marked and obligatory global character, thanks to the cases and the contents we use. All subjects have a very high practical level that is based on cases from the Biomedical Engineering faculty at Harvard University, typical cases of ESIC already published and validated. Furthermore, thanks to the fact that the teachers belong to different sectors and industries and many of them are active, as is my case, we bring to the classroom business cases, business realities that occur to us at many levels, which greatly enriches the type of practicality. , the discussion and debates that are created with professionals such as INBA students.

What type of intercultural and immersive experiences does the program offer students?

DM: There are mainly two levels: one is the local level and another is the international level. At the local level, ESIC has a wide range of recreational, sports and cultural activities for all students, not only international but also national. Specifically for international students, in addition to including them in all those activities planned and programmed by ESIC, we also have very specific things, such as a job fair for them, an immersion in different activities with students who are from national MBAs so that they have the opportunity to networking, which is another of the great points of the program, and also with other students from other international programs so that there is that environment, that international climate that we always pursue.

Could you describe how the program helps students face and solve challenges in an increasingly globalized environment?

DM: As I said before, the global nature of the program, from the conception of the content to the execution of the practical cases, always has a global and international focus. There is nothing in the contents that focuses on the national part, but all the contents and cases have that focus. In fact, we mark sectors, industries and countries. Many of the activities are regulated by indications that projects, products or services have to be launched from one specific country to another, and in some cases they are even restricted to those two countries not being of the European Union so that it has an even more international character.

What specific objectives are sought to be achieved with international stays in Tallinn, known as the European capital of digitalization, and at the double accredited SISU in Shanghai and how are these international experiences integrated into the MBA curriculum and what impact do they have on training? of the students?

DM: It is another differentiating factor of the school and the program. Why Tallinn and why Shanghai? Basically we intend to have a double route in the students' curricular program. There are some students who, already during the admissions process, indicate to us that they are more interested in emerging countries or countries that are the future of business, such as Asian markets. And what better than to focus one of those routes on Shanghai. That is why there is a large part of the students who, already during the interview process, decide and express that they want to specialize in Asian markets. The entire program, together with the international experience, greatly enriches the student's vision at an international level for the markets in which they intend to work. And the Asian market, of course, is one of the greats of the present and the future.

On the other hand, the concept of that part of the program in that destination is also for those other students who want to focus their business management skills on the most digital part of the company's market, on trends, where a series of milestones occur in around totally digital elements. This does not mean that those who go to Shanghai will not evaluate them, because the program itself already includes all trends such as artificial intelligence, machine learning and big data. But it is true that those students who choose the route of Tallin They are going to face a digital challenge, and the immersion they have is in the same depth as those who go to China, only that those who go to Estonia are going to work 100% on a project that will consist of how to face the challenge of digitizing a client's business.

Why Tallinn? Tallinn is currently the digital capital of Europe, where practically any type of management, whether personal, professional or with the government, can be carried out from home. In addition, it is the country with the largest number of companies owned by people who are not from Estonia, which makes it even more interesting.

ESIC's International MBA is accredited by EPAS and AMBA. What do these accreditations mean for the students and the prestige of the program?

DM: Being accredited is a question that is always on the table when a student approaches the program. Being dually accredited means that it has quality standards that go far beyond other programs that are not internationally accredited. There are three large international accreditors. We have double accreditation from AMBA and EFMD, which is the European Foundation for Management Development. Each of them sets us a series of quality indicators and, in addition, at regular periods they ask us to report any type of improvement. Any type of appreciation we receive from them has to be answered with a very exhaustive document that explains why we rose in the ranking. And these indicators refer to any area of the program: at the level of people (students or teachers), evaluation procedures, content and business cases that we use.

Upon completion of the program, students earn an International MBA degree from ESIC University. What doors open for graduates with this degree?

DM: It is a very interesting question because it has two different facets. One is the exit profile of some of the students. Many of them come from the finance area, others come from management of not so financial areas and others come from more operational areas. Depending on this entry profile, thanks to the program, they end up occupying management positions in middle and senior positions in companies, generally multinationals. Not only at the end of the program, but on many occasions these students manage to enter these companies during the program thanks to our internship program. Furthermore, this is complemented by another additional program called Extension Program, in which they can request to gain more experience with other international experience that is neither Estonia nor China, thanks to our international partners, which greatly strengthens their resume when facing any job interview. These students also go through a job fair that we organize specifically for them, and the amount of skills and competencies that are acquired during the program, both here and abroad, are more than enough for us to have a 93% employability ratio.