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Online Executive MBA Students Do Business In Buenos Aires

MIP Politecnico di Milano’s International Flex EMBA takes distance-learning students on week-long trips to global destinations

Tue Sep 19 2017

BusinessBecause
In July this year, students on MIP Politecnico di Milano’s International Flex EMBA (i-Flex) took part in a week-long international trip to Buenos Aires in Argentina, to develop their soft skills and visit companies in a unique business environment.

MIP’s i-Flex is an 18-month, 90%-online Executive MBA program, developed in partnership with Microsoft. Next year, MIP will offer two on-site international weeks taking place in either Italy, China, Mexico, or San Francisco’s Silicon Valley.

In Buenos Aires, EMBA students enjoyed visits to companies like e-commerce platform Mercado Libre, the coding school Digital House, and lectures from professors at the city’s IAE Business School. They built their networks and focused on key soft skills—cross-cultural communication, teamwork, and leadership.

MIP’s i-Flex EMBA is perfect for busy professionals looking to combine study with their full-time work. Launched last year, the program’s first intake boasts 35 students from 19 different countries. The trip to Buenos Aires was the first of its kind.

BusinessBecause caught up with two International Flex EMBA students— Stefano Cannata and Valentina Nardozi—to find out more.

Stefano Cannata

Stefano (pictured below left) previously studied a master’s in electronic engineering at Politecnico di Milano. He’s spent the last nine years at Hewlett-Packard, working in a variety of roles, from tech consulting to project management and operations based in Milan. Through his experience in Buenos Aires, he’s gained a more global perspective.

On the i-Flex… The i-Flex EMBA’s innovative, international format met my needs perfectly. Working full-time for a multinational company with remote-working teams, I was searching for a learning experience in line with my working style and flexibility requirements.

The EMBA’s international dimension also meant huge potential in terms of networking, which I’ve always considered as a compelling need for my professional growth.

I’m at a certain point of life where I need to capitalize on my different working experiences with a well-thought-out step forwards. MIP’s i-Flex EMBA is the right choice in this direction, helping me build the foundational skillset for my professional future, and a very valuable professional network!

stefano

On Buenos Aires… I was thrilled by the idea of diving deep into a different society, so far in distance, even if so close in culture.

The week in Buenos Aires was a real practice session, where I was able to strengthen soft skills like intercultural communication—a key skill to have working for multinational companies.

The professors’ lectures at IAE Business School shed light on the challenges and opportunities in Argentinian society today, and lessons about the central role of ethics in our success as business leaders.

Overall, the week in Buenos Aires was the best learning experience of my life. Like the whole of the MIP EMBA, it challenged my business acumen and widened my horizons to a global scale, opening my eyes to the Argentinian economy and giving me a deeper insight into my own country’s economy at the same time.

Valentina Nardozi

valentina

Valentina has worked almost a decade at leading tobacco company Philip Morris International. Previously based in Lausanne, Switzerland and Bologna, she’s now a key account coordinator for Italy, based in Rome and often travelling internationally. The week in Buenos Aires opened her eyes to new business opportunities in the Argentinian market.

On choosing the i-Flex…MIP’s i-Flex EMBA combined all the characteristics I was looking for in an MBA: high-quality education, effective teaching methods, flexibility, a multicultural environment, and networking.

Flexibility for me is crucial. I work for a multinational company. I travel a lot for business, and the i-Flex EMBA allows me to study wherever I am and whenever I need to. At the same time, the multicultural experiences on offer, like the international week in Buenos Aires, are providing me with new opportunities and ideas.

On Buenos Aires… The experience in Buenos Aires was important, personally and professionally. It gave me the chance to meet with my EMBA colleagues, professionals from all over the world, to share opinions and best practices.

High-profile professors like Raffaella Bossi Fornarini (from MIP), Filippo Passerini (a P&G executive), professors from IAE Business School, and a team from the Argentinian government, helped us learn how to deal with diversity, how to effectively negotiate, manage time, and think up new ideas.

Thanks to the opportunities to meet with professionals from growing national businesses like Mercado Libre, Coding School and B Curious, I could see that it’s probably in challenging environments, like Argentina today, that the best opportunities can be found.

I think what I learned the most in Buenos Aires is that if you carefully listen to people, especially those from different environments, and ask for their support, you can take the best from them and improve a lot.

Collaboration is the mantra of the i-Flex EMBA. I am focused on practicing active listening and collaboration every day, especially at work, to make positive impact on the projects I manage.

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