It’s a move characteristic of a business school at the cutting-edge of tech. Around a third of MBA students at EDHEC go on to work in the technology industry after graduation. Top employers include Microsoft, Google, and Amazon. The 10-month MBA program includes an international immersion week in Silicon Valley.
In the coming year, EDHEC is launching a specialization track in digital innovation in partnership with IBM, covering hot topics like AI, Blockchain, Design Thinking, and digital transformation.
EDHEC is ranked first in France for opening new career opportunities by the Economist, with demand for tech-savvy professionals with data analytics skills increasing at a rate of up to 23% each year.
BusinessBecause caught up with three EDHEC MBA grads working in the tech industry – in big data analytics and the Internet of Things (IoT) – to find out more.
Rudolph Broomes, MBA ‘14
Rudolph joined the EDHEC MBA with a 710 GMAT score and several years’ experience working in IT. He did his MBA capstone consulting project for Pearson, before landing a full-time data analyst job. Now, he works as a data scientist at BNP Paribas based in Lisbon.
On the EDHEC MBA… I chose EDHEC because it checked all the boxes. The school has a solid academic reputation, the MBA student body is diverse, and the tuition fee and scholarship structure is straightforward.
When my wife and I decided to move to Europe, I knew that I wanted to transition to working in business roles but it would have been a hard sell to future employers. The EDHEC Summer Consulting Project gave me the opportunity to work as an analyst on a growth strategy initiative for an education technology firm. Their management team was pleased with the quality of the work our MBA team provided and I worked with them over the following year. I wouldn’t have had that opportunity without EDHEC’s facilitation.
On his current role… I work in the Analytics Consulting team for BNP Paribas. When people ask what we do, I like to say, ‘we make business intelligent.’ We’re an internal consulting team that identifies problems around the bank and provide our stakeholders with data-driven, actionable intelligence.
Funnily enough, what I apply the most from my MBA are soft skills like cross-cultural communication. I’m based in Portugal, work for a French bank and consult with a team in the Middle Eas. On top of all that, I have to convey to non-technical audiences how a highly-technical solution will have the necessary business impact.
On big data analytics… A good leader makes informed decisions. You put yourself and your business at a severe disadvantage if you don’t have the toolset to cope with the increasingly large volumes of information available across all industries. For instance, today a marketer can analyze consumer sentiment in real-time from thousands of Twitter users and much more quickly decide whether a new product is a hit or miss.
If you are infinitely curious, there is an endless supply of data for you to explore and discover new entrepreneurial ideas. It’s definitely worth your time to learn big data analytics.
Joe Kurchock, MBA ‘13
Joe chose EDHEC for an international MBA experience outside the US. After graduation, he started a new role as analytics lead global mining firm BHP Billiton. He’s now travelling internationally, driving company efficiency with big data analytics.
On the EDHEC MBA… The biggest thing for me was finding a global school with a more mature, diverse class. I wanted to do something different, and live outside the US in a country where English isn’t the first language. I felt going into a program in Europe would add a different dimension to my background and help me stand out.
The classes at EDHEC reinvigorated my interest in data science. I also came out with a different appreciation for soft skills. We took classes in philosophy – I wouldn’t have had that in a traditional US business school.
On his current role… I work for the analytics and data science group at BHP – a big part of which was driven by the groundwork I laid after my MBA. The data classes I had got me back on that quantitative mind-set – thinking about how to help a company make better decisions utilizing technology – those ideas started while I was at EDHEC.
We’re a very geographically diverse company with offices in the US, Australia, Canada, Chile, Singapore. The EDHEC MBA gave me the ability to work in diverse teams across different geographical locations.
On big data analytics… You can’t have a successful company without having people knowledgeable in big data analytics. In my opinion, you don’t want a specific group always there to do it. It doesn’t matter if you’re in finance or HR, analytics and data science are everywhere.
I think data analytics is going to be more important than any other discipline in business school. Companies are going to be hiring you because of it.
Mike Eftimakis, MBA ‘05
A former engineer, Mike started his own company producing electronic products for children after an MBA at EDHEC. Now, he’s IoT product manager at ARM, a British multinational semiconductor company.
On the EDHEC MBA… I have an engineering background, and after 10 years in technical roles, I wanted to have a broader understanding of companies, economics and acquire a stronger background to get to management positions.
After my MBA, I decided to start my own company. This was something I always wanted to do, but I did not know where to start. The MBA was an excellent way to get the necessary tools to start.
When you manage a startup, you have to be very flexible, you need to be able to switch between roles and master all the skills: marketing, finance, production management, partnerships, legal – this is a great practice ground after the MBA!
Another interesting aspect was the relationships with people in the local business community. I could meet people at various events where MBA students were invited.
On his current role… I am now managing IoT system products at ARM, a position where I use my technical and business experience to be effective. I very often use the skills from my MBA experience, which is interesting in a technology-driven company.
Having a dual background is key in this job, since I have to be able to switch from the preparation of a customer presentation to a detailed discussion with my engineering team about the next features of our future products, or the creation of a business plan.
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