Antonio Andújar Fernández

PLEASE, TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF—YOUR EDUCATION, PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE AND HOBBIES.

I am an Industrial engineer with a Master’s degree in Power Generation who has spent my whole career in the energy sector, specifically in the solar sector.  I started as a field engineer working on site in the construction of solar plants in many different countries (Portugal, Honduras, Philippines, Japan, Vietnam…) and in the last years I started in Project Management dealing with solar projects  in Spain and abroad. I am a very active person who loves doing sports like football, running, gym, swimming, calisthenics etc…

YOU HAVE MANAGED TO BUILD A LONG, SUCCESSFUL CAREER IN CONSTRUCTION AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT. WHAT HAS KEPT YOU MOTIVATED ALONG THE WAY?

I consider myself lucky to have worked on what I liked the most since I started my career: Renewable energies. Actually, my final project during my degree was a solar plant, so I  continued what I intentionally started. My motivation was to continue learning in this sector, even though I had to sacrifice family, friends and my beloved Spain.

FROM ENGINEER TO BUSINESS EXECUTIVE; WHAT INSPIRED YOUR UNIQUE CAREER PATH? WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO PURSUE THE EXECUTIVE MBA?

I have always had in my agenda to do an EMBA until I found the best professional and personal timing, as I wanted to continue learning and developing myself in order to be more prepared for executive roles and continue promoting in my career. An EMBA gives you a holistic vision that only as an engineer you cannot get.

HOW DID YOU LEARN ABOUT IE BUSINESS SCHOOL? WHAT FACTORS INFORMED YOUR CHOICE TO STUDY HERE?

I wanted to do an EMBA in an institution of world-wide recognized prestige and between the 2 Spanish ones that fulfill this requirement, I opted for IE among other reasons due to the blended program, which is mainly online, as I work 100% remotely in the South of Spain.

IN YOUR OPINION, HOW WILL THE EXECUTIVE MBA IMPACT YOUR CAREER?

It will allow me to continue promoting my career and to be much better prepared to opt for executive roles.

AFTER LEARNING MORE ABOUT YOURSELF AND YOUR PROFESSIONAL CAREER WE WANT TO KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT WHAT THE GIW HAS MEANT TO YOU. IN GENERAL, WHAT WOULD YOU SAY WAS THE MOST INTERESTING EXPERIENCE FOR YOU DURING THIS GLOBAL IMMERSION WEEK?

The program and the conferences were very diverse in terms of speakers, counting with VCs and entrepreneurships experience among others, but also diverse in topics, ranging from robotics, biotech, APIS… We visited different places and universities around Silicon Valley that allowed us to get a good insight of it.

UBER, TWITTER, ZOOM—YOU HAD THE CHANCE TO MEET WITH REAL HEAVYWEIGHTS FROM LEADING COMPANIES LIKE THESE AND MORE. WHICH BUSINESS LEADER INSPIRED YOU THE MOST? WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM THEM?

I found surprising how Twitter values entrepreneurship experience when hiring and its entrepreneurial mindset when launching new products. Twitter’s panelist explained his entrepreneurship experience before joining Twitter and how he applies those values to it. Zoom’s panelist gave us some good insights and remarked on the importance of having the founder in the company after many years in order not to lose the North Star.

AS PART OF YOUR TRIP, YOU HAD PANELS AND INFORMATIVE SESSIONS WITH FINANCIERS AND VENTURE CAPITALISTS. WHAT DID YOU LEARN ABOUT THE ROLE OF BUSINESS IN DRIVING ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND INNOVATION?

We had the chance to meet with VCs that reinforced the concepts we have studied during the course and explain at what they look when deciding to invest in a start-up. In the same way, we received advice and guidelines on how to pitch in front of investors.

IN YOUR OPINION, WHAT ARE THREE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT INSIGHTS GAINED OR LESSONS LEARNT FROM THIS EXPERIENCE?

• In entrepreneurship, the idea of the product should focus on solving problems, as there are great ideas that do not solve any problem, being one of the main causes of failure in entrepreneurship.
• VCs do not rely on technology as much as I thought, as there is an average pivot of 2,5 times. The team and market pain are more important factors.
• Silicon Valley is not a geography but a mindset; an ecosystem with unique characteristics that is difficult to replicate.

HOW WILL YOUR TIME AT IE BUSINESS SCHOOL, AND ENRICHING EXPERIENCES LIKE THE GLOBAL IMMERSION WEEK, ADD VALUE TO YOUR CAREER?

For the students that are doing the blended problem like me, we don’t have the opportunity to meet our classmates regularly, so the GIW was a good opportunity to do networking and expand my network with students from other programs like the GOMBA and the Face-to-Face Executive MBA taught in Madrid. In addition, for the students that are entrepreneurs or pretend to be entrepreneurs someday, we were given some valuable insights that should be taken into account in the journey.

WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PIECE OF ADVICE YOU HAVE FOR OTHER STUDENTS PURSUING, OR INTENDING TO PURSUE, THE EXECUTIVE MBA?

Doing an EMBA is a very rewarding experience but requires a lot of perseverance, dedication and  sacrifice, so I consider it very important to select the best professional and personal timing in order to cope with everything in the best possible way.