Francisco Barros Romero
I was born in Viña del Mar, Chile, and earned a Bachelor's degree in Business and Administration. Prior to my journey to IE, I had a 12-year career working with major corporations like The Coca-Cola Company, Microsoft, and Falabella Retail Group. With a strong background in Sales, I aspired to transition into a more Customer-oriented and product management role. That's why I, along with my wife and son, embarked on a new adventure in Madrid to experience life abroad, immerse ourselves in a different culture, and open an exciting chapter of studying at IE University.
“Trust the Process (and enjoy the process!)”
DEFINE YOUR EXPERIENCE IN the Master in Customer Experience and Innovation IN ONE WORD.
Challenging.
IN WHAT WAYS DO YOU THINK PROGRAM HAS CHANGED YOUR LIFE PROFESSIONALLY AND PERSONALLY?
I think the program has opened completely new fields for me professionally: to be able to witness firsthand the exciting world of service design and innovation has been really inspiring. Also seeing the passion of our professors made me realize that the academic field is also a huge opportunity to teach this and spread the word. On the personal side, it was a powerful and nurturing family experience since we came to Madrid as a family with my wife and our 1-year-old son, and also I met some amazing people along the way that I can call now my friends.
WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR FAVORITE MEMORY OF YOUR EXPERIENCE?
I treasure the Creative Processes and Practices class by our Master’s Director Andrew PW McCarthy. I understood what it took to be creative, and learned a lot, but also really had a lot of fun during that exciting journey.
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO STUDY THIS PROGRAM AT IE?
I chose to study the Master of Customer Experience and Innovation because I realized that this field of business had a lot of room to grow in the future. I worked for many years in big companies in Chile and this area was always small, but as time passed it got bigger and bigger. Then COVID came and the need to reach the consumer in a unique and meaningful way became a real urgency. It was a game changer and I wanted to help change the game. So I researched for quality programs around the world and I bumped into IE University’s program, with a modern and very complete proposal.
WHAT WERE SOME OF THE MAIN CHALLENGES THAT YOU ENCOUNTERED ON YOUR WAY? HOW DID YOUR MASTER PROGRAM AND IE HELP YOU THROUGH THESE CHALLENGES?
I think the main challenge that I and my colleagues faced was to learn to unlearn. We all came to the program with a previous idea of the world that needed to be challenged to find novelty and innovation for the many cases we worked on. The IE faculty and staff were such great support and inspiration, guiding me and the others on that tricky but insightful process.
WHAT IS NETWORKING LIKE IN the program?
IE gives you all the means, tools, and support to be able to build a good network, and it is up to you to define how far you want to get. I think that in this Master we were able to create not only great connections with strategic design firms and design-driven companies but also with many people from other programs as the academic year went by. I can for sure say that today my network is stronger than the one I started with.