Prashant Søegaard
Prashant Søegaard is Head of Sales at Facebook, where he manages the relationships with top marketers and agencies for Facebook's entire family of apps, including Facebook itself, Instagram, Messenger, and Whatsapp. Prashant leads a multi-country team focused on a variety of verticals. Prior to working at Facebook, Prashant was an Industry Lead at Google and Global Head of Partnerships & Marketing at AIESEC International. Prashant sits on the Boards of several tech startups and advises them on how they can effectively scale up across the globe. Prashant graduated from the IE Global Online MBA in 2015 and is an Adjunct Professor at IE for the Global Online MBA in the areas of Digital Marketing, Social, Mobile & Analytics.
"I was drawn to the entrepreneurial focus of the school, the diversity of its students, its industry-leading professors, and the highly flexible format of the program."
DESCRIBE YOUR EXPERIENCE IN THE GLOBAL ONLINE MBA USING JUST ONE WORD.
Eye-opening.
IN WHAT WAYS DO YOU THINK THE GLOBAL ONLINE MBA HAS CHANGED YOUR LIFE, PROFESSIONALLY AND PERSONALLY?
Professionally, the MBA allowed me to make the career change. I joined Facebook while still doing the MBA, and today I’m in senior management. By learning from industry-leading professors at IE Business School, I was inspired to take my knowledge and share it with others, becoming an Adjunct Professor in the Global Online MBA program. Personally, it has helped me build life-long friendships and identify new strengths.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO STUDENTS WHO ARE ABOUT TO BEGIN THE PROGRAM?
Make the most out of it. It’s an intense experience, juggling work, school, and your personal life—but before you know it, it’s over. Take the opportunities you have to build deep relationships with your classmates and your professors. Share your point of view from your industry with the class and challenge your own assumptions.
WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE MEMORY OF THE GLOBAL ONLINE MBA?
Our trips to Madrid were always magical, meeting my classmates face-to-face and exploring the amazing city. One of the memorable moments was an evening in Mercado de San Miguel, where we were conducting market research for one of our projects by going up to strangers and asking them for feedback on our business plan.
WHAT IS NETWORKING LIKE IN THE GLOBAL ONLINE MBA?
It’s a combination of virtual networking with the class and face-to-face sessions in Madrid with industry leaders. One of the great characteristics of the program is the diversity of the students. My classmates came from a variety of industries and roles. This enabled me to understand and open my eyes to other parts of the business world and build my networks there. My advice is to have clear goals for your networking efforts to maximize impact throughout the program.
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO STUDY THE IE BUSINESS SCHOOL GLOBAL ONLINE MBA?
Firstly, it’s the best Online MBA in the world. I was also drawn to the entrepreneurial focus of the school, the diversity of its students, its industry-leading professors, and the highly flexible format of the program. While in the program, I traveled on business trips around the world. I remember once I even attended a class on an Emirates flight to Dubai, by connecting to the airline’s WiFi.
WHAT ARE THE RESIDENTIAL WEEKS LIKE? WHAT ARE THE ONLINE PERIODS LIKE?
The residential weeks are where the class’s glue is laid. It helped me build trust and a personal bond with my classmates, while exploring the city together—going out for drinks, working on projects, having fun and being serious at the same time. It’s like one of my favorite professors used to say: “Work, work, enjoy, enjoy.” Online periods, on the other hand, are where reality sinks in and you have to integrate your studies into your normal day-to-day routine. It’s where I became a time-management expert. When I graduated, I didn’t know what to do with all my newly gained free time.
ON TOP OF BEING AN ALUM OF THE GLOBAL ONLINE MBA, YOU ARE AN ADJUNCT PROFESSOR AT IE BUSINESS SCHOOL. HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BECOME A PROFESSOR OF A PROGRAM THAT YOU ATTENDED AS A STUDENT?
It feels wonderful. It’s extremely humbling to be able to bring my cutting-edge experience from the industry into the classroom. Similar to being a student, teaching is also very intense and I am constantly kept on my toes. My students are very ambitious and have a hunger to learn and put ideas into practice. It brings back fond memories from my time in the program.
WHAT COURSES ARE YOU CURRENTLY TEACHING?
Digital Marketing, Social, Mobile & Analytics in the Global Online MBA program.
HAVING BOTH THE STUDENT AND PROFESSOR PERSPECTIVE, WHAT MAKES AN IDEAL IE BUSINESS SCHOOL STUDENT?
Someone who is curious, eager to grow, and wants to challenge conventional ways of doing things.