José María Méndez-Castrillón
I studied law and journalism and I’ve been in the digital communication field for over 10 years. Since 2014 I’ve been working in the Corporate and Social Media Communications department at BDO Spain, where I am in charge of developing and measuring digital marketing and communications strategies, as well as related actions.
"You always have to make time for training, not only to acquire new knowledge, but also to meet other professionals like yourself and learn from them."
With the rapid digitalization of marketing, José María knew that an IE education was what he needed to remain at the leading edge of the digital communication sector. Now he has new tools to advance his career, with the support of colleagues in the sector who provided added value to his experience.
Why did you decide to further your education at IE?
The program met three key requirements: it was the right education, at the right time, and at the right institution. First, it did a good job of including the major topics that are part of my work today and will likely be part of it in the future: digital marketing and everything it encompasses, social media, and, above all, analytics. Additionally, the online format allowed me a lot of flexibility to combine the program with my job. Moreover, the timing was perfect, as the pandemic forced B2B marketing to make a quick shift to the digital environment.
Finally, I didn’t have any doubts about choosing IE because of its prestige, its innovative online education methodologies, its support for program participants, and the quality of the content and professors. I know I made the right choice, and I’ve actually recommended it to other professionals in my sector.
Do you think that your time at IE has changed your focus in your career?
I wouldn’t say change, but I would say that it has reaffirmed my decision to work in digital communications and marketing. My professional career is increasingly focused on carrying out digital communication actions and on personalizing messages, which we can only achieve thanks to social media listening and analytics. My focus hasn’t changed, but the program has given me new tools to continue to advance on the path I was already on and where there’s still a lot of road left to travel.
What is your current professional status?
Currently, I work in the Communications and Marketing department at BDO, a leading professional services firm, where I am in charge of the department’s digital activity. In the seven years I’ve been in the job, I’ve developed a digital structure that responds and adapts to our clients’ needs, with actions to develop their websites, social media, emailing, and CRM. We’re currently working to meet the needs of a new type of increasingly digitalized client.
What is the most valuable lesson you learned during the program? Do you have any inspiring stories you’d like to share with your classmates?
The most valuable lesson is that you always need to make time to further your education, not only to acquire new knowledge, but also to meet other professionals like you and to learn from them. My classmates from the program are people who work in the same sector, but who have different approaches; they answer questions from a different point of view and their contributions are always enriching. At IE, they are very aware of how important this relationship between classmates is, and they orchestrate the program such that there’s constant interaction, even though it’s an online program. That is one of the reasons I would choose IE again if I wanted to enroll in another program.