20/03/2024
Kenny Martinez came to IE University from the Philippines as an experienced technologist looking to enhance his professional profile and skill set for an executive role in digital transformation.
Kenny was already a C-level decision-maker when he joined the Executive Master in Digital Transformation & Innovation Leadership. In addition to fulfilling a long-held dream to study at IE University, he also wanted to dive further into the world of digital transformation, an area he had already been working in but wanted to explore on a much deeper level. We spoke to Kenny to hear about his experience in the program and the impact that it’s had on his career.
Tell us a little bit about your professional background
I have a very technical background. I’ve spent the majority of my career in consulting as an independent IT consultant. I’ve dealt with clients across different industries and countries, mainly working with enterprise applications. From there, I worked my way up. One of my clients was Indra, a Spanish company, which absorbed me eventually as their head of architects. I was doing a lot of solutioning and implementing different technologies across the country and I realized that I wanted to do digital transformation end-to-end. That’s not something you often get to do in consulting, so I figured I’d probably need to go back to an internal role.
That was when I joined MAPFRE Insurance as the Chief Information Officer, where I worked until they pulled out of Asia. I’m currently working for Sun Life, which is the biggest insurance company in the Philippines. I’ve been there for nearly two years and I’m the Chief Digital Officer.
What made you want to study the Executive Master in Digital Transformation & Innovation Leadership?
“Ever since I graduated from college, I’ve wanted to study at IE University, so it was always on my mind.”
When I was working as a regional architect for DFI Retail Group, a leading pan-Asian retailer, I knew that my next step would be a much higher management role. When I decided to take on a digital transformation role—my role at MAPFRE—I thought it was time to do a master’s degree, but I only found this specific program when I did an online search. It was perfect timing because I was already at the C-level.
What stood out to you about the program?
Probably the overall experience. I was already at the top of the IT organization in MAPFRE Philippines, so what interested me aside from the academic content were other aspects like the interaction with professors and other students.
“In my cohort, I think almost every continent was represented.”
I really enjoyed the debates, discussions and also the group work as you get to function like a small organization. The range of people in my cohort made it much richer—there were other CIOs but there were also people just starting their journey and even classmates from a non-tech background. It was really well-represented.
What was your biggest takeaway from the program?
All of the experiences I had have given me a different perspective. I’m a technologist at heart, so I’ve always been fond of studying trends in the industry and applying them to different businesses. But what the Executive Master in Digital Transformation & Innovation Leadership emphasized was that digital transformation is all about people. More than the technologies, it’s about the people driving and sustaining it. Ultimately, digital transformation should drive a company’s top and bottom line—it should provide value and a company’s organizational structure should support the transformation.
So, how do you spot the difference between a company that has been digitally transformed and one that hasn’t?
I always try to tell people that digital transformation is not just about digitalization or the transformation of business processes. That’s obviously a huge part of it, but I think it’s the digital-first mindset and culture that differentiate a company. Technologies will keep evolving, so continuously adapting and putting the customer front and center is what sustains a digitally transformed organization. If you have enough agility and flexibility, whatever happens to the technologies won’t be a problem because you have the mindset to always adapt.
What does “innovative leadership” mean to you?
Innovation is about really being open and having the willingness to take on new ways and approaches. Be willing to take risks. When you put innovation with leadership, it means that that type of mentality doesn’t stop with you—it should be adopted by the whole organization. And you’re always moving forward, not always in a well-defined direction, but with that mindset and discipline, and always taking calculated risks.
At IE University, I learned the acronym VUCA, which stands for volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity. It tells us that the world is ever-changing and there’s a lot of uncertainty, but the only way you can deal with adversity is by keeping discipline.
What did you get to experience in Madrid?
It was actually my first time in Spain. It was like rekindling history, as I’m Filipino, and we have a strong Spanish influence. Madrid was fantastic, and the facilities at IE University are world-class. It felt like home, to be honest. It’s also about the people I was with. It’s been two years since we graduated, but we’re still in touch. On top of the lessons, it helps a lot when you interact with people coming from different industries and countries. It makes the whole experience more global.
What words of advice do you have for anyone considering pursuing your master’s program?
“If you want to speed up your learning of digital transformation, which, based on my experience, takes years to acquire, this is the right program for you.”
You gain frameworks, strategies and business models that you can readily apply, and real insights from professors and classmates. Managing the workload is not easy, but it’s part of the journey and will teach you the discipline that you need while working and learning—something you’ll always be doing when you reach the top.
Leading the way in digital transformation
The Executive Master in Digital Transformation & Innovation Leadership helps students like Kenny to develop their skills to ensure they are future-forward leaders who can successfully drive the change that is crucial now in organizations.
Taking place over 13 months, the program’s blended learning format includes live online sessions, asynchronous online discussions and face-to-face periods in Madrid and another international destination. As the program is part-time, you can keep up with your professional commitments while gaining knowledge and strategies that are directly applicable to your work. Like Kenny, you will gain entirely new perspectives that will aid you on your journey as a digital innovator, setting you up for maximum impact.
