Page 14 - Business Insights 2012-2013

colleagues who were selected for their high-impact
and exemplary achievements in the company.”
As someone who has studied and worked abroad,
Filipe would recommend those wishing to do the
same to be persistently “driven and curious”. “My
advice would be to maintain a strong support base in
your country of origin by nurturing your professional
network and your family and friends. Do not consider
an international career as a single journey; there is
always the option to return. Be open with different
cultures and behaviours from colleagues.”
Marta Lema Garabatos has pursued a high-profile
career in the chemical industry as a Chartered
Chemical Engineer, which has seen her move from
her native Spain to the UK to China and just recently
to Germany. She completed an Executive MBA at the
Business School in 2009 and speaks fluent Spanish,
Italian, English, German and Portuguese and is
currently learning French and Mandarin!
When we spoke to Marta she had just made the move
from EMEA and Asia Business Development Manager
with Air Products plc based in Shanghai, where she
had been for two and a half years to a Management
Consulting position, with BASF in Germany.
“The MBA was instrumental in my decision to move
into a Management Consulting role in a leading
chemical company back in Europe. I hadn’t even
considered this career option before,” said Marta.
“It gave me the knowledge I needed to move from an
engineering position into a business development
role. This is a big career change for me, with a
completely different scope. The nice thing is that I get
to use my MBA skills fully.”
Not only was this a significant change in career, it
also presented a significant move in location from
China back to Europe. “I went through a transition
period of adapting to being in a new place with new
With the majority of our students now hailing
from foreign shores, our rapidly expanding alumni
network spans over 110 countries and across a wide
spectrum of international business and commerce.
The decision to expatriate is often led by career choice, by sector or the changing
economic climate, or simply a desire to broaden experience. There are many
long-term career benefits to gaining international experience, such a firsthand
knowledge of how international markets and businesses operate, as well as
helping individuals develop a rich employment history.
We spoke to four Business School alumni, who have carved out successful
international careers and who shared their experiences and recommendations with
those thinking of doing the same.
Throughout his career, Filipe Rodrigues has moved between his home country of
Portugal and the UK and is now making a home in Switzerland. Filipe started his
career as a pharmacist having completed a Masters in Pharmaceutical Sciences at
Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal in 2002.
This changed in 2006 when Filipe completed an MSc in International Health
Management at the Business School, prompting a directional shift in his career.
“The qualification from Imperial College Business School was instrumental
in shifting my career from community pharmacy to the strategic planning of
biopharmaceutical industries.
“The richness of the degree content, its multi-perspective modules and the
School’s ‘team-focused’ spirit were the driving force to me being invited in 2010, to
join the Pricing and Market Access Team of Celgene, a global company focused on
areas of high unmet medical need. I am currently a Disease Franchise Lead for all
pan-European pricing, reimbursement and market access projects.”
Filipe works in Switzerland, in the city of Pully, where he has been based for over
two years. On adapting to living abroad Filipe commented: “Working abroad
means you face the inevitable challenge that sometimes you would prefer being
closer to your family and friends at times of significant life achievements, as well
as difficult moments. In some situations, you ask yourself whether the potential
return of investing in living, studying and working abroad will compensate for
these challenges. It will, but you do question before it proves reality.” And for Filipe
it seems this proof was evidenced by his career highlight to date. “After just over
a year at Celegene I was invited to participate in an exclusive global event with
Going
Global
International
alumni
connections
BUSINESS INSIGHTS 2012 – 2013 14