ESADE Alumi Around the World: Alexandre G. Blanco, Consultant in the Health Care Industry and MBA Class of 2006

"ESADE helped me accept feedback and learn to do teamwork"

A lover of Chinese culture and, above all, Chinese cuisine, Alex Blanco (ESADE MBA, Class of 2006) was kind enough to offer us a window onto his experience in Beijing. Prior to coming to ESADE for his MBA, he spent six years working in biotech as a scientist. The main reason he chose to enrol in an MBA programme was to open up his horizons beyond the lab and start a new career.

What were you doing before your MBA? What are you doing now?

I was a scientist. I was working for the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) in Barcelona in the field of molecular genetics, which is the most chemical part of biology. Now what I do is manage business development projects: I set up sales networks for health companies in the Middle East, Southeast Asia and China. I also do marketing and health product positioning. It is a completely different job, the job of manager.

Why did you decide to do an MBA?

I never wanted to let go of what made me special, which was my training. My profile was unique, and I knew that, in the long term, it would give me a competitive advantage. But I also knew that I did not want to stay in the research system. Research is nice, but it also entails sacrifice: you work six days a week in a lab. You have no social life, no private life… Moreover, in a country like Spain, your future as a researcher is very limited. On the other hand, in research you also learn a lot of things: to think outside the box, to find original solutions to problems. Because while in business you want to solve problems efficiently and copy the benchmark, in the sciences you try to be original and come up with an innovative thesis.

Do you think that you would be working where you are now if you hadn’t done an MBA?

I think I would still be working in the same industry, but with much less responsibility and I would not have been able to start my own business. Now I’m my own boss; as a consultant, I have to win projects and implement them. And without an MBA, I would not have been able to do that. After completing my MBA, I received an offer to go to the United States to seek out new business opportunities for a health industry company in which I reported directly to the CEO once a month. It was a position of responsibility that I would not have been able to occupy without an MBA.

What challenges does pursuing an MBA pose for a scientist?

One of the things that convinced me about ESADE was that the group model. I came from a completely different field. I couldn’t tell an asset from a liability. At first, then, I did my best to learn from the other students in the group, who were all business people. In that regard, ESADE really helped me. Besides, I was very individualistic. In science, it’s you, ‘the power of one’, and ESADE helped me accept feedback and learn to do teamwork. I think that was very important for my subsequent career. Additionally, when I began, I had certain skills, and the people in my group saw that someone with a completely different profile contributed with new points of view. I contributed originality and there were areas in which I offered them value. I think that helped me a lot, too. Also, although I knew I was going to have a really hard time, I also thought that, because I was so different, later it would be easier for me to find a job, and that’s what happened.

What advice would you give to future MBA students at ESADE?

My advice for anyone thinking of pursuing an MBA at ESADE is that the most important part is the people, the relationships you build with your colleagues. And it’s not just because of networking for future jobs, but also because these are people who can help you in various stages of your life. For me, that was the most important part. In fact, I’m the godfather of the Brazilian's classmate only son.

And to someone with a profile similar to yours?

I would recommend not forgetting your past, because that is what is going to set you apart. If you want to make the transition to the business world, an MBA will be very helpful.

Could you share a little about your experience as a European/Spaniard living in China?

I would say that the Chinese are very similar to the Spanish. We’re noisy, we like to eat out. Like Spain, it's a country that  is ‘easy’ to adapt to. What I would tell someone coming to China is that, if you really want to enjoy the country, you have to become Chinese. In other words, in China, you can’t do the same things you would do in Spain; you have to enjoy what China allows you to do. If you're not able to enjoy what the Chinese enjoy in China, then don’t come.

Do you have a life motto or inspirational quote you try to live by?

Maybe the final line from Monty Python’s Life of Brian: "Always look on the bright side of life". Because in China, you’re going to have truly awful days and incredibly good ones. I think that could be a motivational quote for anyone who feels like an entrepreneur.