Real Humans of the IMD MBA Class of 2023

Feres Eduardo Valentini Bertin, IMD MBA Class of 2023

Age: 30 years old
Hometown: São Paulo – Brazil
Undergraduate Institution and Major: PGDM – Business Management (Fundação Dom Cabral) | Beng – Mechanical Engineering (Centro Universitario FEI)
Pre-MBA Work Experience (role, company, years): Product Marketing Engineering, Mercedes-Benz, 8 years

Why did you make the decision to attend business school? Why now?
Back in 2019, I started to plan my career to achieve my personal and professional ambitions. And the MBA course was one of those milestones. A business school prepares you in different dimensions, helping you to advance or even leverage your career, teaches you how to enhance your current skillset, and gives you the opportunity to create new ones. For me was not only because of those aspects, but also because I wanted to live an experience in another country, with different people, from different cultures, backgrounds, and realities.

Why did you choose IMD? What factors figured most prominently into your decision of where to attend?
I only applied to IMD because of the academic strength, tight-knit network, and school’s relationship with the companies that I aspire to join. Provided the most suited environment for me to thrive. The main differentiating points of IMD are leadership development, digital transformation, and entrepreneurship. Personalized and diversified didactic, with few students in class, from distinct parts of the world, diverse backgrounds, as well as gender balance. Bringing different points of view and diverse experiences. And partner companies that are in constant contact with IMD. All employees that I have contact with from these companies consider IMD to be a state-of-the-art educational institution for MBAs and other courses driven by career development within the business area.

What do you think is your most valuable or differentiating contribution to the Class of 2023?
My knowledge of business management acquired in my postgraduate helped in the systemic view of various interfaces. My experience since the beginning with Product Marketing enables the understanding of possible strategies that portfolio management needs. And the leadership skills that I have developed during my development in project management. I believe that I could bring a different perspective from the automotive industry. With almost a decade of experience in the sector, I could show and contribute to my colleagues the unique experiences that I had and put into discussion some of the challenges that I faced, and some of the solutions that I applied. The automotive industry was a huge part of my formation as a professional.

Tell us a fun fact about yourself that didn’t get included on your application:
I didn’t mention that I am an author during my application. I wrote a book, and it was published one month before I went to IMD. The book was launched in Brazil, and I didn’t have the opportunity to grab a copy for myself yet.

Post-MBA career interests:
The MBA course helped me to understand that I want to stay in the marketing area, with the intention to apply for strategic marketing positions.

Advice for Current Prospective Applicants:
–What is one thing you would absolutely do again as part of your application process?
Talk with the current students or with the alumni from previous years. It is important to understand from their perspective if the school has a fit with your expectations.

–What is one thing you would change or do differently?
I would be more prepared to apply for the GMAT and other tests that are part of the application process. The best way is to find help and support from people that already passed through this experience and replicate what is more suitable for you.

–What is one part you would have skipped if you could—and what helped you get through it?
I would skip the part where I looked deep inside my feelings and thoughts to decide if the MBA was a good decision. You really need to dive deep into your feelings and thoughts to get grounded and get support from those reasons that drive you. It is hard to do it and not pleasant, but totally necessary to do it, before you make one of the biggest choices of your life.

What is your initial impression of the IMD students/culture/community?
I was impressed to understand how strong were the bounds that we developed with our classmates, the faculty, and the staff at IMD. We are a big family that helps and supports each other.

What is one thing you have learned about IMD that has surprised you?
I was expecting to have a deep journey into my leadership skills and leverage them with the support of the leadership stream. But I wasn’t expecting that that journey would be as deep and profound as it was. Not only your leadership skill is developed, but the way that you look at your career changes. I have become more empowered and confident as a professional and as an international future leader.

What is one thing you are most anxious about in your first year?
I really missed my daughter, fiancée, parents, and friends. Sometimes when you are far away from your home country it really makes you anxious. That is why it was very important for me to always remember what are the reasons that I chose to take this course at IMD. After I remembered all those reasons, I became grounded, and it was easier to overcome this anxiety. Family and friends are always going to be on your side, even when they are far away. And it is important for you to remember that there are lots of people who are supporting you. It helped me!

What is one thing you are most excited about in your first year?
I was quite excited to meet my classmates. The diverse environment that IMD provided, regarding different cultures, countries, backgrounds, and experiences really excited me.