MBA Alumni Profile of Rodrigo Martínez Becerra

Why did you choose BRS-University for your MBA studies?
Was there anything in particular that made you choose BRS-University? 
How was your academic and professional background prior to the MBA program and what has led you to the decision to start the MBA program at BRS-University? 

I have to admit that I found the MBA programme by chance while doing an internet search back in 2009. Having at the time I came across the website little to zero fluency in German, a Marketing and Business Management Bachelor’s Degree and several years of experience in Market Research and Customer Service fields, my post graduate options were narrowed down to HBRS or another institution in Spain. 
 
The turning point in favour of HBRS was linked to two things: its reasonable fees and the programme scope that included both Non-Governmental Organizations and the quickly rising in relevance Corporate Social Responsibility. In other words, a mixture of public and private sectors for a huge topic. 
 
In my professional experience, it is vital to be able to identify and try to predict market trends; reading the MBA Programme’s content felt like opening a new book: readers can identify themselves with the feelings of pages full of new paths to explore, ideas to build upon, worlds to understand, role models to meet and challenges to eventually overcome. 
 
I am proud to be part of this extraordinary HBRS second batch of students that took the chance to venture forth into the complex field that NGO Management and CSR would eventually become.

Tell us about your time at our BRS-University.
What did you enjoy most during your time of studies? 
How did the MBA program help you to shape your professional profile?

From day one of the introduction week I was chosen as our Class Representative, which meant I would function as a link between my fellow classmates and programme professors, a role that would lead to become an unofficial “Ambassador”, helping create the groundworks of an Alumni Network between past, present and future generations of students along with Stefan Eggers from the programme’s first batch. As part of the second batch, we were a distinguished group of eighteen students from four continents and almost an equal number of nationalities as people who were in it. We all had different academic and professional backgrounds, full of stories to share and an open-minded attitude to bring positive change to our world. 
 
One of the best memories I had was at the end of our first semester, when HBRS held a BBQ Grill and Chill at Campus so we could meet up with fellow students from the first batch of the programme. It was an evening filled with laughter, lots of conversations and new bonds, an event I fondly remember as years have gone by, due to the fact some teachers were with us and you could discuss openly with them about almost any topic. 
 
Next of course, I need to highlight the Social Business Award day: create, develop and defend your business idea in a collective team effort where you should put into practice all knowledge gained from the programme, facing a panel of experts on the field and your fellow classmates. How would you change the world? What did you learn and how do you apply it in your society? Can you rally your project into a group of stakeholders, or do you need to go back to drawing board and start all over? All these questions were answered in a day full of professional showcase, helping you develop a plethora of skills along the way. 
 
Finally, to do justice to all the experiences, skills and knowledge, but most important the people I was able to meet thanks to the MBA programme, I would need to write a book. Or two or three. Up till now these resources of strategic thinking, risk assessment, international development, project management, open-minded and friendly demeanour which I forged back in my days at HBRS have been proven time and time again as a positive difference among my colleagues.

Tell us about your time outside the University.
What kind of extracurricular activities were you involved in?
Which events should not be missed to connect with other internationals?

During my studies, I lived In Bonn, a city that has lots of different activities to offer. Coming from Mexico, one of my biggest passions is Soccer, so I was able to participate with two different Soccer teams: one for casual players that gathered on weekends before noon in the fields next to Bonn International School while the other was with a group of Latin American players that used to participate in a weekday league near Bonn-Dransdorf. Then again, you could watch a live German soccer league match in Cologne’s stadium or in many restaurants and bars in the area.

Fellow classmates also told me of Basketball, Volleyball, Cycling and Cricket teams or groups they had or wanted me to join. If you’re more into dancing, several local bars have Salsa / Zumba events you can attend almost every week, some even with no cover and you could also take lessons if you arrived early to the place. I remember there were student parties organized by several Erasmus groups from the area, so there was always an event you could join if you were in such social mood. 
 
Talking about concerts and music, there are several venues in the region that are visited regularly by many types of artists, from Hard Rock to Latin American rhythms, either Singers or Groups, indie artists or world-class celebrities. If you are more into watching movies, reading circles or other similar cultural activities, organizations such as Internations, Couchsurfing and the likes can help you out to get in touch with people with similar interests. 

Three popular celebrations I enjoyed in the region and you should take note of are:

(1) Rhein in Flammen
Held during the first Saturday in May, where you can see a show of fireworks at Rheinauen Park and groups playing live music during the evening.

(2) Kölner Karneval
A carnival that begins on the 11th of November at 11:11, with people wearing costumes in a similar fashion of Halloween parties, including a city parade you can watch and get candies, or gather with other people and go dancing and partying.

(3) Weihnachtsmarkt
The winter Christmas Market that opens at the last weeks of November and ends as its name says, on December 24th. You can visit several stands in the city squares to eat traditional German dishes and drinks, including numerous varieties of Glühwein (engl.: mulled wine), a wine-based drink to keep you warm during winter nights. 

As you can read, the NRW region offers many different activities you can explore and having relevant companies such as UN Offices and Campus, Deutsche Welle and DHL International, you can always expect something different to do during your studies. 

Rodrigo, please tell us more about your pathway since you graduated from BRS-University. In which business field are you currently working and what is your current occupation? How has the MBA degree contributed to your career so far?

Almost nine years have passed since I studied the MBA programme in HBRS. I came back to Mexico and for three years was able to work together with local NGOs, getting a close feel of their professional environment and measuring their challenges in my country. 
 
After a couple ups and downs, I eventually joined Kantar Worldpanel, a world leading Market Research company that uses Household purchase habits to come up with business opportunities for companies in Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) markets. I started as a Senior Executive and now lead my own team as Client Service Manager, helping our clients to get inspired and achieve commercial success. 
 
Regarding Corporate Social Responsibility, a reality in many companies not only in my country, but worldwide, is the extreme focus on a Marketing (Publicity) or Human Resources perspective, but not really integrated to the core business’ strategy. With this learning in mind, I promoted the creation of a formal committee within the company to coordinate and help design activities for our many different stakeholders, implementing metrics and establishing objectives for each of them.

So far, we had a day dedicated to planting trees, continuous campaigns promoting and encouraging how to recycle plastic bottles, employees collected money and goods for a panellist that suffered a fire in her house thus losing most of her stuff, just to name a few actions we have taken. Since Kantar is a group of companies, last year (2019) we all came together in a joint alliance to hold a Special Olympics rally day, sharing activities with this global NGO for people with different capacities, replacing UNICEF as one of our partners for volunteerism.

Although there’s no local position in the company dedicated to these CSR activities, I chose to lead the way and empower others to put in Kantar’s agenda these matters. There is always some work to be done and tasks to fulfil, but every action whether big or small, helps towards your objective. And that is one of the most valued lessons the MBA programme gave me. You may feel the need to help solve issues within your social circles. You may have doubts as to how to start things up and how to make others follow a path to an objective. You might be concerned about getting funds or acting in a certain way to implement change. Hey, you may even be afraid of leading an interdisciplinary group of people, with ideals, backgrounds and formation different than yours.

The MBA Programme gave me tools, helped me hone skills and strategic ways to solve all these matters and more. Let me ask you dear reader a question: When was the last time you tried something new? Trust me, you won’t regret picking up the programme. Whether it be for the academic formation you will gain, or a myriad of professional opportunities you will identify after graduating or simply for all the moments you will experience while taking your studies, I am positive you will have a story to share with us.

ALUMNI WISDOM
What advice would you give MBA program freshman to make the most of their time here? If you could offer one piece of advice to current students what would it be? 

The phrase “You only live once” should be taught and remembered many times in our lives. Don’t be afraid to leave your comfort zone and go back to school, even if it’s in a country far from your home. To my fellow colleagues already enrolled I suggest you listen actively to your neighbours, the people standing next to you and in your daily surroundings, give willingly your time as an act of volunteerism on a regular basis, try to help solve a problem in another’s life. You may find something or someone to inspire you like I did in these actions, don’t be afraid to become an inspiration or role model for others. 
 
One final quote to inspire you comes from my favourite writer, J.R.R. Tolkien: “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.” I will be honoured to read your story next! 

Thank you, Rodrigo for sharing your inspiring experiences and your personal story with us. We wish you all the best on your further career path.

Your MBA-Team