Profile
FIRST NAME : Dana
NATIONALITY French
NAME OF COURSE FOLLOWED : Dual Degree – Bachelor in Business Administration & Bachelor of International Relations
UNIVERSITY NAMEIE University, Madrid campus
BACCALAURÉAT TYPE AND RESULT Baccalauréat mention Très Bien, options Sciences de la Vie et de la Terre (S.V.T.)
NAME OF YOUR HIGH SCHOOL : Lycée Français Anna de Noailles in Bucharest, Romania
Two Bachelors at the same time?
Yes, it’s possible!
IE’s double degree in Business Administration and International Relations takes place over 5 years, or 10 semesters.
Each semester consists of around 7 courses or modules, divided between Business Administration and International Relations.
For example, during my first semester at IE Madrid, I took courses such as Introduction to Management or Financial Accounting in Business, and courses such as Introduction to Political Science and Political Theory in International Relations.
The course is quite demanding, but particularly rewarding because the two disciplines interweave and complement each other so well.
What’s more, the courses are built incrementally, and there’s a kind of “refresher course” with introductory classes.
This ensures that all students have a solid, common grounding before moving on to more in-depth subjects.
Extra-curricular activities
I was part of the IE Basketball team and we were lucky enough to take part in various regional tournaments in Spain, so I really recommend joining a sports club. If that’s not what you prefer, there are also clubs linked to hobbies like fashion, for example.
IE organizes an annual event during which students have the opportunity to discover all the clubs they could join through the ‘Club Fair’. You will find more details on the Clubs presented during this fair on this link: https://www.ie.edu/university/campus-life/clubs-at-ie/. Personnellement, faire partie d’un club de sport m’a permis de rencontrer des personnes ayant des intérêts similaires aux miens et qui, souvent, ne faisaient pas partie de ma classe ni même de ma promotion. Grâce au club de basketball, j’ai donc pu me faire des amis en dehors de la classe. Je vous conseille vivement de vivre l’expérience des clubs et associations !
Internships in multinational companies with the help of IE
During my second year at IE, it was time to find an internship to give meaning to the courses we were taught at university and add experience to my CV. I applied for internships at several companies and was offered a position in the Leadership Development Program at RBI (Restaurants Brands International Inc.) as an intern in the Operational Excellence team. I joined this department during the summer, from June to August, at the European headquarters in Zug, Switzerland.
RBI is one of the world’s largest fast food companies, with over 25,000 restaurants in 120 countries and including iconic chains such as Burger King, Tim Hortons and Popeyes. The time I dedicated to the program during the summers of 2018 and 2019 gave me the opportunity to travel and discover the world. During my first year with RBI in the summer of 2018, I was part of the Operational Excellence department in Zurich, Switzerland. Then, as the first internship went well, the second year took me further afield to Singapore, where I worked in the Purchasing and Logistics department. Having performed well during these two internships, I received an offer for a full-time position in Singapore after graduation. So, one year before graduating, I could already count on a permanent contract in Singapore.
All over the world, top companies in all sectors are increasingly using the summer internship period to assess the performance of high-potential students. The program’s success is bearing fruit, as more and more students are offered permanent contracts immediately after graduation. This gives them the luxury of enjoying the last year of their studies without worrying about applications and recruitment processes. This is exactly the kind of positive experience I was lucky enough to have.
What do you remember from your two internships at RBI (Burger King, Tim Hortons, Popeyes)?
Both were excellent experiences, especially in terms of learning, with great responsibility from day one. My first internship was in Operations in Switzerland, where I gained a lot of practical experience right from the start. To understand the operational business issues, I spent the first three days of my internship in a Burger King restaurant.
As for my second internship, as mentioned above, I worked in the Purchasing & Logistics department in Singapore. I mainly worked on the new restaurant openings that the Group is finalizing for Popeyes in the Asia-Pacific region, and I had the chance to meet suppliers and take part in negotiating quotes.
All in all, they were both very stimulating and enjoyable experiences, with unique opportunities to meet the management team and top management who were following our project and to whom we had the opportunity to present our findings and recommendations for dedicated projects.
How do you think your experience at IE University and/or the Talent & Careers department helped you get this opportunity and perform during your internships?
The Talent & Careers department at IE University and my experience during my university years helped me to understand the company culture and the attitude expected of me throughout the internship. What’s more, the Talent & Careers department was very helpful, as the team gave me advice on how to approach interviews and deal with the stress of the Assessment Center in the workplace. Many companies organize these recruitment days. They take the form of interviews that follow one another over a whole day, with individual and group interviews. At the recruitment day organized by RBI, I first passed the group interview test, then was selected to meet the CEO before being offered an internship.
What do you recommend to students looking for internships with multinational companies?
I recommend that you be yourself during the interview process when looking for a summer internship with the help of IE University. It’s also useful to understand whether or not the company’s culture matches your expectations. The work environment is highly results-oriented. The pace is fast and intense, so your curiosity and initiative will be key to success. This is important because I was given projects with a direct impact on the objectives of the teams I was part of. Above all, I advise you to keep an open mind to learn as much as you can!
What career path did you follow after IE?
Like many IE University alumni, the internships I did during my university career opened the door to numerous opportunities in different sectors. Indeed, after IE, I spent a year at Ernst & Young as a Business Analyst in the Digital Innovation Consulting department. I got this opportunity through Linkedin where EY contacted me about this Business Analyst position.
Firstly, I joined EY part-time during my last semester at IE, before joining the EY team full-time after graduating in June 2020.
Managing several workshops using the Agile method of project implementation enabled me to present innovative solutions to clients both inside and outside EY. This experience in the consulting world enabled me to learn a lot, particularly in terms of Project Management. However, I was keen to discover the world of luxury goods, which had always aroused my interest. So I applied to the big luxury companies and joined Hermès Maroquinerie Sellerie as a Digital Transformation Project Manager in the Supply Chain & Projects Department, where I was responsible for managing several projects.
After that, I decided to specialize in Supply Chain and so, in September 2022, I started the Mastère Spécialisé in Supply Chain Design & Management at the École des Ponts et Chaussées. I didn’t know anyone in the program before I joined, but the interviews with the Master’s Director were very inspiring. What’s more, the fact that I was able to pursue it on a sandwich course enabled me to continue my professional career without having to go back to school 100%. At present, I’m continuing this Master’s program on a sandwich course with a mission at Chanel, where I’m working as Project Manager on the e-commerce part of the site. www.chanel.com.
To sum up, IE opened a lot of doors for me, and if I could go back, I’d make the same choice again! I highly recommend this course for those who are still unsure of their vocation and would like to discover different industries.
If, like Dana, you would like to join IE or a university in Spain, please do not hesitate to contact us to discuss your project!
