Name: Marino Giacomo Giocondi
IE Degree program: International MBA
Graduating year: 2010
Where you live: Istanbul
Current job: Managing Director of Zidaya (Zalando’s Turkish branch)
I attended IE because I was looking for a Business School for Entrepreneurs: a complete learning program of management sciences but also a forge for new ventures and for people who aim to become entrepreneurs. Most of the people who attend IE are willing to learn how to run their own successful business and they have the right mindset to do so. Working so closely with people like me, with the right risk appetite to be able to lunch new business, was one of the most important reasons for choosing IE.
The experience was great and the opportunities I had to learn from great entrepreneurs, angels, investors and also students really changed my perspective.
At the end of my degree, May 2010, I came back in McKinsey to refine my managerial skills and apply what I learned during the program. It was surprising the increase in awareness that I experienced and the switch in mindset that the MBA leaded. It was now the right time for a new venture. The idea was missing, not the willingness.
After one year the opportunity came. Rocket Internet was looking for entrepreneurial MBA with consultancy background to join them as co-founder of e-commerce start-up. The idea of being a co-founder of a new venture, financed by a very successful company like Rocket, was clearly the opportunity I was looking for.
And here I am, in Istanbul, leading together with other partners, Zidaya.com the most popular e-commerce for shoes and apparel in Turkey. Thanks to the entrepreneurial spirit and to the MBA lessons.
Marino
About the author
With an Engineering background and experience in consulting, Sergio Negri completed his MBA in 2004, after which he joined Metro News as a Business Development Manager. Since 2008 he has been the Manager for IE in Italy, finding new job opportunities for IE alumni and advising potential candidates. He’s also Adjunct professor at IE, in the field of IT management.