Luis Dinis is a professor and former student at ESCP Business School. He teaches Marketing and Business Analytics for the MBA programme. He tells us about his own experience as an ESCP student, and how it led him to become an Industry Manager at Google.

Before becoming a teacher at ESCP, Luis Dinis was a student in ESCP’s Master’s degree programme. There, he really enjoyed his time, especially being able to work in three different countries and companies: “During my studies, I had the chance to study and work in London, Berlin and Paris. “I met so many people from different countries inside the programme and outside of it!” That was only a few years before he found a job at Google, where he currently works as an Industry Manager in the Spanish offices. 

Luis Dinis has been working as an Industry Manager at Google for seven years, alongside his position as a teacher at ESCP Business School. A position for which he recognises a lot of flexibility and openness to novelty are required: “When I joined Google seven years ago, the company was still what felt like a big corporation with a startup mindset. We were working in organised chaos and priority was given to growth. This allowed me to further develop some skills that we plant the seeds of inside the MBA programme as well: thriving in changing environments and learning how to work with other people across the company are part of them. Another skill I gained at Google is about always putting the user experience first when designing a product or service.” 

To gain adaptability, embrace diversity

Indeed, learning how to cooperate and work together in the workplace is essential, and a key teaching MBA students can get from the Company Consultancy and group projects. “Specialisation is increasingly part of our world, and we have to accept that we cannot be good at everything: we need to embrace different cultures and people, and collaborate across our ecosystems.”

This diversity Luis Dinis is so keen about is what makes ESCP’s MBA programme so special, according to him: “The MBA is very unique in the sense that diversity and inclusion are at their fullest. There’s a huge variety of profiles, backgrounds and nationalities. I have seen people who worked as electrical engineers, architects, designers, doctors, entrepreneurs, and historians, enrol. Now that I teach marketing and business analytics, I understand why taking a guess, when no data is available, can be so important. The open atmosphere of the MBA makes the programme very peculiar as students are confronted with different opinions and it adds a lot of value to the teachings. This diversity of experiences serves our mind opening and can later be used to solve problems as professionals. ”

“It is not much about the hard skills we develop through the programme, as it is about the people you will meet through the School.”

Prof. Luis Dinis, Industry Manager at Google

Luis Dinis’ piece of advice if you want to work in tech

If, just like Luis, your dream career takes place in the tech field, then you might want to start looking for a challenge that will broaden your perception and enhance your ability to face and manage change. “The job market in tech is changing and complex. Some positions require a huge set of specialised skills. We need people good at creating algorithms, at programming, at language. But this need for adaptability is also opening new doors for people with soft skills, people with an open mindset, and some kind of intuition that can help a team move towards a direction. Being part of a varied group of people helps in the development of these soft skills,” says the ESCP professor. 

On a more practical level, Luis Dinis also advises students to make the most out of their experience at ESCP. With dedicated Career Services, multiple opportunities to work with world-renowned companies, and a strong community of alumni, ESCP allows students to take a step further in the realisation of their dream careers. “New students might not be familiar with the school’s services, but many of them are very valuable. The Career Services will help you define and plan your next career steps, and career fairs can allow you to find your future employer; the language department can help you work towards an international goal of yours, etc.”

Meeting new people will open new doorways

And if you are wondering how Luis Dinis found his job at Google, look no further. He was referred by one of ESCP’s Alumni, something he is still thankful for: “Most importantly, don’t be scared to reach out to members of the Alumni community.  It is not much about the hard skills we develop through the programme, as it is about the people you will meet through the School. That’s the way I joined Google, thanks to an alumnus working at Google who accepted referring me. Reach out: there’s an incredible amount of open-minded people ready to help out there.” 

“Embracing the programme’s diversity is key. Some people might get uncomfortable meeting new people with such diverse life experiences. The sense of belonging can take some time to settle in, and some people may question if sitting in this classroom is the right place for them. I say it is: meet as many different people as you can and you’ll start feeling better once you open up. Everyone’s experience is a great way to learn from each other, and it will eventually lead to unexpected and exciting career opportunities” concludes Luis Dinis. 

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