Christian Muñoz: “EAE is a School that constantly updates its contents to adapt to the needs of the market”
03 de November de 2020
03 de November de 2020
At EAE Business School, commitment is one of the most important values and not only at an academic or professional level, but also in terms of our commitment to our students’ passions and plans, as we now that these passions are the driving force they need to achieve success.
Christian Muñoz, a graduate of EAE’s MBA, is curious by nature, but also passionate about innovation. He has working in various countries, including Ecuador and Argentina, and now specializes in the world of sustainability. What was Christian’s experience at EAE like and how did the School help him embrace his passions? Let’s find out in the following interview.
Christian Muñoz
Graduate of the MBA at EAE Business School
How would you define yourself in one sentence?
I would define myself as curious by nature, constantly on the go and learning. I like a quote by Eduardo Galeano that goes “What is the use of having an arrow unless it leaves the bow?”, or as I would put it, we have to let our ideas out of our minds to make them a reality.
Do you think our passions define us? Where does your love of innovation and technology come from?
As I see it, our passions drive and motivate us every day to give our best, but these passions gradually change as we discover new possibilities or needs. My passion for technology emerged during the age of music digitization, in the shift from cassettes that we rewound with a pencil, to CDs that you had to take care not to scratch, to MP3, that let you to get 100 songs on a single disc, not to mention the option of downloading a song (or thousands of them) directly onto your computer to create your own personalized collection. This potential triggered my interest in technology, as it enabled me to explore tools and automate processes in fields that did not seem possible.
Innovation is something that I embrace almost as a rule of life, as we constantly need to be changing in order to improve and adapt to the new realities that emerge. I see it on a day-to-day basis in companies in different sectors: the companies that do not adapt to new ways of doing business fall by the wayside, while those that are constantly innovating manage to survive on the market, which often requires them to adapt the products and services they offer.
You took the MBA at EAE Business School in 2014. What was the experience like? What aspect of the program would you highlight most?
Wow, 6 years ago already! In hindsight, I can say that the experience I had on the MBA enabled me to develop skills that I had not even used at a personal level. Therefore, I would highlight the complementary profile of the classes, the specialist courses (in my case, management) and, most importantly, the format of each class, as most of them included team projects and working with people from different professional backgrounds and nationalities lets you develop soft skills, such as assertive communication, leadership and, above all, empathy.
Click here to find out more about EAE Business School’s MBA!
Innovation and entrepreneurship are two of the founding pillars of EAE. Has the School helped you to develop in these areas? How?
As I mentioned earlier, the format of the MBA enabled me to exploit skills that have helped me carve out my path. As you know, I am from Ecuador and, after finishing the MBA, I originally planned to return to my country but, life had a different idea and I came to live in Buenos Aires, Argentina. This forced me to leave my comfort zone and explore options that I had not considered, which led me to understand and embrace my passions (such as technology and innovation) to connect with people that I did not know at all and build a team that went on to become a technology-based entrepreneurial venture (called Quick Audits).
You now work at CoCoS (Building Consensus for Sustainability) in Buenos Aires, Argentina. How is it going? Tell us a little about your position and duties?
That is right, I have formed part of the CoCoS team since the start of 2020 as a consultant and facilitator. CoCoS is an organization with a multidisciplinary that runs awareness, empowerment and training programs to socialize practical tools that enable headway to be made in complex conflicts and lasting agreements to be built, with a systemic approach focused on sustainability.
At CoCoS, we have trained over 1,000 people since it was founded 4 years ago. Since the start of the pandemic, we have managed to adapt our program to an online format, which has opened up opportunities to work with and train organizations in other countries in the region, continuing on our mission to socialize negotiation and consensus-building tools to work towards a better society.
Do you think that we are moving towards an increasingly sustainable world? What role does entrepreneurship play on this journey?
I think that it is increasingly hard to ignore the evidence and people are more and more aware of the impact our actions have on the world. I have increasingly has the chance to see and act as a mentor on entrepreneurial ventures founded with a triple mission (economic, social and environmental) because the impact of the private sector is exponential and, if this impact is positive, it will help to drive forward public policies in line with this current reality.
We are at an urgent turning point at which it is essential that companies start to measure their impact in order to adjust their processes and strike the balance required to stop the planet continuing to suffer.
Business schools like EAE play a key role in building a world that is more responsible and aware. Do you think that EAE Business School promotes these principles? How?
The world has evolved, particularly the business world, because consumers increasingly demand to know all about the production and manufacturing processes involved in products and any other relevant details these businesses entail. This forces companies to innovate constantly to adapt to these new needs.
Business schools play an essential role in ensuring that future directors or business managers are aware of everything that moving a company forward involves, from the idea of the product or service and creating the team right through to communication with potential customers (to name three fundamental pillars).
You have worked in various countries and have built a solid professional career. What does it take to succeed in today’s labour market?
The professional world is increasingly competitive, demanding at a global level and fragile, as we have seen during the pandemic. Therefore, I think that it is essential to train, explore new knowledge and keep updated in order to reinvent ourselves constantly, be resilient to change and, most importantly, build solid networks of contacts. Above all, it is vital to reflect at a personal level to understand our own reality and identify what we want at a professional level, so that then we can focus our search effectively.
Do you think it is important to adapt to the new digital competences and digital sectors?
Absolutely, whether we like it or not, technology is part of our everyday lives and the least we can do is understand how it works. It is like learning to read again. It is crucial at a personal level, but even more so at a professional level, because any company that does not grasp these new competences will not be able to adapt at the speed required by the market.
Going back to your experience at EAE, what was the best aspect of taking the MBA?
I could not highlight just one factor. Personally, it was the experience as a whole, from the classes, classmates and the relationship with the lecturers to the complementary experiences and contents run by the School (such as company visits and interviews), as well as their openness to student proposals for initiatives.
Would you recommend studying at our School? Why?
Certainly, I would. In fact, I came to EAE based on the recommendation of a friend who did a Master at the School and I am really glad that I listened to him. As well as the factors that I mentioned in the previous question, in my opinion, EAE is a School that is constantly updating its contents to adapt to the needs of the market. Moreover, it gave me the tools and accompaniment I needed throughout the whole process of my studies.