Ana Paula discovered a newfound sense of purpose through EADA’s Master in Sustainable Business and Innovation. The sustainability master’s program opened her eyes to the many opportunities for business leaders to disrupt the status quo. With innovative solutions they can face the environmental and societal challenges we face.
When Ana Paula was a student of international business, she questioned the purpose behind her studies. In a world grappling with pressing environmental and societal challenges, how could her education make a difference? Ana Paula knew her education couldn’t end with her undergraduate degree.
Pursuing a master’s degree lets students answer the unanswered questions of the bachelor’s program. EADA Business School offered the program that Ana Paula realized brought a different perspective on business education.
“When I first saw that EADA had this master’s in sustainability, and I went through the brochure, and the different subjects that it had. It definitely made me realize that this was disruptive,” she tells us. (00:55)
As one of the three strategic pillars of EADA, alongside Leadership and Innovation, Sustainability is central to the school’s vision. EADA aims to multiply its impact by developing self-aware leaders who create a positive influence in the world. This vision has earned the school the “Transforming school” recognition in the Positive Impact Rating of the World Economic Forum.
EADA’s Master in Sustainable Business and Innovation equips business leaders to think critically and address sustainability issues head-on. It’s part of the school’s firm commitment to disrupt business as usual.
The Master in Sustainable Business and Innovation has nurtured seven generations of change-makers, many of whom are actively working in the field. This proven track record underscores the potency and relevance of the program.
Over the span of the ten-month program at EADA, students delve into a variety of subjects and immersive real-world experiences to foster crucial sustainable business skills. These skills are a blend of hard and soft ones, the former encompassing subjects like consumer ethics and sustainable entrepreneurship.
Beyond hard skills, EADA places a significant emphasis on cultivating soft skills such as communication, negotiation, teamwork, and leadership. One of the key values at EADA Business School is its commitment to personal development. Students have numerous opportunities to practice and refine these skills throughout the program.
“A professor that since the first class really impacted us was JJ. He gave us a class on ethics and started off the course by encouraging us to ask ourselves ‘Who am I?’ … That was very impactful from a personal experience because it is true, sometimes we think we’re determined by so many external things, but our stories are our most powerful assets. So that was very inspiring,” Ana Paula shares. (04:50)
EADA wants to challenge students to reflect on who they are, their values, the change they want to make in the world, and what drives them. One of the experiences outside of the classroom in which students get to develop themselves is the Colbató experience.
In the heart of nature, facing the Montserrat mountains, is the Collbató Residential Training Campus, where EADA takes its master’s in Sustainable Business and Innovation students to work on their leadership and teamwork skills.
There were a variety of individual and group challenges, all designed to facilitate personal growth. Ana Paula particularly remembered one significant event, which focused on the topic of vulnerability. As part of this, each participant had to give a presentation on a significant event in their life. (07:58)
Sociologist Brené Brown has found that vulnerability builds trust and elevates performance, both in a personal and organizational context. Leaders who create the space for true vulnerability in their teams create safer work environments. People then feel welcome to speak up, share ideas, and show up authentically.
In turn, this helps nurture deeper bonds and collaboration within teams.
“Through the Colbató experience, we came to have a very unique type of connection that really made us see each other, and inspire each other,” Ana Paula explains. (07:00)
By educating on these people-focused competencies through the Collbató experience, EADA wants to encourage more diverse, authentic, and humane leadership models among its students.
In addition to its core curriculum, EADA’s sustainability master’s program is enriched by the school’s Sustainability Hub. The hub contributes valuable research and collaborates with corporate partners on Business and Sustainability, providing students with real-world exposure to sustainable business practices. EADA is also a strategic partner of the Barcelona + B project, an initiative that brings together key players to transform the city into a model of sustainable living.
The atmosphere of teamwork at EADA’s Master in Sustainable Business and Innovation was notable to Ana Paula. She found herself immersed in a culture that fostered a sense of unity among the students.
“Instead of being a class where you are competing with each other, we were so collaborative,” she emphasizes. (07:12)
This collaboration-driven approach enabled her to engage in meaningful discussions that expanded her views with new perspectives. It also helped to forge long-lasting friendships with students from diverse backgrounds, both cultural and academic.
“I had the opportunity to meet, I would dare to say, some of the best people I’ve met so far. Everyone was so filled with purpose and with beautiful values.” (06:45)
The collaborative nature of EADA’s program not only enhances the overall learning experience but is also a vital asset for any leader who seeks to disrupt the status quo. If anything has the power to drive meaningful change in our societies, it’s the power to inspire collective action.
It is when individuals discover common ground and unite their efforts toward shared objectives that true societal progress becomes available.
Sometimes change doesn’t look like what you’d expect. Sometimes change can be small steps taken in the right direction. That’s what Anna Paula is experiencing now from her work as an M&A consultant at Deloitte.
“I thought that coming out of the master’s, I was going to go into a role in sustainability. But sustainability in Mexico moves slowly compared to other countries. I am now kind of in the system, but changing it from the inside,” she explains. (09:25)
Invited to become a “green champion”, Anna Paula will now help the company understand how they can have a better impact as a multinational company.
Therefore, there’s not just one way to advocate for sustainability.
The opportunities to champion more sustainable business decisions are everywhere, and encouraging more sustainable initiatives is something available to any leader in any company.
But having the knowledge, network, and real-life experiences that EADA’s sustainability master’s program provides certainly helps with making a greater impact.
To find out more about studying at EADA, contact one of their student ambassadors.
