Ignacio Quintanilla, Innovation Manager and Business School graduate shares his experience studying with us

Why did you choose to study your degree in Business Administration?

I chose a Graduate Diploma in Business Administration because I wanted to get knowledge about business and how it runs from a holistic perspective. Moreover, to have a Graduate Diploma in Business Administration opened to me more opportunities to gain international work experience.

Why did you choose to study at the University of Adelaide? 

The University of Adelaide focuses a lot on international students that make it attractive to come from overseas to study there. This University always has a high position in the world university ranking. Another significant point is that the education system encourages critical thinking, problem-solving, teamwork, and communication, which helps to build relationships with people all around the world.

What did you enjoy about your degree?  

I enjoyed having different courses from a soft angle such as Leadership to hard subjects like finance or accounting, for instance. Every subject gives you a piece of knowledge that complements your understanding of a business. This helps you to always have a valuable point of view in discussions. Also, the learning environment, I enjoyed having classmates and lecturers from different backgrounds. This helped to have fruitful and in-depth discussions in every class.  

What courses did you enjoy the most? 

Of course, Marketing! That's what I love and do. During my Marketing classes, the Lectures were engaging, quite experienced, and with a vast understanding of today's organization's challenges. I enjoyed learning from different real business cases and developing analytical and creative strategies to address those cases.

What job do you have now and what kind of work does that involve?

Currently, I am working as an Innovation Manager — which means that I'm responsible for developing new exciting products and brands for our consumers. I work on brand strategy, product development, communication, and supporting the development of new routes to distribute our products to consumers.

Are any of your studies/transferable skills useful to what you do now? 

Yes, despite that, a part of what you learned will be hard directly transferable, most of what you are being taught provides you a broad understanding of a business that gives you a solid preparation for you to create a positive impact into an organization or even apply into you own business idea.

How did your study help with your career? 

A significant advantage of my business's degree at the Adelaide Business School is that lectures are leaders in their respective fields and have the vocation to support students through their learning journey. This helped me to gain valuable knowledge to apply to today's global businesses. Also, to me, helped to jump from a local career to start an international career in leading global companies.