IESE Spotlights

In this episode of IESE Spotlight, Devyangana and Nicolas sit down with Renda Putri, whose journey spans Indonesia, Singapore, the UK and now Barcelona. Renda shares her experience transitioning from a tech scale-up in London to transforming her family business during the global pandemic. We explore the realities of navigating a rigorous MBA while stepping into motherhood, the discipline required to juggle multiple high-stakes roles and why growth often requires taking the leap before you have everything figured out

In this episode of IESE Spotlight, Nicolas and Devyangana sit down with Professor Mike Rosenberg to navigate the complexities of our turbulent world. Drawing from his experience at IESE, Professor Rosenberg explains why geopolitical literacy is no longer optional for leaders and how students can act as facilitators in sensitive classroom debates. We also explore how to navigate your career by finding your North, the pragmatic reality of environmental sustainability, and how to stay grounded when the world changes unexpectedly.

In this episode of IESE Spotlight, Nicolas and Devyangana sit down with Mariana Tasso, President of the Women in Business Club and former consultant from Brazil. Mariana pulls back the curtain on the "invisible growth" of the MBA, the transition from being driven by rigid structure and perfectionism to building genuine self-confidence and internal clarity. We discuss her professional pivot toward international tech, the lessons learned leading one of IESE’s most active communities, and why sometimes the most transformative moments are the ones that aren't on your calendar.

In this episode of IESE Spotlight, Devyangana and Nicolas sit down with Sindhu, President of the IESE Tech Club and former Amazon intern. Moving from a background in social impact to the world of big tech, Sindhu shares how she navigated a major career pivot while staying grounded through uncertainty. We dive into the complexities of managing an MBA alongside a partner, the importance of mental well-being in high-pressure environments, and the search for "tech with purpose."

Simon Spector joins IESE Spotlight for a candid look at the intersections of identity and leadership. We explore the nuances of finding community within Jewish and LGBTQ circles and how these experiences build bridges toward a unique approach to entrepreneurship. Beyond the business plans, Simon discusses the "risk" of showing up as an ally and why he views the MBA experience as a vital training ground for facilitating global conversations.

In this episode, hosts Devyangana and Nicolas sit down with Khanya Modipa to explore her journey from South Africa to the U.S. and now IESE. She opens up about navigating layoffs, challenging expectations and choosing an MBA to rewrite her own path.This conversation is one about agency, representation and finding clarity in uncertainty. We recommend listening if you've ever dreamed of more but didn’t know where to begin.

In this first episode of Season 4 of IESE Spotlight, hosts Devyangana and Nicolas sit down with Federico Alatorre — entrepreneur, TEDx speaker, and Co-President of the IESE Startup & Entrepreneurship Club.Together, they explore what it truly means to find yourself before, during, and after an MBA. From building startups and navigating failure to managing doubt and imposter syndrome, Fede offers honest reflections on growth, balance, and the lessons that shape both founders and future leaders.A conversation about purpose, resilience, and the power of self-discovery — at IESE and beyond.

IESE Spotlights is back for Season 3, with your new hosts, Amir Amin & Taylor Robins.The hosts may be new, but the goal is the same: highlighting the personal and professional journeys of the incredibly diverse and successful community at IESE. In this episode, we sat down with IESE Alum and Senior Lecturer of Entrepreneurship, Luis Cabiedes. Listen in as we discuss Luis' entrepreneurial adventures throughout his career, as well as his advice for the next generation of entrepreneurs.   

Two standout members of the IESE MBA Class of '23, Stephie & Ovidio, were a delight to have on the podcast. In this episode, we discuss the incredible journeys that led them to IESE, their experiences in 1st year vs. 2nd year, and their active participation in giving back to the IESE community. 

In this episode, we invited three incredible members of one of the most critical support groups at IESE, the Partners. Listen in as Coni Amigo, Margaux de Wet, and Rafa Montinola speak about their experiences (both the ups and the downs!) at IESE as partners of current students.  

In this episode, we had an exciting discussion with IESE Alum and former Associate Director of Admissions, Anna Fata. Listen in as we touch on Anna's remarkable journey to IESE from a non-traditional background, her experiences at IESE as a student and in admissions, as well as the admissions process and what Anna looks for in a prospective admit. 

IESE Alum, Business Angel, and Lecturer of Entrepreneurship. Listen in on our discussion with Mathieu Carenzo as we explore his career in the start-up, scale-up, and early-stage equity financing world. 

In this episode, we sat down with two recent IESE graduates, Sarah (Class of '22) and Sebastian (Class of '21), who used IESE as the gateway to the exciting start-up and VC world in Barcelona. Our discussion explored their expectations vs. reality of the program, the highlights and lowlights of completing an MBA during COVID, and how their experiences at IESE shifted their career trajectory to its current path. 

Federico Travella is a Belgian-Italian tech entrepreneur and the Founding CEO & Executive Chairman of Novicap, a leading fintech scale-up out of Barcelona. He established Novicap with the goal of providing end-to-end working capital solutions to SMEs, mid-market corporates, and public administrations. For seven years, he served as the company's CEO, during which time Novicap was recognized for its success, winning numerous awards like the Alternative Finance Provider of the Year, SME Finance Provider of the Year, and being listed for three consecutive years in the Financial Times' FT1000 list of Europe's fastest-growing companies. Today, Novicap supports thousands of businesses to help them deliver impact for their stakeholders.Prior to founding Novicap, Federico was a Managing Director of Rocket Internet, where he spearheaded the rapid expansion of Internet ventures throughout the Asia Pacific region. His biggest success at Rocket Internet was the successful scaling of the e-commerce marketplace Lazada, with a combined funding of millions of dollars and a successful exit to the Alibaba Group.Federico is a passionate advocate of entrepreneurship and a mentor to many entrepreneurs. He has also been an advisor to the European Commission on its innovation and entrepreneurship agenda and is a recognized thought leader in the fields of venture capital, trade finance, and fintech.

In this episode, we sat down with Kandarp Mehta, a Senior Lecturer in Negotiation and Creativity at IESE.A man of many talents, from published author - his most recent book 'Negotiate good negotiate well. The power of ambidexterity' was released in 2021 - to thespian, we loved hearing about his beginnings in India, his passion for the arts, theatre, and literature, and learnt more than a thing or two discussing creativity, entrepreneurship, and how to negotiate well.

We swung past the office of Stan Fourteau, the Co-Founder and CEO of Ukio, a fast-growing, Barcelona-based start-up that's shaking up the residential real estate market in Europe. Prior to building Ukio, he spent seven years at Airbnb in several roles including the GM of Latin America (Homes) and the Global Head of Growth (Experiences).Listen in as we delve into the story behind the unstructured post-MBA path Stan took that led him to Airbnb in its early days, his tips for adapting to pressure and change in a fast-paced, ever evolving start-up environment (hint: ice baths help), his experience raising a successful $9M seed round for Ukio and a ton more.

In this weeks’ episode of IESE Spotlights, my podcasting wife Ally O'Donohoe and I were delighted to welcome IESE 2019 alum, George Parker, onto the show.An entrepreneur straight off the bat after graduating, George is a co-founder and current CEO of GOMEEP, a Barcelona based company helping companies and individuals by providing built for purpose reliable e-mobility assets for last mile delivery and transportation. We explored his post MBA experiences as a founder here in Barcelona and everything that entails; the highs, the lows, and how the MBA helped him on his way.

We're back for Season 2 of IESE's very own student-run podcast, now lovingly renamed 'IESE Spotlights'. In this series, we'll be quizzing a diverse spectrum of IESE-affiliated guests - whether successful entrepreneurs, academics or students - on the highs and lows of their personal and professional journeys and what they've learnt along the way. To kick things off this season, we couldn’t be happier to have IESE alum Avi Meir joining us. As the CEO and Co-Founder of unicorn-status TravelPerk, one of the fastest-growing travel start-ups in the world, Avi has a wealth of wisdom to impart on taking a company from 0 to 1, maintaining resilience (not easy when you're leading a corporate travel start-up through Covid-19!), using the MBA to your advantage and everything in between. A huge thank you to Avi for taking time out of a crazy schedule to chat!