From ESCP’s Bachelor in Management (BSc) to Digital Sales at VF Corporation, Romina Anna Roda has built an admirable international career. At 24, she reflects on the experiences that have brought her this far and why having everything figured out has never been part of her plan.
At 18, Romina had plenty of ideas about her future, although very few came with a precise plan. She was fascinated by business, hoped to follow in her father’s entrepreneurial footsteps one day, and knew she wanted to explore the world beyond Italy. Having attended a language-focused secondary school and spent a semester studying in Vancouver, she had already discovered how much she enjoyed international environments.
London was her dream destination, but ESCP’s Bachelor in Management (BSc) offered something even more appealing: the opportunity to study in three European cities while discovering her own interests along the way. « I wasn’t looking for a perfectly defined path, but rather an environment that would allow me to discover who I wanted to become, » Romina recalls.
Another important part of her life also shaped her character and outlook on life. For thirteen years, Romina had practised competitive figure skating, a sport that taught her discipline, organisation and, above all, perseverance. « When you fall, you can’t spend too much time feeling sorry for yourself. You have to understand what you can improve and try again, » she recalls. But she also genuinely loved skating, a chance to clear her mind and enjoy herself. That combination of determination and enthusiasm would accompany her well beyond the ice rink.
Today, she works in Switzerland for VF Corporation, in Digital Sales for icebreaker and Smartwool across the EMEA market. In between, she spent years in London, Madrid and Berlin, earned a Master’s degree at IESE Business School, and pursued entrepreneurial projects and experiences spanning consulting, marketing and international sales. Her path has hardly been linear, but, as it turns out, that’s exactly what makes it interesting.
Three cities and a different way of looking at the world
Of everything that initially attracted Romina to ESCP, the opportunity to make three different cities her home remains particularly meaningful. London, Madrid and Berlin each brought new friendships, unfamiliar routines and the challenge of finding her feet in a different cultural environment.
« One of the most important things I learned was that there isn’t just one way of doing things, » she explains. « Changing your environment doesn’t mean losing your points of reference. It gives you an opportunity to question and enrich them. »
The international dimension of the Bachelor gradually became much more than a geographical experience. Working alongside classmates from different backgrounds taught her to recognise alternative perspectives, communicate more thoughtfully and find common ground. She particularly remembers an Intercultural Skills course that introduced her to Erin Meyer’s The Culture Map and helped her understand how cultural differences shape professional relationships.
These lessons have followed her into the workplace. For Romina, collaborating internationally means recognising that people may interpret the same situation very differently, and that listening can be just as important as knowing what to say.
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From Student Ambassador to entrepreneurial ventures
Romina was keen to contribute to university life beyond the classroom. During her second year in Madrid, she became an ESCP Student Ambassador, a role she continued in Berlin. She enjoyed sharing her experience with prospective students and finding creative ways to communicate what made studying at ESCP special.
Her commitment earned her the Best Student Ambassador award in Madrid, a recognition she is quick to share with the fellow ambassadors who worked alongside her. The experience also helped her discover how much she enjoyed representing a community, building relationships and communicating the value of something she believed in.
That enthusiasm for bringing people together soon found another outlet. Alongside several classmates, Romina launched a small non-profit events initiative in Madrid, gaining first-hand experience of negotiating with venues, promoting events and managing responsibilities within a team.
A second entrepreneurial project reflected her personal interest in fashion, sustainability and vintage clothing. With guidance from an ESCP professor, she developed a business plan for an online vintage fashion platform, working through investment requirements, cost structures and commercial feasibility.
« ESCP gave me the tools to structure an idea, build a business plan and assess whether it was feasible, » she explains. « But trying to build something yourself also shows you how different it can be from studying how a business should work. »
Finding the connection between creativity and numbers
Romina has always been drawn to creative disciplines, particularly branding, photography and storytelling. Yet her early professional experiences introduced her to the more analytical side of business.
At Tecnofinish, she worked with international clients and explored the US market. Later, at Deloitte, she gained experience with business cases, KPIs, and customer acquisition and retention models. « I threw myself into almost every opportunity that came my way, without worrying too much about building a perfectly linear career, » she admits.
She jokes that she once thought she wasn’t the kind of person who would enjoy spending her days in Excel. Today, spreadsheets and data analysis are part of her professional routine, and she has learned to appreciate their creative potential. « Even behind a creative idea, there are very clear data and results that help us understand what worked and what could be improved, » Romina observes.
Rather than choosing between creativity and analysis, she has become interested in how the two can strengthen each other. This approach now guides her work in Digital Sales at VF Corporation, where marketing, brand communication, customer experience, and commercial objectives meet.
For Romina, the appeal lies in understanding how ideas translate into measurable results, without losing sight of the people those ideas are intended to reach.
New challenges, familiar foundations
Around eighteen months after graduating from ESCP, Romina decided to continue her education with a Master in Management at IESE Business School in Madrid. She wanted to deepen her knowledge and give herself time to explore her professional direction.
At IESE, she encountered a teaching method centered on case studies and practical problem-solving. Her undergraduate experience made the transition way easier. « The solid economic foundation I built during the Bachelor helped me approach this new way of learning with greater confidence, without feeling that I was starting from scratch, » she explains.
Her involvement in university life continued too. After being elected class representative, she became President of the 2026 cohort, a role that reminded her of her time as an ESCP Student Ambassador, while bringing new responsibilities.
In fact, « Leadership isn’t simply about having a title. It’s about taking responsibility for representing others and making sure their needs are heard, » she says.
The freedom to keep discovering
At 24, Romina can see how experiences that once seemed unrelated have gradually come together. Her current position at VF Corporation draws on the business foundations she developed at ESCP, the analytical skills acquired through her professional experiences and the communication abilities she has cultivated through her personal interests and university involvement.
Yet she is in no hurry to describe her current role as a final destination. There are other industries she would like to discover, cities she hopes to live in and responsibilities she wants to take on.
Looking back, she distinguishes between what ESCP gave her and what she has built through her own initiative. The Bachelor provided academic foundations, an international outlook and the confidence to explore unfamiliar opportunities. What she chose to do with those opportunities was up to her.
« I think a great education shouldn’t necessarily provide all the answers, » she reflects. « It should teach you to ask the right questions and give you the tools to find your own answers. »
It is also the message she would share with students who feel pressured to have their future mapped out before they have even finished university. « Don’t feel that you’re falling behind just because you don’t yet have a clear idea of your future, » Romina advises. « Having goals is important, but so is leaving yourself the freedom to change your mind. »
If she could speak to the 18-year-old preparing to leave Italy for London, she would simply encourage her to trust herself, worry less about the future, and enjoy everything that lies ahead.
For Romina, the most valuable lesson has been learning that a meaningful career doesn’t need to follow a predetermined route. Sometimes, the experiences you hadn’t planned are the ones that help you discover where you truly belong.
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