From the classroom to Assistant to the CMO at IBM

Edoardo Desogus’ testimonial about the Pre-Master Year and his challenging internship

The Pre-Master Year combines core modules, interdisciplinary projects and an internship. Edoardo, after Turin, is going to study at the London, Madrid and Paris ESCP campuses. He is a truly enthusiastic and engaged student. He is an active member of JET ESCP, the Junior Enterprise of ESCP Turin Campus, and of the Sponsor Division of Regatta ESCP, the most important sport and networking event organized by the Business School's students and Alumni.

In April he started his internship as Assistant to the Chief Marketing Officer at IBM.
We asked him to tell us about his experience and in particular about the challenges he had to face during his first year at ESCP.

Why did you choose to apply for ESCP’s Master programme?
When I was gathering information regarding the best European universities in the field of Business and Management, I had no doubt: ESCP Business School was my number 1 choice! It is not only the World’s First Business School, but it also gives you the opportunity to differentiate from all other students: we can speak up to four languages, we live and network in the main European business hubs, we study with a hands-on approach on real cases and, above all, we gain experience in the world of business with an internship per year in leading companies worldwide. To sum it up, ESCP Business School is the best place to design your future, to form yourself as an adult… and to live life!

You are a Pre-Master Year student of the MIM on the Turin Campus. This was the first of a three-year programme and it was devoted to gaining insight into the fundamentals of management, including introductory and advanced concepts to foster an understanding of the world of business. How was your experience?
My Pre-Master Year in Turin has been a pivotal year to enter the world of ESCP. I studied in one of the main and steadily growing Italian business hubs and I had the opportunity to experience the international network of the Business School. It has been a great year as I grew a lot from a personal, interpersonal and professional point of view, gaining real exposure to the most important international companies for the first time in my life. Moreover, I had the opportunity to work with my peers in ESCP’s student associations, putting together my entrepreneurial forma mentis, what I study in books and the chance to build extraordinary relationships with my fellows.

Each year of the Master in Management all students are required to undertake an internship, so during the years of the Programme they can experience multiple internships in different countries and industries. What are you doing in your internship?
I am working as Executive Assistant to the Chief Marketing Officer at IBM. I am doing a shadowing program with my boss, so I spend all day at his side collaborating directly and proactively with him in the daily activities of a C-Level. This means that I support the CMO in the execution of top strategic priorities of the Quarter, I assist him in meetings and events with the IBM Board, clients and media and I am in charge of executing cross-team projects and supervising his daily agenda. 

What do you think about this opportunity?
It goes without saying that it is a unique, extraordinary and exciting experience for an ambitious 22-year-old student like me: in a few words, a dream come true!