Giselle Rubin

Fun Facts

• What motivates you in life? I love living new experiences, meeting people, discovering the world little by little. 
• Name one thing you can’t live without? Google maps, now that I am living in Buenos Aires I take advantage of its use more than ever. 
• If your former classmates and teachers could give you a superlative award, what would it be? "Most likely to play devil’s advocate in class" and "Most energetic person".

Tell us about your experience with IE

I opted for the Bachelor in Information Systems Management (BIS) degree because it allowed me to study the business field and the integration of new technologies and data analysis, two interconnected domains present in the strategic agenda of all companies regardless of industry, region or dimension. I was also able to do my exchange program at the University of Michigan, which is one of my favorite memories as a student.

IE provided me with an essential foundation to face the day-to-day duties of my profession, values and a suite of skills such as time management, discipline, organization, ability to work within cross-functional teams, adaptability and, above all, a disruptive and out of the box mindset, a crucial input in any strategic consulting project.

I hope to continue tapping into the IE experience as an alumni, including the powerful network that will accompany me indefinitely, staying in touch with the incredible group of friends and professors I met through the program that I can trust for advice and mentoring, as well as the contacts from hundreds of companies.

Now for the advice. Is there anything you wish you had known when starting at IE University?

There are thousands of resources available from courses and seminars to clubs. To make the most of the options, it could be interesting to make a prioritization of what you want to get from the experience according to its relevance. Then you choose the activities that fit best and fill in with your secondary options if you still have available free time. In my case, I prioritized the Consulting Club and attended Hackathons/Bootcamps. In parallel, I loved the athletic team, attending weekly padel and tennis trainings. However, if I had followed a more structured plan, I would have taken advantage of all the resources and opportunities.

A piece of advice I would give to incoming student is that IE’s massive international community provides IE students an outstanding and differential experience compared to the rest of the universities in Madrid. It is truly enriching to meet students from other places and get to know their different ways of working, thinking or socializing. For me, it was the most unique competitive advantage: a network that becomes long-lasting friends and contacts distributed across the globe.  

Life after IE University

In my role as Senior Consultant, I am in charge of executing strategic projects ranging different typologies and client industries, leading the development of deliverables, client management and supervising the content development of juniors below my rank. We support companies with strategic advisory, adjusting our expertise and services to their specific needs. We cover projects such as digital transformation, strategy definition, portfolio optimization, commercial/operational/IT due diligence, buy/sell of companies, carve-out, and go-to-market strategies, tackling all industries (health, consumer goods, retail, sport business, pharma, insurance, oil & gas, etc.).

The recruitment process is the standard consulting process, a series of business case rounds with various executives of the firm.

The skills necessary to succeed in this field are time management, attention to detail, a creative mindset, thinking outside the box, discipline and a positive attitude whenever facing challenges or high-pressure situations.

Tell us about your proudest career accomplishment to date.

It's complex to narrow it down to just one, but during my time at Accenture I won an internal global sustainability competition with 4 of my colleagues. We developed a sustainable business model for a leading retail client, being selected among 2,000+ employees across the firm and consequently receiving 15K USD to join an accelerator program to scale up the idea to a pilot phase.

Can you share insights from your experience winning the Accenture Global Sustainability Innovation Challenge?

It was one of the first approaches to the sustainability industry complemented with the development of my final undergraduate thesis on the impact of Machine Learning against global warming. My collaboration in the competition was enriching to learn how to develop, integrate and put into action a sustainable business model within the operating model of a large corporation.

What advice would you give to IE University students and alumni who are looking to pursue a career in your field?

• Dedicate time to interview preparation (solving business cases, learning industry technicalities, new trends and updated news that apply to each sector, fluency in oral resolution...)
• Maintain a positive attitude in the face of rejections as they will inevitably happen. Do not take it personally, do not get discouraged. Often, rejections go beyond our possibilities.
• Each experience will contribute to your growth. My experiences helped build and develop the Giselle of today, extending my expertise by industry, increasing my daily productivity and improving my hard and soft skills.
• IE offers multiple preparation resources, from weekly case solving courses, events with company speakers, hackathons, consulting clubs to private coaching. Plus, connecting you with a big network of students also interested in applying, with whom you can interact to receive advice, practice in groups, or exchange best practices. All of this truly eases the entry into an industry that may seem challenging or daunting without prior experience.

What strategies or approaches do you recommend for making the most of an internship once secured, especially in consulting?

• Be a sponge, extract the maximum from every experience and collaboration: from the way your superiors work and tasks performed to the content of deliverables.
• Do not be afraid to ask questions if you have doubts or roadblocks in any task. No colleague expects you to be an expert. They are precisely there to instruct and guide you. 
• Take advantage of the corporate network to create valuable contacts that will be useful for the future, both professionally and personally.