From Corporate Giants to Sports Media: The 23-24 MARCOM Speaker Series Had It All

Ever wondered what it’s like to work in marketing or communications in 2024? IE Business School’s MARCOM Speakers Series introduced Master students to nine leading talents throughout the academic year, featuring insights from top professionals in diverse fields including sports media, healthcare, luxury goods, and more.

The speakers list this year included renowned entrepreneurs like Uri Levine, co-founder Waze - which was acquired by Google for $1.15 billion in 2013 - and Guzmán Colilla, founder of The Crown Creators, a Madrid-based sports creative and marketing agency collaborating with top athletes like Carlos Sainz, Jude Bellingham, and Lionel Messi. Both speakers shared insights into their entrepreneurial journeys, focusing on the crucial role of marketing and communication in their success.

Marketing across all the sectors emerged as a unifying topic across the whole series with special speakers such as Simon Philip Rost, Chief Marketing Officer at GE Healthcare; Barbara Ozores, Director Partner Marketing in Netflix; and Ana Santamarina, Product Activation Manager at L’Oreal. These guests shared their diverse marketing experience spanning the media and entertainment, technology, and beauty industries.

HR and Talent & Development students also had a unique opportunity to learn about the world of talent and culture with speakers such as Carla Zappala, Talent Acquisition & Employer Branding Manager at LVMH, and Fathima Beckmann, former Senior Vice President of Global Inclusion at Paramount.

These talks were not simply lectures, they offered students an insider’s view, uncovering the daily challenges leadership strategies, and team dynamics. The speakers vividly brought their roles and responsibilities to life, providing a detailed glimpse into their professional worlds.

The speakers series also covered the topic of corporate leadership with executives such as Alfonso Formariz, CEO of Havas Health & You in Spain and EU, alongside with Ainhara Viñarás, General Director of Shiseido Iberia. They shared the story about their journey as top leaders in their respective fields.

The impressive lineup of speakers was the result of hard work by the Marketing and Communications program’s management team, who maintained strong connections with successful alumni and faculty members. The speakers, in turn, enjoyed the opportunity to give back by sharing their knowledge with students.

Aligned with the Business School’s mission, #NextBestYou, it connects students with influential professionals, making these talks both valuable for networking and inspiring for students’ future careers.

“This space creates new hiring and recruitment opportunities and inspires our MARCOM students when they get to meet top C-levels, executives and mid managers that have successfully managed their careers in the areas of Marketing, Branding, Creativity and Sales,” said Carla Szemzo, Vice Dean at IE Business School.