Luca Antonietti, business developer and lawyer of Italian nationality, was one of the 2018 SISU MBA International graduates. Before the MBA study experience in ESIC Business & Marketing School in Madrid and Shanghai International Studies University, he already had a master's degree in environmental law and almost ten years of work experience in Spain. Now, let's go into his story.
A wonderful trip for learning
When I talk about the International MBA in Shanghai, I like to think of a trip. In fact, I am asking you to imagine the beginning of a travel right now. Each travel starts with the suitcase and I am sure that at the beginning the baggage was heavier than usual. It was not easy to greet parents, partners, and the friends of a lifetime to start a travel like this. Someone has also asked: Why do I have to do anything like that? But the wish of learning, of improving, of knowing was already guiding the steps.
We all had to defend the choice of leaving our countries in order to start a new experience of which we did not know anything, except the weight of the suitcases. Fortunately, on every respectable travel we found wonderful fellow passengers.
The relationship with Chinese colleagues was simply wonderful. The process of integration lasted a few minutes: the time of a glance, for understanding that our objectives were shared, and our destinies united by the sacrifice and the passion for what we were building together.
The visits to the companies, organized by SISU, were really useful for breathing the air of the working world. Class activities have always been original for encouraging everyone's involvement.
The subjects were particularly interesting for understanding how to do business in China and how to become true global leaders. The experience becomes unique when the candidates are able to unite the Western mentality with the noble principles of Eastern philosophy. In this sense, studying in an environment such as SISU MBA represents a real privilege: the best on a global scale.
A big thank to the SISU MBA Center, to all the staff of AAO and, one by one, all the lecturers, who transmitted us their passion and from whom I learned the importance of loyalty. I found a real home here in Shanghai, never, I stress never, I felt alone or abandoned.
Recommendations for this journey
Nobody had told us it would be easy and in fact it was not. As in the great sea crossings we had to watch the waves and we often remained awake at night. When the waves were not so high we could get to know each other better and understand the great team we were, the great team we are today, the great team we will continue to be in the future.
My personal perspective involves a long period to spend in China. I would like to continue this positive moment in a company operating in Shanghai to further enrich my background for contributing to the growth of the Chinese model. For the vast majority of my colleagues, it is expected the return in their own countries after a great experience like this that will surely lead them to hold important positions in the medium and long term.
I would like to make some recommendations to those who will embark on this journey. The first is to never try to change the people you work with but try to adapt to the best in the environment by accepting all the differences. The second is to work hard to embody the SISU motto and to be interpreters of that vision made of integrity and academic excellence that the institution pursues. The third is to smile and experience the period with the heart open to the many novelties that await you in this exciting adventure.
We must not forget that fun plays a fundamental role in this journey. Empathy is a universal weapon and very powerful to make new friends especially when you are in a totally new context and this is full of new surprises that characterize everyday life in the MBA center.
A suitcase full of harvest
Now I find out why the suitcases of this travel weighed so much. The baggage was full of hopes. The hope of building something good in life, the hope to opening our eyes, the hope of improving ourselves. Hope is like the friendship that we built together during this travel: it does not know distances, it knows no borders, it does not need visas or passports, friendship is endless and goes beyond any dimension and, like true love, and it is able to win even the death. I am more than sure that I will miss this wonderful environment, but I know that when I look at the map I will be able to see those countries and I will know that, in those places, my brothers and sisters were born. I understood, in the last moment of the master in SISU which that was not the end of the journey, but it was only our new beginning for being the instruments of hope and for distributing to all these noble sentiments that animate our life currently: in the workplaces, in the families, with the friends.
After having lived this experience I can say that I know myself better. I can see my role in society and I'm not scared about my future at all. As you may have guessed, I am also very proud to have formed part and represented a magnificent group like the one of the International MBA, class 2018.
The impact with China represented an important moment for my personal growth. Chinese culture is very fascinating but the change from the habits we have in Europe has been very strong. Shanghai is a city that offers so many opportunities and it is definitely the best for an international student in this historical moment. Rapid economic growth has attracted many talents from all over the world. China represents a very favorable environment for the professional life of future borderless managers.
