In a fast-changing world, the definition of a leader has taken on new dimensions, and the skills
needed to lead teams or even businesses have changed. In the new normal, to become a
successful leader, professionals need to adapt their approach.
Mădălina Pangrate follows the profile of the manager who thrives internationally and in Romania
but chooses to stay in the country to make a positive impact here. Mădălina worked at Google
for 7 years and was recently appointed Industry Manager Google Romania. After an internship
in Google’s marketing team, she went to Dublin for the international experience and returned to
digitalize companies in Romania.
She completed the Tiffin Executive MBA program at the age of 28, with an average of 38 years
of graduates, being one of the energetic presences and drivers of the cohort she was part of.
Madalina’s Digital Marketing experience will soon complement the Marketing curriculum of Tiffin
University, participating this fall as a guest speaker in the program Bachelor of Business
Administration.
Earlier this year, you were appointed as an industry manager at Google Romania. What
new responsibilities does this position bring, and how do you manage them?
I have always worked in consulting for companies that are digitalized. In my previous role at
Google, I worked closely with media and digital agencies for their clients, and now the
consultancy’s focus is directly to companies. I aim to help them grow in turnover and profit using
the digital tools that Google provides.
The companies I work with now are in the telecom, retail, and pharma sectors. For all these
industries, the opportunity of digitization in recent years has been to expand in the market,
attract new customers, and retain existing ones.
Large corporations typically award substantial benefits to employees who demonstrate
Executive MBA program. Is the giant Google among them?
We are encouraged to develop professionally and take as many courses or specializations as
possible, some of them financially supported (fully or partially) by the company, and I think it’s
natural because that know-how comes back into the company. In my point of view, this is a
great benefit that the company offers. And then, being a Googler means being an avid
information seeker and curious.
Once you go through an MBA, an intensive two-year training program at a top university, you
will undoubtedly apply what you’ve learned in business. Because you’re exposed to a variety of
perspectives of your peers, exposure to different industries and different roles, and perhaps
most importantly, in my opinion, you have access to case studies with real problems, where
there are not necessarily right or wrong solutions, it’s more about how you approach and argue
for the given situation, depending on the context.
What were the good reasons to pursue an EMBA program?
For me, it was the need for specialization, the American study model, and colleges.
I graduated from high school with a math-info profile. I studied communication at the University
of Bucharest, and I specialized in marketing and digital, so I chose an executive MBA in general
management, which was a natural choice. My role involves working with the largest companies
in Romania, and I considered that this EMBA complements my knowledge in other related
business areas: finance, HR, or accounting, which I hadn’t necessarily had in-depth contact with
until then.
The fact that the program is built on an American study model (different from the European
model in which I had previously studied), aroused my curiosity and desire to learn from
professors who had practical business experience and who came to Romania specifically for us.
The Executive MBA comprises 14 courses. You get a very rich biography to study before and
because there are no exams, each course is completed with individual assignments and group
projects. It helped that the emphasis was more on class interaction, argumentation and
creativity of chosen topics, teamwork, and group dynamics rather than the number of pages
written, hours marked, or exams taken.
What are the main ideas you take away from the EMBA program, and how do they reflect
in your work?
After graduating from the program, I can say that the perspective through which I look at a
business now comes to be complete. In my work, I now thoroughly consider and understand the
situation financial situation of a company, the loyalty of employees, and the training that exists
or not in a company on the technological side or from a digitalization perspective. Having the
ability to anticipate the business decisions of an international company or a business in the local
market is another thing that I have practiced and honed through the program.
This experience also helped me realize how valuable the exposure is to the wide variety of
business models I have at Google. It was an “aha- important moment in which I realized the
high level of professionalism of the company I work for, especially in my favorite areas:
Marketing, Leadership, Product or Management.
At the same time, I am grateful to have had colleagues from whom I have learned a lot, and
discussions with them sometimes generated new business ideas and partnerships. We spent 3
weekends a month together during the study months. This time brought us closer and grew us
as people and professionals in our fields.
This year, a new batch of trainees will start the program in October, and those who want to
pursue an Executive MBA program at Tiffin University can find out more about the application
requirements on the university’s website.
This material was published in Ziarul Financiar, on 21.07.2022.