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Distance Learning MBA for Latin American Managers - Emanuel Lima Abud '10

Emanuel Lima Abud '10
Mexico
(pictured here, center)
“I work for a transnational company, and it is very important to have a broader, global perspective. It’s where all businesses in the world are heading.”


Emanuel Lima Abud '10 is a lot of things: a passionate marketer, a husband, a businessman. But he didn’t expect to be Thunderbird’s 40,000th graduate when he earned his MBA from Thunderbird and Tecnológico de Monterrey’s joint Distance Learning Global MBA for Latin American Managers program on June 5, 2010.

“We were told that the 40,000th graduate of Thunderbird would be part of our ceremony, but I never thought it would be me,” explains Lima. “It was an honor to attend the historic event and be the historic guy.”

Lima credits the Latin American Managers Global MBA program with providing a deeper understanding of cultural and financial subjects, as well as a broader view of the world’s global industries.

While he was still enrolled in the joint Thunderbird-Tec program, the 31-year-old earned a promotion with employer Eli Lilly de Mexico. “Six months before graduation, I was promoted from brand associate to brand manager, with greater responsibilities and expectations.”

The skills he learned from Thunderbird and Tec de Monterrey, he says, prepared him for the challenge. He points, especially, to the leadership and cultural mindset classes he completed. Employed by Eli Lilly since 2006, Lima first began as a sales representative. He’s now responsible for $20 million USD in product revenue, focusing on the Prozac and Strattera name-brand pharmaceuticals.

“Marketing is my passion. I get to develop creative promotions for sales to implement, I get to travel around the world, and the best part is that I get to work every day on people’s health, changing lives, improving people’s quality of life and helping humans to heal.”

The Mexico-born Lima says there was never a question of where he would earn his MBA. “I previously worked for Tecnológico de Monterrey and also earned a BA in communication science there, as well as a pharmaceutical marketing certificate. I knew the performance required. And I knew that Tec de Monterrey was paired up with one of the most recognized institutions in the world: Thunderbird.”

And with a job that takes him around the world, pursuing a distance-learning degree that offered flexibility was a perfect fit as well.

As Lima continues to travel the globe for his job – to Argentina, South Africa, the United Kingdom, France, Canada and other destinations – he assists congresses in learning more about human disease and pharmaceutical solutions. “Every day, I am talking with people – in Argentina, the United States. I’m always using my cultural mindset and cultural communications skills.” Those skills, he says, are invaluable.

“In today’s world, it’s necessary to have a global mindset and to have a broader perspective about business.”