Interviewing a current student of MIAM
A dream come true. Coming from a background in Digital Marketing and Technology, Nikhil’s career goal was to land a job in an international agri-company. Did he achieve it? Keep reading.
Where did you do your internship?
In Kimitec (Almería). This is a biotechnology company applied to agriculture that offers radically innovative natural solutions that are as successful as synthetic chemistry, allowing for a balance between productivity, sustainability, and health preservation.
Which areas of the company did you work on?
I worked on the Commercial Department.
Was the knowledge acquired in the master’s useful for it?
Definitely yes. Being able to have a 360-degree view of the agriculture sector, keeping an eye on what are the challenges globally and working on practical solutions gave me a significant advantage during my internship. The learnings from Isabel Cayuela (BASF), a Marketing professor were the key transformation for me in learning how to view a business challenge as a marketing expert and the approach to solve it.
Explain what you learned in the company that you didn’t know before.
I understood how a company disrupts the sector by being innovative and daring to dream. Felix García, CEO of Kimitec, had dreamt about the challenges in the agriculture sector particularly with sustainability long back which we’re discussing now.
The business model of Kimitec is a diamond. It is truly inspiring with the MAAVI innovation center- where they’re building partnerships to help the competitor companies rather than competing with each other. This kind of mindset is truly impressive.
Was the language a barrier for your internship? How did you overcome this challenge?
Tell us an example of something you did in your internship that proved your talent to the company.
One of them is the marketing strategy and the digital infrastructure I have come up in building a community with farmers, distributors, wholesalers and the commercial team to increase the relationships among each other.
The other is that working towards the common goal of doing business sustainable by speaking the positive impact with numbers was highly appreciated by the Kimtec team from the commercial, marketing, and product departments.
Is the company offering you an extension of the internship or a contract? Have other companies offered you a job contract?
Kimitec didn’t offer an extension of the internship but I have got other 7 job opportunities. Among them, I am choosing NEOM (Saudi Arabia) besides everything.
This is a company that will introduce a new model for urban sustainability powered by 100% renewable energy and that is focused on people. Here, I will be working as a marketing specialist in launching NEOM’s food brand and driving the food brand in the long term.
Are you planning to stay in Spain or move back to your country? Why?
I am moving back to India to work for NEOM. As I have a hybrid work model, I am planning to live a digital nomad life.
Do you think the mandatory internship is relevant in MIAM?
That gave me a realistic view and more embrace of the value of learners in MIAM. I got to know how much huge value I am going to bring in for any firm in which I will be working.
Explain how you feel about the internship and the master’s in general. Would you recommend the experience?
Internships provide an invaluable opportunity to confirm that the skills you are learning in the master’s are highly valuable and in high demand in the industry.
The only candidates I would recommend this master’s to are those who have a strong purpose in agriculture and are determined to lead the sector toward sustainable goals while making a significant contribution to the economy.
I would be nowhere what I am today without ISAM. It’s only been 11 months, but if you devote these 11 months to this, you will have opportunities flowing towards you. Last but not least, this is not easy, you need to sacrifice and dedicate yourself to the whole duration of your master’s program until you achieve the result you desire.
