Davide Masullo

IESE Business School, University of Navarra

“Engineer with a flair for solving complex problems using structure and intuition, enthusiastic pianist on the side.”

Hometown: Cava de’ Tirreni (Salerno, Italy)

Fun Fact About Yourself: I have a very developed quantitative feeling, but an even larger flair for arts.

Undergraduate School and Major: Master of Science in Chemical Engineering – University Campus Biomedico (Rome)

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Stamicarbon BV (The Netherlands) – Project Control Engineer

What makes the case method so attractive as a means to learn and become a better manager?  It was the practice and the possibility to immediately apply the theory learned in class.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key part of the school’s MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you?  I want to be remembered as a magnanimous manager who strove towards greater things, with humility and the habit of serving others. I want to be a leader who cultivates people’s talents and creates opportunities for everybody to shine in the workplace, guides the team by “auctoritas” and leads a company as a “bonus pater familia”. I deem the IESE MBA as my perfect fit since the experience will allow me to get greater depth in management areas, as well as the opportunity to develop as a virtuous leader, further advancing in my journey to top management.

What club or activity excites you most at this school?  The Consulting Club and The Sailing Club

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: A significant achievement was being selected by the R&D director to be field engineer in southern Iran, for the start-up phase of my company flagship urea plant (3k metric tons/day). It was a high responsibility job; on top of dealing with daily risky activities in the chemical plant, I had to manage and mentor, together with two senior engineers, dozens of the client’s (the National Iranian Oil Company) and contractor’s tenured engineers. After a three-month stay under our combined leadership, the adopted innovative solutions and approaches resulted in a swift and safe plant switch to full production capacity without accidents. This was also recognized and reported by the local press. I learned so much from this experience, since it had an impact both personally and professionally.

I was working in the field, surrounded by the desert, assisting the clients daily to provide fast and precise answers to the challenges they were facing. I was also communicating the decisions taken to operators and field laborers in a high-pressure environment, where quickly making the right decision was crucial. The process was strengthened my leadership inclination and problem-solving quality by a far margin. The successful completion of the start-up was then pitched to the client’s management offices in Tehran.

I will always have marvelous memories of the people I worked with. They were hospitable, work-passionate, always burning the midnight clock with a smile and very bright. The contrasts I saw in Iranian society made me understand even more the message behind Mandela’s quote: “Education is the most powerful weapon to change the world”.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? After 5 years of international working experience, I have gained insights into decision-making at different levels ranging from the manufacturer site to the C-Suite, and thus I am now strengthening my corporate education with an MBA at IESE business school.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? HEC Paris, LBS

What was the most challenging question you were asked during the admissions process? Which kind of leader do you want to become and be remembered for?

How did you determine your fit at various schools? Attending open days and talking with Alumni and Representatives

What was your defining moment and how did it prepare you for business school? It was more a self-discovery journey developed during my years at work in the Netherlands, where I had the chance to be exposed to many management styles and gain experience in the two branches of the company: Technology and Finance.

What is your favorite company and what could business students learn from them? Ferrari. The company demonstrates how is possible to merge high end engineering with a world leader sense of style.

DON’T MISS: MEET THE MBA CLASS OF 2022 AT IESE BUSINESS SCHOOL