On a moisty mid-summer evening we reached the end of the road. My brother, three lifetime friends and I were gazing at the artic sea under the unreal light of the midnight sun.
A few weeks earlier, with a frenzy spirit, we had decided to hop in our old Toyota Avensis and drive to the northernmost corner of Europe enjoying the sense of freedom that comes from being 18 years old. My name is Andrea, and my life has always been characterized by spontaneous decisions which brought both challenges and opportunities.
I was born in Turin in Northern Italy, but soon moved out of my hometown to Cambridge (UK) to study a rather unusual subject for an IMD student: Geography. My professional background is in supply chain, where I worked for 6 years in various functions for Diageo, one of the world leading drinks companies. My professional experience brought me to move back to my home country and subsequently to Amsterdam, where I spent some of the best days of my life.
But my need for new experiences and development made me decide to leave my cozy and secure base in the Netherlands to apply for perhaps the most challenging and transformative MBA in the world. As I look back at these first three months, I realise I have found exactly what I was looking for: learning, disruption and, most importantly, a group of people who feel like longtime friends.
As I jump into the rollercoaster of the IMD experience, I feel similarly to the days of my road trip to NorthCape more than 10 years ago: grateful for having followed my instincts to trail an unknown path and curious to discover what waits for me at the end of the road.
Andrea
