a little HELP from our FRIENDS

Wanna learn more about recruiting? Interested in Europe or Strategy?

Hi Lahimaers!

The “Latin American Business Conference 2012” – fired up and ready to go!

As you probably know, the LABC 2012 team is working on the final touches of what we believe will be one of the best Conferences of the year! We wanted to make sure you wouldn’t miss out on anything about the event, so the LAHIMA Newsletter will start publishing updates and news related to the Conference every week from now until the event. First and foremost, don’t forget to save the date in your calendars – the LABC 2012 will take place on April 21^st at the Allen Center!

Conference Visual Identity -

The theme of the Conference this year will be “LABC 2012 – Stepping Up to the World Arena”. Have you checked out our awesome visual identity yet? No? So here it is! -

LABC at Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn -

Another way to be updated about the Conference and exciting news about the region is to follow or Facebook and Twitter profiles. Here they are:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KelloggLABC
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/KelloggLABC
• LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/groups/Latin-American-Business-Conference-3742769?home=&gid=3742769&trk=anet_ug_hm&goback=%2Egmp_3742769

Go ahead – like us, follow us, share our posts with your friends, and help us spread the word about the Conference!

Suggest Speakers!

We are already building the line-up of Speakers for this year’s Conference , but your help could certainly improve our pipeline! Know or have any direct contact with a Latin American Business Leader, Politician, or Entrepreneur? Please fill out the table at the link below and let us know!

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AoswAN_F9ZoxdHZORVM3SlRQc25FcFNMM1ljc2g4VXc&hl=en_US#gid=0

Google LATAM is hiring interns!!!

Google’s Summer 2012 LatAm Internship opportunities are now online. Eligible candidates must have work authorization for one of the following countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Columbia, Mexico City, and/or Peru. 

Please note that there is an application deadline of March 1st, 2012 (11:59pm PST). Students can apply directly to our Google job site. Please let them know to email mbajobs@google.com should they have any questions. In addition, eligible students may apply to both US and LatAm internship opportunities if interested.

Google’s Summer 2012 MBA Internship in the US

Google’s Summer 2012 MBA Internship requisitions are now available. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis beginning in mid-January, so you are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. Applications will be accepted through March 1st, 2012 (Noon PST). To apply online, please visit: www.google.com/students/usmba.

Job Opportunity at "M Square - International Equities"

About M Square:

M Square is an independent asset management company, based in São Paulo, whose only activity is the management of investment funds. The firm strives to implement a culture of excellence, alignment of interests and superior long term results. M Square is a meritocratic partnership in which every employee is eligible to become a partner over time.

M Square was founded in 2005 and has two distinct teams: one focusing on investing in Brazilian equities, and one focusing on international investing. M Square limits its activities to areas in which its partners have solid and proven track records.

The firm currently manages in excess of $1bn.  Its investor base is composed mostly of US Endowments and Foundations, Brazilian Families and Pension Funds.

Position – Senior Analyst for International Equities:

We are expanding our international investments team (which invests in US/European funds and equities), and are looking to hire someone to strengthen our equity research capabilities.

The candidate will work with that team, and will help to generate ideas, analyze and select stocks of global companies in a prudently concentrated portfolio. This involves screening, carrying out market/sector analysis, modeling of current and potential investments, visiting companies, attending conferences, etc. 

Requirements:

-          Excellent academic credentials

-          Strong research, analytical, critical thinking and communications skills

-          Entrepreneurial mindset

-          Relevant financial (investment banking, private equity, asset management, equity research, etc.) experience from top tier firms is desirable

-          Extremely high ethical and professional standards

-          Language skills: Native Portuguese

Contacts:

• o   Alan Lammiman:              alammiman@msquare.com
• o   Ariel Morgenstern:         amorgenstern@msquare.com
• o   www.msquare.com (+55-11-3074-6370)

Kimberly-Clark LAO Summer Internship Program

Kimberly-Clark Latin American Operations (LAO) is the division responsible for managing K-C’s consumer business in South and Central America as well as the Caribbean. It had $2.9 billion in sales in 2010, it has 22 mills across the continent, employs more than 18,000 people in various capacities and in 2011 the “Great Place to Work” Institute named it the Best Multinational to Work For in Latin America. For more detail and contact information please see the attached file. Deadline is January 31^st, 2012.

Anheuser Busch InBev is hiring MBA interns for Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay!

Check out the attachments (Global_ABI_[area]_Intern_Job_Description_[date].docx) for more info on these exciting opportunities!

The “A Little Help from our Friends” section will have a different interview with a Second Year per week. This week the LAHIMA Professional Development team talked to Francisco Ruiz Esquide, a Second Year who interned in Strategy in Anheuser Busch InBev in Belgium. We hope you can take lessons from his words:

1. What was your background before coming to Kellogg? Did you have any experience with Strategy before coming to the MBA?

I am an Industrial Engineer and before Kellogg I worked at Toyota Argentina for almost 6 years. During that time I had different roles in the Production Control and Logistics divisions, mainly focused on the execution side on the supply chain management, so I would say that I had little to none experience in strategic roles or Strategy.

2. What about your internship – where did you work? Tell us a little bit about your experience… what did you work with? Did you like it?

Over the summer I worked at Anheuser-Busch Inbev in the Commercial Division for the Western Europe zone, with HQ in Belgium. I was part of the Pricing and Revenue Management team and my project consisted in assessing the allocation of different discounts and promotion incentives given to supermarkets to evaluate if they were aligned with the strategic indicators on performance and process the company has. The work was very analytical and strongly based both on data base number crunching and high level conceptualization and ideas for best practices. I liked it a lot, both the role and the company. Location speaks for itself J.

3. To get an internship in Strategy, how important was your background (if any) in the area?

In my opinion it was not important at all. Maybe, depending on the industry, being an Engineer can get some extra points but I honestly don’t think having or not experience on the role is a deal breaker. Every day I am becoming more convinced that it is all about fit.

4. What about grades and Networking – were they important to lock in a job in Strategy in Europe?

I don’t think so. Grades are not so important when recruiting for Industry jobs. Networking might be more important depending on industry and country, but in my case t was totally irrelevant.

5. What is the most important thing a Latin American should do to get an internship in Strategy in the Europe? And what would you recommend students to avoid at all cost?

OK, this is a tough one. I think that one big thing nowadays is getting right your reasons for going to Europe. A good story on why you want to go there when they are going through such a deep crisis might set you apart and cast away any doubts they might have on you. This relates back to your fit with the job/company, which I insist is crucial. I know it sounds like BS but believe me, after two years of brave thinking you will get there.

On what to avoid, I am not sure, but if I had to say I would say that such as in the US, the work permit is definitely an issue. I would not let that stand in the way of what I want and I would network, apply, etc anyways. There are always exceptions.

6. Are there any courses you would recommend people to take during the Spring Quarter to help prepare for a summer Internship in Strategy?

In general, I would expect a lot of scenario simulation or modeling on Excel for making decision, so based on this I would recommend OPNS 450 - Analytical Decision Modeling on spreadsheet. Then, depending on the industry in particular that you will work I would check on other courses, for example, for CPG I would recommend Pricing-Promotion and Retail Behavior and Marketing Strategy.