From Chilean Fine Arts to European Healthcare Marketing: Florencia Urzúa’s Global MBA Story

Alumna Florencia Urzúa used the EDHEC Global MBA to move from Chile to Europe, convert an internship in Belgium into a permanent marketing role, and prove the value of an international profile.

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16 Jun 2026

Before joining the EDHEC Global MBA, Florencia Urzúa spent almost four years working in her family business in Chile’s fine arts industry. Her role covered procurement, product management and marketing, giving her broad exposure to the realities of running and growing a smaller company.

“I decided to pursue an MBA for three main reasons,” she says. “First, I wanted to keep learning. Since I was very young, I have always been a curious person.”
EDHEC stood out because Florencia was looking for a one-year MBA in Europe with an international outlook, a focus on sustainability and social responsibility, and a modern approach to business education, including AI. The human dimension also mattered.

“From my very first interview with Françoise, I felt that I would not be just another student number,” she says. “I had the impression that people would genuinely know me by name and support me throughout the journey, and that proved to be true from day one.”

Choosing a one-year MBA in Europe after a family business career

Florencia’s background was not the conventional large-corporate profile often associated with MBA candidates. She came from a company of around 30 people, where agility, adaptability and ownership were part of daily work.

At first, she wondered how employers in Europe would understand her education in Chile and her professional experience.

“I felt that I needed the opportunity to demonstrate my capabilities and show the value I could bring,” she says.
She also worried that her experience in a smaller company might be undervalued. In practice, the opposite happened.

“I realised that coming from a smaller company had given me valuable skills, such as agility, adaptability, and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment. These are capabilities that can add value in any
organisation.”

The EDHEC Global MBA helped her reframe that experience in an international context and present her background as a source of value.

Building international career confidence through the Global MBA

Florencia’s post-MBA transition involved several moves at once: from Chile to France, from France to Belgium, and from a family business environment into an EMEA marketing role in healthcare.

For her, the most valuable MBA experiences were the most practical.

“Some of the courses that had the greatest impact on my professional development were the more practical and hands on ones, such as those focused on soft skills, negotiation, AI, advanced Excel, and strategic foresight,” she says.

These courses helped her strengthen skills that could be applied immediately in the workplace. They also gave her a more structured, international way to approach problems, collaboration and decision-making.

“Beyond the courses themselves, the MBA gave me the confidence to work in a multicultural environment and communicate effectively with people from different backgrounds,” she says.

That confidence became essential when she entered the European job market.

Turning a Global MBA internship into a permanent marketing role

Florencia joined O&M Halyard’s EMEA division in Belgium for a six-month internship. From the beginning, she was proactive about understanding whether a longer-term opportunity could be possible.

“From the very beginning, I asked whether the company offered permanent opportunities to non European candidates, as visa sponsorship is a very important topic for international students,” she says.

The company had sponsored visas before, which gave her clarity. She then focused on learning quickly, contributing to different marketing projects and showing her commitment to the team.

Towards the end of the internship, a permanent position opened in the marketing department. Florencia applied, went through the recruitment process and was offered the role. She completed five months of the internship before transitioning into the permanent position.

“Looking back, I think the key factors were being proactive from the start, expressing my interest in long term opportunities, and making the most of the internship experience,” she says.

Many international candidates worry about being overlooked or undervalued in a new market. Florencia shared those concerns, especially around whether her Chilean education and previous experience would be fully
understood.

Her confidence grew through daily contribution.

“The only way I overcame those fears was with time,” she says. “As I was able to demonstrate my work and contribute to the team on a daily basis, my confidence grew and those concerns gradually disappeared.”

Advice for MBA candidates seeking jobs in Europe

Today, Florencia works in Belgium in a role where her efforts, contribution and growth are recognised. She has gained more responsibility, greater ownership of projects and the confidence of her manager and team. The international environment has also been personally rewarding. In her team of ten people, nine nationalities are represented.

“It is incredible how much you learn just by working together every day and being exposed to different ways of thinking and seeing the world,” she says.

Her advice to other international candidates is direct.

“Changing country, industry, or function is not easy, and nothing is guaranteed. You need to work hard, be resilient, and prove your value,” she says.

She also encourages candidates to value their previous experience, even when it seems unrelated to their next step.

“Being an international candidate does not make you less valuable. In some cases, it gives you different points of view of matters,” she says.

Florencia’s story offers a practical lesson for candidates considering an MBA in Europe: that the EDHEC Global MBA helped her access a new market, build confidence in an international environment and develop the tools to advocate for the value she could bring.