By Jessica Hirsch
This past summer, Paloma Molina Monago (Class of 2016) interned with Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB-InBev), a multinational beverage and brewing company headquartered in Leuven, Belgium.
While interning in Belgium, Molina worked on developing optimization proposals for the demand planning, forecast, and call-off process for Procurement Western Europe.
“My project was very cross-functional,” Molina said. “Compared to my past jobs, I had a higher position and more responsibilities. I learned a lot of things about my project, the company, procurement and other departments. I now have a better sense what I want to do in my career and what I want in a full-time position.”
For Molina, the decision to work in another country was easy. As a Spanish national, Molina has lived and worked in various locations in Europe and the United States.
“For me, it’s not interning abroad,” Molina said. “I’m from Spain, and I knew I wanted to stay in Europe. If I had stayed here, I might not have had that same international experience.”
Molina’s fellow MBA interns at AB-InBev include students from various countries and backgrounds, such as Spain, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Japan, and Chile.
“It was a young, international group,” Molina said. “At InBev you have a mix of nationalities, and the company is used to that type of environment. I was very lucky. Everyone was very helpful, whether they were from Belgium or not.”
According to ab-inbev.com, the company employs over 155,000 people in 25 countries, and despite having operations in many countries around the world, AB-InBev functions as one company with a unified dream, culture, and focus.
Molina explained that although it can be difficult for foreign nationals to obtain work visas and sponsorship, AB-InBev provides opportunities for employees to transfer among offices or departments.
“They like to keep everyone very motivated,” Molina said. “You can start in procurement and eventually move to sales, if you want to and are ready. Or if there’s a position available in China and you want to go, they will help you move there.”
As the global business community expands and evolves, Molina hopes that more students will be able to take advantage of similar international opportunities.
“This experience surpassed my expectations,” Molina said. “Even if you plan to stay in the U.S., it’s good to spend a year or two abroad and learn about different perspectives.”
