BERLIN – Hard work definitely paid off for Donna Dimayuga. Entering the advertising industry in 2007, she quickly rose in the ranks and became a two-time winner of the adobo LIA Creative Conversations program. While with BBDO Guerrero, Donna went to LIA in Las Vegas twice and was a Cannes Young Lion while with DDB Philippines. She eventually became creative director for Ogilvy & Mather Philippines.
Looking for any other opportunities to improve herself, she then applied for a scholarship for the Executive MBA program at the Berlin School of Creative Leadership through adobo magazine. In what has been described as a batch with a large number of applicants, Donna was among the few chosen for the scholarship.
In an exclusive interview with adobo, Gerardo Trejo, Head of Admissions for the Berlin School of Creative Leadership, Donna, “completed the standard application for any Executive MBA (EMBA) participant plus a scholarship-specific essay. Her professional achievements, her thoughts on leadership and key issues within her industry, as well as her own motivation to join the EMBA impressed the members of the Admissions and Scholarship Review Committees.”
Trejo continued, “This scholarship is awarded purely on professional merit and achievements and Donna clearly demonstrated both. Career trajectory, current leadership opportunities, proposed research topic, and research ideas are just some of the factors that contribute to whether an application is successful or not. I am pleased to say that Donna fulfilled all of the above and that we have no doubt that she will be a great addition to the class and that this program will not only benefit her but also Ogilvy Philippines greatly.”
The accomplishment is no small feat as Donna is actually the Philippines’ first scholar at the Berlin School of Creative Leadership through the partnership with adobo magazine. As Michael Conrad, founder and president of the Berlin School of Creative Leadership said, Donna’s class is composed of, “24 creative leaders, 15 countries, unifying creative industries.”
This past January while visiting Berlin, Paolo Mercado, SVP for Communications and Marketing Services at Nestle Philippines, Inc. shared with adobo that, “I am glad that Donna Dimayuga will soon join the Berlin School this March thanks greatly to the scholarship application you offered in partnership with the Berlin School. I only wish that more of those who work in our creative industries would seriously consider sending their current or next generation leaders to this program.”
He added, “I say this because I truly believe in the Rise of the Filipino Creative Class as I had shared during your adobo Festival of Ideas. I believe that Filipino creativity, not just for the local market but for the global market, can and should be the next economic engine of our country, matching if not exceeding the size of the BPO industry.“
For her part, Donna bared that, “I’ve only been in advertising for nine years but already so many things have changed and the way we work has evolved immensely. To become a great creative and an effective leader, I believe you should be able to swiftly adapt to change and think of your work as more than just advertising. You should think of the value that it adds to life, or how it can spark conversations that will lead to the change you dream of.”
“What’s perfect about the timing of this scholarship is that it is exactly what I need and believe in – what better place to learn about being a leader in a creative industry than the prestigious Berlin School of Creative Leadership,” Donna concluded.
