Shaping the global advertising market from Google’s London headquarters

You’ve been working at Google for 15 years and are currently a Growth Marketing lead. What does this role involve in practice? 

Edina Baur: I’ve been working in a specialized branch of marketing at Google’s London headquarters for three and a half years now. It’s a field that relies heavily on experimentation and data analysis. Essentially, we launch many smaller campaigns around the world, experiment with new formats, measure how successful they are, and if they perform well, we allocate more global budget to them. 

It’s a very exciting area where I work with a small team but manage a large budget and a very diverse product portfolio, so the level of responsibility is quite high. 

You graduated in Marketing at Corvinus and were also a member of the Rajk College. How well did your university prepare you for the international career you eventually built? 

Edina Baur: I think it prepared me very well, but it also mattered that I was a very active student. I participated in summer schools where I met many international students, attended the university’s German-language DSG program for a while, and through CEMS and Erasmus I already got a taste of life abroad during my studies. 

I originally came from Békéscsaba to Corvinus and didn’t know anyone. On the way to freshman camp, I made friends with five people at Keleti railway station, and I’ve stayed in touch with them ever since. Two of us now live in London, and one in Switzerland.Similarly, several of my Rajk friends are also in London, so even just looking at my university circle, many of us have been able to build international careers after Corvinus. 

How did your career start after graduation, and when did it take an international turn? 

Edina Baur: I always wanted to work in marketing, but I was offered a very well-paid analyst position at McKinsey that I couldn’t refuse as a fresh graduate. Looking back, I don’t regret that decision, because McKinsey later enabled me to pursue an MBA at INSEAD, where I also met my husband in Singapore. 

This was during the 2008–2009 financial crisis. Even though McKinsey covered my tuition, I still had to use all my savings to live abroad. Due to the crisis, the Singapore dollar suddenly weakened so much that I wasn’t sure I would be able to finish my studies. In the end, I did complete the program, returned to McKinsey first, and from there I was recruited to Google—initially as a financial analyst. 

Over the years, I gradually moved up the ladder and eventually transitioned into marketing within the company. I owe a lot to INSEAD as well; it opened up the world to other industries and gave me confidence. 

Altogether, I’ve lived and worked in eight countries since graduating. One of my best experiences was working at Google’s California headquarters. Eventually, we moved back to Europe due to starting a family, and we’ve been living in London for quite some time now. 

What advice would you give to a Corvinus graduate who wants to build an international career? How should they get started? 

Edina Baur: I think there are a few personality traits that are essential if someone wants to confidently pursue an international career. One is curiosity and a desire to explore, and the other is flexibility—being able to adapt to changing circumstances. 

From a practical standpoint, it might be easier to start in Hungary at a large multinational company and then apply for an internal international position. Looking back at my own career path, the international internship I completed at Procter & Gamble through the CEMS program also played a big role in helping me step onto an international career path later on.