Originally from Galicia, David del Rio Vilas has been living and working in Madrid for more than seven years, where is currently the Head of Innovation for the services division (Ingesan) of OHLA, one of the five largest infrastructure companies in Spain. In his role, which is relatively new for the company, David is responsible for driving a systematic approach to innovation.
David describes Ingesan as a mostly a B2G (business-to-government) company that serves public authorities, governments, and agencies primarily in Spain but also in Mexico and Chile, delivering fundamental services like waste collection, indoor cleaning, facilities management, maintenance, energy services, and social health services.
“While it is quite a diverse portfolio of services, we must deliver in a very constrained, very well-defined framework for innovation, given our relationship with public authorities,” David explains. “So, how can we innovate in the public sector? How can we introduce innovation so that our more than 18,000 employees working in distributed places, such as public buildings, schools, universities, state courts, etc., can perform their tasks more efficiently and safely and in ways that can provide more value to our clients? This is my challenge.”
A first taste of MIT, and a third way of innovating
In a previous role as the global head of innovation of the services division of Ferrovial, a global operator of sustainable infrastructure, David participated in two collaborative programs with MIT in 2018 and 2019 — the MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI) and the MIT Industrial Liaison Program (ILP). This was his first exposure to the thought leadership coming out of MIT Sloan.
“I had the great fortune of working with MIT professors and also teams coming from the MIT Executive MBA program. It was a life-changing experience to work with these high-profile executives from different companies all around the world, all with very open minds and fantastic personal and professional profiles. This was also my first contact with the teachings from the Sloan School of Management. And some happened there for me.”
David decided to enroll in Executive Education courses, beginning with Innovating in Existing Markets, taught by David Robertson. “This course resonated with me because the services we offer are essentially commoditized, and we wanted to introduce fresh energy and innovation in the way we are perceived by our clients,” he explains. “The course opened my eyes to new ways of rearranging our portfolio of activities and innovations so that, based on our core business, we could go ‘around the box’ and provide a clear, differential value to our clients.”
He continues, “Innovating in Existing Markets presented me with an innovation framework that was something other than the Blue Ocean Strategy or the Lean startup or the disruptive narratives that are everywhere in market but coming primarily from technology sectors. This was the first time I found a framework—a ‘third way of innovating’—that was fit for purpose in my organization and for my specific responsibilities. The approach is very reliable and very practical. It’s about being faithful to our core business and our clients.”
David shared his takeaways with his colleagues upon his return, and his firm is currently exploring this innovation approach. “I feel tremendously proud to see my colleagues understand it and make it theirs, and to see our clients experience the benefits of the approach. This is in no small part because every framework taught at MIT is backed up by analysis, research, and scientific evidence. The professors are capable of translating all the above into actionable managerial models for people who are not necessarily in the technology area. This makes it possible to confidently share these learnings with colleagues in ways that are easily comprehended.”
“During each of my courses I would think to myself, these MIT professors are superstars. They are like the Rolling Stones of education.”
Building an MIT journey focused on innovation and transformation
David continued to select courses that would offer continuity with his learnings, constructing a narrative arc that would help to formalize his professional development and ultimately earn him his MIT Sloan Executive Certificate in Strategy and Innovation.
He enrolled in Implementing Enterprise-Wide Transformation with Professor Douglas Ready, a course he says was extremely valuable for its simple framework that considers all the stakeholders, forces, and elements involved in the transformation of an organization. The course added more tools to his toolbox, particularly with respect to building a purpose-driven company that is faithful to its past while having a vision for the future.
Next, David completed Bridging the Gap Between Strategy and Execution with Donald Sull, which helped him process what was required to realistically implement a framework for transformation. He completed his Executive Certificate requirements this year with Business Model Innovation for Organizational Transformation, Bill Fischer’s course on synchronizing business models with corporate culture.
“Bill Fischer is an amazing professor in terms of the energy he pairs with his deep experience in many sectors and across many geographies. He is a master of understanding the cultural differences that make it possible to generate more value. During each of my courses I would think to myself, these MIT professors are superstars. They are like the Rolling Stones of education.”
David adds that the global perspectives participants bring to the classroom discussions are equally enriching. “It’s fascinating to see how different people approach the same problem uniquely, depending on their culture. When you return to your everyday activities, you bring new insights and perspectives that change the way you do business. You also arrive more confident in your capabilities because you have been validated by people with deep expertise in their fields.”
Reaping the rewards
As someone who has been involved in R&D and innovation activities for more than 20 years—previously as a researcher and an academic and now as an executive in the corporate world—David defines his prior learning in the innovation space as self-dictated and primarily based on reading, experiences, and networks. “Having this opportunity at MIT was a chance to formalize my professional development in a way that was practical, hands-on, and tremendously valuable.”
However, his MIT journey was not without compromise. “It was an effort. I had to find the time. I paid for myself, my fees, my lodging. Also, I'm not an English native speaker, so I have some challenges, but everyone is extremely respectful. I will tell anyone considering this journey that it is worth every expense. The education carries value. It creates confidence. The academic rigor is incomparable, and you bring that back with you. Every single day you will find an opportunity to put into practice what you have learned.”
David says he would be remiss not to mention one final benefit of the Executive Education experience. “The food! It is excellent. The diversity, the quality—and I am saying this as a Spaniard! I was delighted.”