An interview on digital transformation, AI, and the connection to PBS.
We interview Professor Manuel Alonso Coto, a global expert in digital transformation and marketing. With a career spanning leading institutions and hundreds of companies worldwide, he offers a unique perspective on how technology is reshaping business.
In this conversation, he reflects on his journey, his connection to Porto Business School, and the role of AI in the future of marketing and leadership.
Could you tell us a bit about your background and how you became involved in teaching MBA courses at Porto Business School?
I was one of the pioneers of Internet applications for business in Spain in the late 90s, after earlier experience in IT for the US Government through contractors like CSC (Computer Science Corporation). At Andersen (today Accenture) and EY — with which my consultancy boutique still partners — I have helped multinationals make the most of every wave of technology: cloud and mobile, e-commerce, Big Data, IoT, Blockchain, and now AI and Robotics.
While working at IE as CMO and CDO, I founded Ideas in a Jar, a Digital Transformation Consultancy Boutique through which I have created Digital Transformation and AI-based Marketing Plans for more than 200 companies across Iberia, LatAm, the Middle East and Eastern Europe.
As a lecturer, I’m a Visiting Professor at more than 30 institutions on 4 continents, including Johns Hopkins (USA), King’s College (UK), Tec de Monterrey and Anáhuac (Mexico), INCAE (Costa Rica), UniAndes and Sergio Arboleda (Colombia), Getulio Vargas (Brazil), Esan (Peru), Cotrugli (Balkans), Mohammed V (Morocco), Vesim and Woxsen (India), and IMT (Dubai). And, of course, my dearest Porto Business School, where I arrived thanks to José Esteves (current Dean), Nacho Gafo and the kindness of Ana Corte-Real.
In my free time, I am a serial entrepreneur, having created SMEs in Business Travel, Consultancy, Digital Marketing, Student Hospitality and Art. I’m also a writer of Business Books and History Novels.
What do you find most rewarding about teaching MBA students, particularly in a fast-evolving field like marketing and technology?
What I enjoy most is engaging with professionals who bring real business challenges and a genuine curiosity about navigating change. MBA students at Porto Business School make immediate connections between theory and practice, creating an exceptional learning environment.
In a field as dynamic as marketing and technology, their questions are ambitious and future-oriented. Supporting them as they translate emerging ideas — such as generative AI for advertising, predictive and prescriptive AI for pricing, or AI analytics for product and placement — into concrete strategies for companies like Porto Cruz, Continente or Icecare through the AI-for-Marketing Plans we co-create is incredibly rewarding.
It often feels less like teaching and more like co-creating the future of the discipline. And doing it in a place as vibrant and supportive as PBS makes it even more fulfilling.
How do you see AI transforming marketing practices, and what skills do MBA students need to lead this transformation?
AI is transforming marketing at every level: hyper-personalisation, predictive modelling, content generation, pricing optimisation, and decision automation. Tasks that once took months can now be completed in seconds. Competitive advantage belongs to those who can combine data, algorithms and human judgment into a coherent strategy.
For MBA students to lead this transformation, three skills are essential:
- Data fundamentals — understanding how data is collected, governed and converted into insights.
- AI literacy — prompting effectively, evaluating outputs, identifying biases, and integrating AI tools into real processes.
- Strategic thinking — designing customer-centric experiences, aligning technology with business objectives, and managing organisational change.
PBS students already demonstrate a strong blend of technology and leadership, which positions them as future marketing innovators.
From your perspective, how can continuous learning in MBA programs help future leaders combine data-driven thinking with creativity and human insight?
Continuous learning is the link between analytical rigour and creative intuition. Modern marketing requires leaders who balance quantitative skills with empathy, narrative and imagination. This balance develops through repeated exposure to new tools, ideas and frameworks.
MBA programs like those at Porto Business School provide exactly this environment: a space to challenge assumptions, experiment, and cultivate a mindset of lifelong curiosity. As AI accelerates change, the leaders who succeed will be those who refresh their knowledge continuously while staying anchored in the human side of business: emotions, motivations and cultural signals.
PBS truly embraces this philosophy. It encourages students to evolve constantly — and that mindset is what turns data into meaningful innovation and creativity into competitive advantage.