Students participating in Hamilton’s Program in New York City recently had the opportunity to visit Facebook. Fabio Freyre ’83 (VP of Global Marketing Solutions at Facebook), gave the students a tour of the New York office and shared his insights about the company. According to Freyre, Facebook’s goal is to connect the world through its family of apps: Facebook, Messenger, Instagram and Whatsapp.
During the tour, students got a glimpse of the casual and interactive work environment and were even encouraged to grab a few snacks from the generously-stocked kitchen. Once the students gathered around the conference table, they had the opportunity to learn about current projects at Facebook and to ask a variety of questions. For example, Freyre discussed the drone Facebook is building to provide Wi-Fi in Africa, the new concierge service it is piloting in San Francisco, and its recent purchase of Oculus VR. He also fielded questions on topics ranging from consumer privacy to international marketing strategy.
The second half of the session involved learning more about digital marketing from two of Freyre’s colleagues. Andy Berman ’06 and Adam Benjamin both focused on the challenges of sending the right message to the right consumer at the right time.
Freyre, Berman and Benjamin also discussed their own career paths and offered some career advice. With regard to the latter, they emphasized the value to the students of developing adaptable skill sets, pursuing work that they are passionate about, and looking to reinvent themselves throughout their careers.
