CEMS Magazine Autumn 2013

CEMS MagazineOfficial Magazine of the CEMS Global Alliance Autumn 2013

EDITORIAL

A UNIQUE ALLIANCE04_ Professor Markus Venzin on what sets the CEMS alliance apart

NETWORKS EVENTS

CBS & MAERSK ON THE CASE06_CBS students get down to business with one of CEMS’ newest Corporate Partners

STUDENT & ALUMNI FOCUS

CYCLING FOR A CAUSE39_CEMS alumnus saddles up for a charity cycle across 2 continents

18_The story of CEMS told by its members

Celebrating 25 Years!

FEATURE

Exciting Internships for Challenge Seekers

All global vacancies are published on our career page. Apply online if this sounds like your next challenge and get one step closer to starting your new job. Discover our winning culture: henkel.com/careers

Henkel operates worldwide with leading brands and technologies in three exciting business areas: Laundry & Home Care, Beauty Care and Adhesive Technologies. Our success is built on constant innovations and people who strive for excellence. Working at Henkel is much more than just a job. It’s a passion.

You have talent and ambition, and you’re searching for the right opportunity, while we’re looking to strengthen our global team. So if you impress us with your personality and passion, we offer you excellent prospects – worldwide. The job positions listed here are just a small selection of the numerous possibilities Henkel has to offer:”

• International / National Marketing

• Corporate Human Resources

• Global Purchasing

• Sales / Key Account Management

• Corporate Communication

• Finance / Controlling / Accounting

• International Supply Chain Management

It‘S Not My woRK. It‘S My PASSIoN.Kate, Strategy & Planning, Adhesive technologies

m.henkel.com

facebook.com/henkelcareers

twitter.com/HenkelJobs

HEN 18284 CEMS Magazin_A4_RZ.indd 1 27.05.13 12:54

4EDITORIALProfessor Markus Venzin,Professor of Global Strategy, Università Bocconi

10ON CAMPUSMIM launch in Calcutta

GSOM 20th anniversary

UCD recruits Salesforce.com

Aalto Term 2 round-up

Case award for UCD professor

Network events in Warsaw

Nova Block Seminar report

Australia Alumni Club on the map

38STUDENT & ALUMNI FOCUS

Charity events and opportunities in Sierra LeoneAlumni of the month

A global cycle run, made in CEMS

Local alumni events in Poland and Switzerland

VSE Prague celebrates 15 years in CEMS

Student Board meeting in Copenhagen

in this issue

ABOUT CEMS

CEMS is a global alliance of academic, corporate and social institutions dedicated to educating and preparing future generations of business leaders. The organisation creates value by bringing together like-minded individuals from diverse backgrounds to provide a world-class education. From faculty cooperation to multinational corporate and social partner involvement in the curriculum, the centrepiece of CEMS is its Master’s in International Management (MIM) programme. The CEMS MIM is a pre-experience postgraduate degree open to students enrolled in a Master’s in Management programme at one of the CEMS member schools.

www.cems.org

CEMS Magazine contacts

EDITORIAL COMMITTEE:

Rebecca RosinskiCEMS Marketing ManagerJo HolmsenCEMS Student Board representative,Norwegian School of EconomicsBenjamin SimsaCEMS 2012 USyd-Ivey,CEMS Alumni Board member

EDITORIAL COORDINATION:420editorial [email protected]

DESIGN & LAYOUT:Thomas Moulin [email protected]

PRINTING:Colorpack www.colorpack.hu

CEMS Magazine

CONTACT the editorial team at [email protected]

Exciting Internships for Challenge Seekers

All global vacancies are published on our career page. Apply online if this sounds like your next challenge and get one step closer to starting your new job. Discover our winning culture: henkel.com/careers

Henkel operates worldwide with leading brands and technologies in three exciting business areas: Laundry & Home Care, Beauty Care and Adhesive Technologies. Our success is built on constant innovations and people who strive for excellence. Working at Henkel is much more than just a job. It’s a passion.

You have talent and ambition, and you’re searching for the right opportunity, while we’re looking to strengthen our global team. So if you impress us with your personality and passion, we offer you excellent prospects – worldwide. The job positions listed here are just a small selection of the numerous possibilities Henkel has to offer:”

• International / National Marketing

• Corporate Human Resources

• Global Purchasing

• Sales / Key Account Management

• Corporate Communication

• Finance / Controlling / Accounting

• International Supply Chain Management

It‘S Not My woRK. It‘S My PASSIoN.Kate, Strategy & Planning, Adhesive technologies

m.henkel.com

facebook.com/henkelcareers

twitter.com/HenkelJobs


5NETWORK EVENTS2013 Career Forum and Virtual Career Fair

CBS-Maersk events

Louvain Corporate Benchmarking Meeting

World Business Dialogue in Cologne

Koç networking events

Inaugural Global Run

18FEATURE

Celebrating25 years!

The story of CEMS told by its members

This issue of CEMS Magazine celebrates the 25th anniversary of the CEMS network. Established on 2 December, 1988, by ESADE Business School, HEC Paris, Università Bocconi, and the University of Cologne together with 6 committed corporate partners, CEMS was a pioneer in Management education. Today, the CEMS network is stronger than ever with 70 Corporate Partners, 4 Social Partners, 28 Academic Members, nearly 8000 alumni and 1053 students in the 2013-14 academic year, all while maintaining a top ranking in the Financial Times Global Master’s in Management ranking since 2005.

What, then, makes this network so successful? We know from the Management literature that between 30% and 70% of strategic alliances fail, and that their termination rate is above 50%. Several elements ensure the success of the CEMS network:

A strong commitment to a commongoal: all CEMS network members are committed to setting the standards for Management education, and to reducing the distance between business schools and international companies through the development of pragmatic, socially responsible business skills in different languages and cross-cultural settings.

Careful selection and auditing of partner institutions: only one university per country can join, guaranteeing exclusivity and avoiding excessive growth. In addition, CEMS quickly understood the importance of growing

in markets outside Europe, welcoming leading universities in key emerging markets, such as Brazil, China, and India, as well as institutions from developed markets, such as Australia and North America.

A sophisticated governance model: the CEMS network enables various stakeholders, including students, firms, faculty, and alumni, to become involved in the decision-making process. Furthermore, member universities are able to adapt their curricula to local needs and competences through skill seminars, business projects, and block seminars, while maintaining centrally-defined standards.

Sharing of best practices: although the member schools compete for talented students and faculty, they actively share best practices on different levels. This not only increases the level of excellence of every member school but also enhances the level of bilateral cooperation between them.

Today, the CEMS network is older than most of its graduating students. It has prospered because its members share risks, resources, rewards and, most importantly, a common set of values. In recognition of its achievements, we celebrate the 25th birthday of the world’s most successful academic network throughout this issue of the CEMS Magazine.

Enjoy the read!

Professor Markus Venzin Professor of Global Strategy,Università Bocconi

Dear readers,

editorial

NETWORKEVENTS

Looking ahead: CEMS Career Forum 2013

32 CEMS Corporate Partnersare participating in the 2013 edition

23 CEMS Corporate Partners are offering pre-scheduled interviewsto students

9 CEMS Corporate Partners are offering pre-scheduled interviews to young alumni (0-4 years after graduation)

23 CEMS MIM-accredited half-day skill seminars are being offered to CEMS students

LIST OF REGISTERED CPs TO DATE (AS OF AUGUST 2013)

A.P. Moller - MaerskA.T. KearneyABBArcelikArla FoodsAstraZeneca PLCBeiersdorf AGCrédit Agricole S.A.Daymon WorldwideDeutsche BankEF Education FirstGoogleHenkel AG & Co. KGaAHSBCIndesit Company s.p.a.Kerry Group plcKONEKowa Company, LtdLVMHMcKinsey & CompanyNovo NordiskP&GReckitt BenckiserShellSiemens Mgmt ConsultingSociété GénéraleSwiss REUBSUnibail-RodamcoVodafoneWhirlpoolŠKODA AUTO a.s.

Looking Back: CEMS VirtualCareer Fair 2013 On 18 April, CEMS followed up the highly successful 2012 launch of its Virtual Career Fair with the second edition. Six CEMS Corporate Partners - Fidelity International, Henkel, L’Oréal, Reckitt Benckiser, Shell and Vodafone - took part in this innovative and envi-ronmentally-friendly recruitment and networking event, using a tried and tested online platform to engage in fruitful, direct contact with CEMS students and alumni.

350 CEMS students and young alumni connected during the day and had a unique opportunity to interact with the recrui ters of the companies of their interest.

The event was highly successful for the 6 corporate partners with 1021 unique visitors to each booth and students and alumni spending up to 729 hours at the booths.

Denisa Zichackova - CEMS Corporate Relations Manager

On 15-16 November, the CEMS Career Forum will take place for the fifth year in a row in Budapest, Hungary.

The event will once again provide the ideal oppor-tunity to meet fellow students and alumni, and have a glimpse of what Corporate Partners are offering them after finishing their CEMS year. The majority of the companies consider the Career Forum as the first round of the selection process, which enables them to find the best profiles, and offer internships or entry to their graduate programme interview rounds.

CEMS Corporate Partners will have the opportu-nity to meet corporate relations representatives of all member schools and discuss further possibilities for cooperation. Other networking and personal de-velopment opportunities will be provided, comple-menting the traditional job fair, corporate presen-tations and pre-scheduled interviews with students and young alumni.

CEMS CBS students interacted one-on-one with managers at the global conglomerate, Maersk, during two corporate events in May.

The first event was with Lucien Alziari, re-cently appointed Maersk Senior Vice Pres-ident for Group HR, who gave a very inte-ractive presentation on the link between corporate strategy and human capital. He talked about the challenges of working in a conglomerate with more than 100 000 employees and how personal DNA affects a person’s ability to adapt in a large orga-nisation. He gave students great insight into investing in human capital, such as: “Have a common language” and “Identify core capabilities – and invest in them.”

I am very satisfied with the Maersk events. I got a lot of positive

feedback from both students and the corporate partner.

CEMS students were invited to an after-noon session at Maersk headquarters in Copenhagen to discuss issues related to acquisitions. Maersk is a global conglo-merate with business units in shipping, logistics, terminal operations, deep-water drilling, oil and gas, and retail activities all over the world. In 2005, Maersk acqui-red the Dutch firm Royal Nedlloyd, inclu-ding their Shared Service Centers. As is the case in many acquisitions, the integra-tion of specific business units into the ove-rall organisation is difficult. Maersk gave three presentations on the issues and then

Rasmus Bonde Greis - President, CEMS Club Copenhagen

Corporate events with A.P. Moller Maersk at Copenhagen Business School

“

”Janina Edberg

Head of External Relations at CEMS Club Copenhagen

challenged CEMS students to come up with a strategic solution in just 20 minutes on how the Shared Service Centers should be integrated into the complex conglome-rate in order to deliver the best service for the organisation at a competitive price.

It was great to spend anafternoon in Maersk’s headquarters.

The Maersk employees werededicated to working

with the students on small, but interesting challenges,

which I enjoyed.

Peter Larsen, Head of HR Operations, who coordinated the event, was impressed with the ideas that the students proposed and stated that many of them might be the solution for the development of the Shared Services Centers.

“

”Julija Babre

CEMS student RSM-CBS.

6 CEMS Magazine

NETWORK EVENTSAUTUMN 2013

Once again, the world’s largest student-run business convention took place at the Uni-versity of Cologne. On 13-14 March, 300 international students, 200 corporate par-ticipants and top-class speakers including Prof. Dr. Dr. Radermacher (member of the Club of Rome) and Dr. Mahler (Head of the Americas A.T. Kearney Inc.) joined the 16th World Business Dialogue to discuss this year’s topic, “Next Generation Business Strategies – Finding New Ways to Succeed”.

Across numerous panels, workshops and Executive Sessions the participants went far beyond just re-thinking business: by

engaging themselves in an independently-minded discussion the participants gained valuable inspiration for finding new paths to shape the future.

The convention succeeded in bringing to-gether thought leaders of different genera-tions and nationalities and offered a plat-form for their innovative ideas. This is also the objective of the 17th World Business Dialogue, which will take place in March 2014.

(L-R) Patrick Manigan (CEMS student, UCD-LSM), Alena Koshcheeva (CEMS LSM student & President of CEMS Club Louvain), and Jurgen Monaert (HR Representative of Deloitte)

Christoph Sonnenschein - Head of the International Relations Center, University of Cologne

CEMS-Louvain Corporate Benchmarking meeting Making the Global Alliance Close and Alive

The Louvain School of Management wel-comed seven CEMS Corporate Partners for its annual CEMS CP Event taking place this year on 14 May.

The objective of this CEMS-dedicated event, organised by the Louvain School of Management, was to make the CEMS Alliance close and alive, throughout its local roots. Through meetings, works-hops conducted by CPs, and face-to-face contacts, the CEMS CP Event was

a great opportunity. CEMS students met with HR representatives from Deloitte, ING Group, KPMG, L’Oréal, McKinsey, PriceWaterhouseCoopers and a new par-tner Mondi AG on the workshop theme of “Cross-border recruitment”. In addi-tion, CEMS Corporate Partners were able to share their needs and expectations in terms of student profiles and competen-cies with the school’s core faculty. Finally, CEMS CPs active in Belgium were able to meet each other and discover partnership opportunities to further drive success in terms of recruitment, internships, and business projects.

Thanks to the presentation of Denisa Zichackova, Corporate Relations Manager at the CEMS Head Office, the attending companies improved their understanding of the CEMS student pro-file, the benefits of hiring them, and the many great reasons to be active in the alliance!

Véronique Seminerio - CEMS Communication Manager (Louvain School of Management)

Denisa Zichackova (Corporate Relations Manager,

CEMS Head Office)

Cologne hosts the 2013 editionof the World Business Dialogue

7CEMS Magazine


CEMS Turkey gathered the CEMS MIM students and Corporate Partners on 24 May, 2013. The event began with a closed Corporate Partners Steering Meeting that was held with the participation of Corpo-rate Partners, alumni, CEMS Turkey Exe-cutives and Directors, CEMS Programme and Corporate Relations Manager, profes-

sors and the CEMS Club President, where each of them shared their insight and en-couraged collaboration ideas.

The aim of the steering meeting was to attract the attention of corporate partners to the specific components of the CEMS Master’s in International Management,

Koç hosts Corporate Partner steering meeting and annual networking event

CEMS students hosted by Fung (1937) Management Ltd.

such as internships, business projects and skill seminars and to develop common strategies in the management of the pro-gramme. The presence of participating companies Arçelik, Fung (1937) Manage-ment Ltd. Henkel, PWC and Statkraft un-derlined the importance of recruiting and creating internship positions for interna-tional talents. Moreover, Henkel delive-red a presentation on their international recruitment project, which has a specific focus on CEMS graduates.

The event served as a kick-start for the newly-arrived students as well. The mee-ting was followed by a cocktail where each corporate representative and student had a chance to meet and talk. At the end of the night, the graduating class received their certificates from the Academic Di-rector of Koç University Graduate School of Business.

The event proved to be fruitful in terms of the input by the Corporate Partners and the outstanding effort by the students.

Burçak Çullu - CEMS Turkey Program & Corporate Relations Manager, Koç University Graduate School of Business

As CEMS Turkey, we visited the Turkish hub of one of our corporate partners Fung (1937) Management Ltd. on 22 March.Along with the participation of Academic Director of the Graduate School of Busi-ness Zeynep Gürhan Canlı, Executive Di-rector of the Graduate School of Business Nida Bektas, MBA Program Coordinator Basak Yalman, CEMS MIM Coordinator Burcak Çullu, and International Mana-gement professors, the company gave a presentation about their hub office, cus-tomers, and responsibilities.

The participants were provided with broad information about Fung Manage-ment. Following the presentation session, a cocktail was held where Fung (1937) Management Ltd. managers had a chance to discuss their internship and job oppor-tunities with the international manage-ment students.

The visit was rounded off with a short company tour.

8 CEMS Magazine


Conceived by Prof. Dr. Jonas Puck, Prof. Gyula Zilahy and Prof. Edgard Barki from WU Vienna, Corvinus University Buda-pest and the Escola de Administração de Empresas in São Paulo, the CEMS Global run comprised a simultaneous run on dif-ferent parts of the globe.

Five CEMS schools joined in the inaugu-ral run - Aalto University School of Bu-siness, Corvinus University of Budapest, Escola de Administração de Empresas de São Paulo-FGV, London School of Econo-mics and Political Science and WU Vien-na University of Economics and Business.On 14 June, 6:30 CEST (or the respective local time), 48 runners were warmed up to start for a global 5km run. Unfortu-nate weather conditions forced the Aalto runners to postpone their run for 1 day, but holding up the CEMS spirit, they met again to run for the title.

In the end it was the WU Vienna team who proved to have the fastest entrants: Carola Bendl-Tschiedel, a 2008 graduate, won the women’s competition while, in the men’s category, Patrick Spath finished with the fastest time of the day.

CEMS students hosted by Fung (1937) Management Ltd.

The results were as follows:

1

Best male runners

Patrick Spath (GER)

Krisztina Almási (HUN)

WU WUAlumni18:08 20:20

LSE WU18:54 24:13

LSE WU18:58 24:33Teemu Ruska (FIN) Julia Sams (AUT)

Aurian de Villiersde la Noue (FRA)

Carola Bendl-Tschiedel (AUT)

Best female runnersSchool SchoolTime Time

2

3

1

Best student team

CEMS/LSE 1(de Villiers de la Noue,

Ogiermann, Ruska)

CEMS/LSE 1(Aigner, Driest, Kohlmann)

CEMS Students 1(Laedre, Almási,

Augsburger)

CEMS 2013(Spath, Puck, Paulhart)

CEMS Mixed 2(Beck, Haberleitner,

Forghani)

CEMS Mixed 1(Bendl-Tschiedel, Pétervári, Sams)

LSE

FGV-EASP

WU

WU

WU

WU

58:15

1:05:40

1:04:59

1:10:44

1:11:47

Best mixed teamSchool SchoolTime Time

2

3

+

INDIVIDUALS

TEAMS

Professor Jonas Puck - CEMS Academic Director, WU Vienna University of Economics and Busines

The inaugural CEMS Global RunIn the “mixed” category, only WU teams were starting, therefore the team of Jo-nas Puck (professor), Andreas Paulhart (alumnus) and Patrick Spath (student) could secure the first spot.

For the team competition, however, WU had to admit defeat to the incredibly fast LSE runners, who won the student com-petition in the accumulated time of under 1 hour: Aurian de Villiers de la Noue, Tee-mu Ruska and Niklas Ogiermann.

9CEMS Magazine


ON CAMPUS

Roddur Sen - Head of External Relations, Indian Institute of Management Calcutta

CEMS MIM Launch at IIM Calcutta

In today’s world of dissolving national boundaries and globalisation, Internatio-nalisation is an important aspect of IIMC’s strategic agenda. CEMS membership and the roll-out of the MIM programme for our students is thus a very important mi-lestone in our current roadmap.

After signing the CEMS Memorandum of Understanding at St. Gallen in Novem-ber last year, we were all excited but somewhat apprehensive about the inte-rest the MIM programme would generate among the student community.

The formal launch took place on 14 Jan-uary 2013 and we were pleasantly sur-prised when more than 100 students turned up. The event was a great success – lots of questions, enthusiasm about the programme, enquiries about the selection process and an atmosphere of excitement and positive energy.

After a rigorous screening process, 18 students were finally selected as the first CEMS students at IIMC. They enthusiasti-

cally embraced the CEMS community and started their pioneering voyage towards making IIM Calcutta a part of the global CEMS community.

IIM Calcutta’s journey in the CEMS arena has been exciting and challenging thus far, and we look forward to a rewarding and fruitful experience as we re-define Global Management Education along with the other CEMS members.

St. Petersburg University Graduate School of Management20 years in search of global excellence

This year St. Petersburg University GSOM is celebrating its 20th anniversary and its work for the achievement of excellence in business education.

Our cooperation with the CEMS pro-gramme and our CEMS partners has been an important support in our efforts to reach our international targets. Being the only Russian member of CEMS, GSOM SPbU offers the CEMS MIM programme as one of its key strengths in recruiting the best-qualified students in the country.

There is no doubt that being part of the CEMS programme, which gives our students a top-ranked education and hands-on busi-ness experience, along with an international outlook and network which are valuable for their future careers, has been a major factor in helping GSOM SPbU to become the school that it is today.

BUSINESS PROJECT WITHNOKIA AND KONE Aalto conducted the Business Project for the first time with both KONE and Nokia, Aalto’s main CEMS Corporate Partners. In the start-up sessions themes such as “Suc-

Term 2 round-up at Aalto University School of Business

cessful Project Management” by McKin-sey & Company were dealt with. The kick-off event took place at KONE HQ in the beginning of February with Mr. Matti Alahuhta, CEO of KONE Corporation, and Mr. Ingmar Björkman, Dean of Aalto Uni-versity School of Business addressing the

Yana Ermakova - PR Manager, St. Petersburg University Graduate School of Management

Jutta Mäkinen - CEMS Programme and Corporate Relations Manager, Aalto University School of Business

students. Four cases from Kone and two cases from Nokia were presented and the students were selected to the groups according to their competence and back-ground. The project final was held at Nokia HQ in the beginning of May with excellent presentations by the students.

Dean Andrey L. Kostin (courtesy of VTB Bank media office)

The election of Andrey L. Kostin, Pres-ident and Chairman of the Management Board of VTB Bank, as the Dean of the St. Petersburg University GSOM marks another important stage in the develop-ment of the school. His credibility and track record in the business community are sure to help realise the ambitious targets that have been set by the school and drive GSOM SPbU towards the goal of being seen as one of the global centres of excellence for business education.

11CEMS Magazine

ON CAMPUSAUTUMN 2013

UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School is delighted to extend a warm wel-come to Salesforce.com, our newest CEMS Corporate Partner.

Headquartered in San Francisco, Califor-nia, Salesforce.com was established in 1999 and has since developed into a worldwide leader in enterprise cloud computing and the world’s ninth largest software company.

Salesforce.com is quoted on the New York Stock Exchange and has a current mar-ket capitalisation in excess of $22 billion.

Suzanne Kealy - CEMS/MScIM Programme Manager, UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School

CROSS CULTURAL MANAGEMENT COURSE Lectured by Professor Marie-Therese Claes, Louvain School of Management, and taken by 18 students, the course was taught during an intense two-week series of lectures, case studies and both group and class assignments. This enabled students to understand the key ideas and central issues within cross-cultu-ral management. Marie-Therese always

brings in a business case and this year the students did the case work for the Finnish company Rovio Entertainment Ltd. Rovio is an entertainment media company, and the creator of the glo-bally successful Angry Birds franchise. The students were divided into groups and did five different and interesting case studies on “Employer branding and talent attraction in new market area”’ for the company and the Angry Birds.

CEMS CLUB HELSINKIThe local CEMS Club issued for the first time the CEMS Club Helsinki Maga-zine. The magazine covers topics from past CEMS events to upcoming CEMS events, trips and the New Generation Consul ting, a project that was started

UCD welcomesSalesforce.com on board

With 27 offices globally, it has nearly 9000 employees and provides social and mobile cloud technologies to help compa-nies connect with customers, partners, and employees in innovative ways.

The company prides itself on its entrepre-neurial spirit and is growing at a fast pace at present, aiming for $4 billion revenue in the fiscal year 2014, up from $2.5 billion in 2012. To support this growth, Salesforce.com is on the lookout for the kind of talent and expertise typical of CEMS graduates.

The company’s values align closely with those which CEMS aims to instil in MIM students, in particular Salesforce’s “inte-grated philanthropy” concept. The com-pany donates 1% of its resources, from fi-nancial grants and technology solutions to employee time, to support non-profit orga-nisations and promote a culture of caring and volunteerism among employees.

The partnership of CEMS with Salesforce.com will open a range of interesting oppor-tunities for CEMS students and graduates as well as other CEMS stakeholders. The company is interested in the education and professional development of future mana-gement practitioners, through activities such as internships and business projects, to name but a few.

by students with the aim that CEMS students and social enterprises in col-laboration solve a business-related pro-blem of a social enterprise.

To celebrate the end of term and the active Aalto CEMS club arranged the CEMS Final Gala, a final celebration to end the year in style for the current students, alumni and the CEMS office and to start the new year for the newly-selected students.

Salesforce Chattera private social network for enterprises The Sales Cloudfor sales force automation and contact management The Service Cloudfor customer service and support solutions Database.comthe world’s first enterprise cloud databaseWork.coma performance management tool

Some of Salesforce’s flagshipproducts include:

12 CEMS Magazine


Dr. Eleanor O’Higgins, UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School, was recently awarded with a prestigious ecch Case Award for her case study on “Ryanair - The Low Fares Airline: Whither Now?” Dr O’Higgins won in the Strategy and Ge-neral Management category.

Richard McCracken, Director of ecch, pre-senting the award said: “Eleanor is a tre-mendously respected case author and a de-served winner. The ecch award recognises the adoption of her case by faculty and its impact on the learning of students at lea-ding business schools around the world.”

Suzanne Kealy - CEMS/MScIM Programme Manager, UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School

Dr. Eleanor O’Higgins wins prestigious ecch Case Award

ecch Case Awards are presented annually to recognise worldwide excellence in case writing and to raise the profile of the case method of learning (www.ecch.com/ca-seawards). The awards (formerly the Euro-pean Case Awards) have been presented since 1991. Awards are made in up to nine Management categories. ecch identifies winning cases through an objective pro-cess – cases are judged anonymously. All cases registered with ecch during the last five years are put forward for considera-tion. The winning case in each category is the one that has achieved the highest growth in popularity among peers world-wide, based on the number of individual organisations ordering and teaching the case during the calendar year.

Dr. Eleanor O’Higgins is on the faculty of the School of Business at UCD and a

Visiting Fellow at the London School of Economics and Political Science. She spe-cialises in teaching, research and publica-tions in business ethics, corporate social responsibility, corporate governance and strategic management.

She is the author of numerous articles in academic and professional journals, book chapters, case studies and newspaper articles.

Dr. O’Higgins is also a member of the CEMS Faculty Groups for Business Ethics and Public Management and Governance.

(L-R)Prof Ciaran O’Hogartaigh (Dean, UCD Business Schools),

Dr. Eleanor O’Higgins, Richard McCracken (Director, ecch)

Inspiring Solutions IT enables business

Think BIG, Business intelligence, mobile, technology & marketing - these were the hot topics during the sixth Inspiring Solu-tions conference.

The event took place on 20-22 March at the Warsaw School of Economics. It was orga-nised by the CEMS Club Warsaw, gathering crowds of students interested in applying

IT in business. Similar to previous editions, this year’s conference included a number of renowned partner companies which at-tracted students from across the country. As usual it was a chance to network with representatives from participating compa-nies and with fellow students.

This time the conference was expanded to include the Inspiring Start-ups event with presentations of promising and innovative start-ups. During the Inspiring Talks ses-

sion IT professionals gave 10-minute per-formances sharing their passion with the audience.

In 2011 Inspiring Solutions was named one of the “student conferences of the year” by the Student Aid Fund.

Marcin Poznan - Spokesperson, Warsaw School of Economics

Marcin Poznan - Spokesperson, Warsaw School of Economics

The Energy, Industry & Oil Summit was an event organised by the CEMS Club War-saw in early April. The idea was to create a platform for exchanging knowledge between the Polish industry and the big-gest universities in Poland.

The EIOS included three themes - energy, industry and oil - with representatives of particular industries active in respective workshops. Companies have also offered career opportunities for students. The summit was concluded with a gala that allowed for networking with managers from top Polish companies.

The event was attended by hundreds of students from Warsaw and beyond. “We tried to prove that an international career can be pursued not only in the areas of finance, banking or FMCG, but also in the

Students meet heavy industryheavy industry, which is the fundament of the Polish economy”, organisers said. Judging by the crowds during the EIOS, it seems they have succeeded.

14 CEMS Magazine


Nadim Habib - CEO, Nova Executive Education

From Creativityto Innovation - a learning journey

Launch of CEMS Alumni Club Australia

The Nova School of Business and Eco-nomics Block Seminar, in August 2012, focused on the core skills of creativity, but applied to business innovations. Held by the sea in sunny Cascais, participants were challenged in a series of workshops, visits and exercises, all while still having the occasional minute to dip into the At-lantic Ocean.

Innovation was covered in the Block Seminar by looking at highly successful organisations and by delving into the his-tory of Portugal, understanding how the Portuguese harnessed innovation and, for many decades, ruled the world.

The future was explored with presenta-tions at EDP and ActivoBank, and finally, students went working on new positioning strategies for the Town of Cascais (which included a gruelling bike ride around town), and solving social challenges.

All in all, a great learning experience, yet, like all innovation organisations, with a strong dose of fun.

If you are interested in joining the club or would like to receive more information, please contact [email protected].

Elmar Friedrich - President, CEMS Alumni Club Australia

G’day CEMS Community! The CEMS Alumni Club Australia is proud to become the 23rd local committee and join a great global network of CEMS Alumni. The Club aims to connect CEMS Alumni in Aus-tralia and build a platform to mingle and network with fellow CEMSies in Australia.

We organise regular events exclusive for CEMS Alumni in and around Sydney to keep in touch and enjoy the remarkable Australian lifestyle. The University of Sydney has close ties to the club and sup-ports a constant exchange between Alum-ni, students, and faculty.

15CEMS Magazine


Our Graduate Programmes and opportunities

Our career opportunities provide you with the knowledge of the industry, our businesses and our culture to stand out.

OUR GRADUATE PROGRAMME IN GENERAL INSPECTION

Be part of our young, international and gender–balanced team of inspectors ! Our General Inspection team is responsible for conducting advisory and auditing assignments on behalf of top management. Starting by an initial training of six months, this six-year career track is ideally suited to graduates who wish to combine an expertise in both nance and consulting in an international environment. You will propose added value recommendations and take part in the Group’s strategic projects.

VIE

Upon graduation you have previous experience in the banking industry and you are keen to rapidly gain signi cant international exposure within your career while assuming responsibilities in a team, then the VIE contract, offered in collaboration with Ubifrance, is the ideal opportunity. We recruit for these roles on an ongoing basis throughout the year across many of our locations and business divisions. The duration of the contract ranges from 12 to 14 months.

LONG-TERM INTERNSHIPS

Combining training, networking and hands-on experience, these internships are the opportunity to broaden your knowledge and develop your skills. This could be your passport for entry into the industry.

S O C I E T E G E N E R A L E ,A WORLD OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOU

Societe Generale is one of the leading nancial services groups in Europe. We are based on a diversi ed universal banking model with three core businesses : French Networks, International Retail Banking and Corporate and Investment Banking, we are also a major player in Specialised Financing, Insurance and Private Banking. The Group combines nancial solidity with a strategy of sustainable growth, putting its expertise to work to nance the economy and its customers’ plans.

Societe Generale aims to be THE relationship-focused bank, a reference in its markets, close to clients, chosen for the quality and commitment of its teams.

Our signature – “Building team spirit together” - is more than a promise : it is a commitment to mobilise the expertise and energy of all our employees to ensure that we fully deserve our customers’ trust.

This is re ected in all our actions and within the diversity of our 154,000 employees around the world, representing 118 nationalities. The Group strives to enhance the value of its human capital and provide career guidance by encouraging the creativity and autonomy of each employee and by developing his/her skills through training and internal mobility.

DROP IN AND MEET US AT THE CEMS CAREER FORUM IN NOVEMBER IN BUDAPEST.

711872D Insert CEMS.indd 1 13/06/13 16:33

IN A COMPLEX, DIVERSIFIED AND CONSTANTLY CHANGING ENVIRONMENT,DEVELOPING MANAGERS IS A MAJOR STRATEGIC ISSUE

FOR SOCIETE GENERALE GROUP

In order to pave the way for the future and continuously keep up with the changes in its strategic requirements, the Societe Generale Group aims to accompany, develop and build the leadership competencies of its employees.

The Group puts equal focus on both technical and behavioural excellence of its employees to achieve its ambition to be THE relationship-focused bank, a reference on its markets, chosen for the quality and commitment of its teams.

Based on the three essential Group values “team spirit”, “innovation” and “professionalism”, Societe Generale’s Leadership Model ensures consistent management practices and behaviours. It de nes the fundamental qualities that the Group expects from its managers regarding the major issues they must confront : developing its business, preparing the future, working together.

The Corporate University embodies the Group’s vision of Leadership

CORPORATE UNIVERSITY, THE LEADERSHIP REFERENCE OF THE GROUP

The Corporate University has been launched to support Societe Generale’s executives and managers by developing their leadership competencies and to guide their growth within the Group.

As the Leadership reference and center of expertise of the Group, it ensures the dissemination of consistent management practices within the Group in line with strategic objectives.

Accessible to all the Group’s businesses and regions, it creates multiple and recurring opportunities for collective re ection and peer-group sharing among the global Societe Generale leadership community.

AN EXTENSIVE OFFER TO DEVELOP TODAY’S AND TOMORROW’S LEADERS

The Corporate University’s offer covers a broad range of development opportunities to the Group’s managers at each stage of their career.

It notably includes high-impact development workshops and seminars, co-designed in partnership with prestigious academic partners (INSEAD, Sciences-Po Paris, etc.) for senior and future executive populations.

In addition, the Corporate University has implemented various development resources, accessible to all employees, ranging from courses and conferences to guidebooks, mentoring programmes or e-learning platforms.

LIVING AND EXPERIMENTING LEADERSHIP

The Corporate University proposes more than only theoretical classes on leadership skills development :

“Real-life” simulations and cases systematically complete academic classes for participants to experiment their “next step” in terms of leadership.

For instance, as part of a dedicated Corporate University development programme, Future Top Executives are involved in a strategic case for the Group, de ned by the Executive Committee, with the objective to deliver concrete and applicable recommendations and action plans.

DEVELOPING LEADERSHIPWITHIN SOCIETE GENERALE GROUP

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711872D Insert CEMS.indd 2 13/06/13 16:33

The story told by its membersFrom day one, the excellence and success of CEMS has been built on the people and institutions that make up the community.

CEMS Magazine therefore asked for the views and experiences of a selection of them, from founding schools, corporate partners and representatives of CEMS Head Office, through to students and alumni.

FEATUREThe 25th anniversary of CEMS

2013 is something of a landmark year for us here at ESADE, in our capacity as one of the four founding CEMS member scho-ols. Not only were we happy and honou-red to sign the agreement officialising the creation of CEMS, along with HEC Paris, Università Bocconi and the University of Cologne, but it was also at ESADE that the actual signing took place. 2 December 1988 was the historic day.

Things have come full circle and, 25 years later, we will now be the proud hosts of the 25th Annual Events, during which the first quarter-century of achievements by our remarkable alliance will be rightly celebrated.

I have been fortunate to collaborate with CEMS since 1990, participating in several projects and assuming various responsibi-lities, among them, Chairman of the Inter Faculty Group of Marketing for seven years and leading the CEMS globalisation strategy from 2000 to 2012.

Nowadays I am member of the Executive Board, which I represent on the Alumni Board, and I belong to the CEMS Commit-tee Chairs.

For this reason, it gives me enormous sa-tisfaction that the CEMS 25th anniversary will be celebrated at ESADE-Ramon Llull University, and my happiness is double be-cause we will welcome also the 20th anni-versary of the CEMS Alumni Association.

Prof. Carlo Maria Gallucci Calabrese - Vice-Rector of International Relations, Ramon Llull University and Professor of Marketing Management, ESADE Business School

The 2013 CEMS Annual Events will be hosted by ESADE during the last week of November and an ad-hoc team is working hard, with a big commitment and a lot of enthusiasm for offering you a memorable moment in your CEMS life.

I hope your stay in Barcelona gives you a chance to get to know our academic com-munity better. ESADE is a world-renow-

ned business and law school that inspires and trains people and organisations to develop innovative, socially responsible forms of leadership with the aim of buil-ding a better future. I can assure you that the CEMS alliance is also a clear example of all this – the best way to build a better future for all of us.

See you in Barcelona!

25 years of CEMS membership come full circle

19CEMS Magazine

FEATURE: THE STORY TOLD BY ITS MEMBERSAUTUMN 2013

In a world where universities compete to take the best students and to ensure first-class services to ensure mobility, the idea “to be international” sounds obvious and a duty for universities themselves. But co-ming back to the origin of CEMS, both the mind-set and the legacy of the university system in Europe were quite different. As well, at a political level we have to remem-ber in that time the concept of a European Union based on mobility of capital and people had still to be created!

Stefano Caselli - Vice-Rector for International Affairs, Università Bocconi

For these reasons, the “strange” idea of four universities combining their energies to create something with a European fla-vour sounds today brave, modern and re-volutionary. Three aspects are relevant to demonstrate it: the aim of giving a chance to the students to have a “free zone” to experiment international exposure and to add more value to their CVs; the desire to blend within the academic curriculum other experiences such as internships, skill seminars and new initiatives; and

the decision to create a new diploma – the CEMS MIM – anticipating de facto the decision of the Bologna process that many years later changed completely the Euro-pean University system.

Coming back to the present, the drivers of the origins of CEMS remain entirely rele-vant and a long path has been run. We do believe we can be proud of it, as many universities decided to join and now the CEMS European playing field has turned into a CEMS global one.

For Bocconi, this sense of creating something new with a strong entrepreneurial spirit is embedded in our story as Bocconi was founded by an entrepreneur willing to create a free university in which to nur-ture responsible managers, citizens and entrepreneurs with merit and passion.

The CEMS adventure was and is very co-herent with this story and has contributed a lot to multiplying the effort, energies and passion to work to create an interna-tional platform for our students.

The founding pillars of CEMS sound to-day tremendously modern and challen-ging. But CEMS never stops: what will be the next frontier?

CEMS - still a revolutionary idea

20 CEMS Magazine


At one of the recent Programme Mana-gers’ meetings, I overheard a conversation between the representatives of Cologne and Prague, dealing with the pioneering role of the CEMS network for EU politics. While I thought this might be somewhat presumptuous at a first glance, I eventual-ly came to the conclusion that there might be some truth in this idea and I feel that CEMS may claim such a role legitimately.

When Bocconi, ESADE, HEC and our-selves created the alliance, the vision of a holistically unified Europe was still unimaginable. Yet only one year later German unification and the subsequent breakdown of the Iron Curtain opened a new dimension of cooperative options in

Christoph Sonnenschein - Head of the International Relations Center, University of Cologne

CEMS -well aheadof Europe

Europe – including the European higher education sector. Long before other insti-tutions, CEMS seized this opportunity and successfully expanded to Eastern Europe by integrating Corvinus University of Bu-dapest, Warsaw School of Economics and the University of Economics, Prague into the alliance – after all, eight years before the EU completed this eminent task.

With the nomination of a Student Board in 2000, CEMS concluded yet another essential step by allowing all stakeholders of the alliance to partake in its policy-making processes – a project that is not yet concluded in the EU when looking at recent developments in all member countries.

Finally, somewhat faster than the EU, CEMS managed to design a mutual foreign policy for the challenges of globalisation by deciding to open itself to the world and integrating non-European universi-ties into its structures, hence becoming a truly international and not only regional player. The upcoming CP benchmarking event organised jointly by Henkel and the University of Cologne underlines this by focusing on Emerging Markets.

Of course I say all this with a twinkle in the eye, yet it is good to know that we as a network have the capacities to address challenges more rapidly than politics. It is great to be an EU and global citizen. And it is even better to be a member of an alliance sometimes moving faster than the rest of the world.

21CEMS Magazine


“I joined P&G 9 years ago after finishing my CEMS degree at ESADE in Barcelona. What I appreciated most from CEMS as I was landing in P&G was the international exposure I had both during my exchange in Copenhagen and my in-ternship at Danone in Paris. These experiences enabled me to progress and pursue my career in P&G as a global company, where skills such as leadership and team collaboration are critical. They also built a base for me to have an inter-national experience in our WE headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. To keep contributing to CEMS, I have participated in interviewing potential candidates at the career fair and lead skill seminars at ESADE. I wish you all the best for the future!”

Jordi RipollBO Direct To Consumer Pillar Leader

Iberia MDO

CEMS and – an inside viewLong-standing Corporate Partner P&G tells the CEMS tale through the eyes of five managers who know both organisations - the company and the global alliance of which it remains a proud partner.

“The CEMS Network was brought to life one year after I joined P&G and a lot has changed since then. P&G has become the world’s largest consumer goods producer and the CEMS MIM has become one of the most valued and recognised manage-ment degrees in the world. What has not changed in these 25 years is what people at P&G and in CEMS stand for – leadership, diversity, integrity, and exceptional per-formance in a fast-changing environment. CEMS is a key pillar in P&G’s commercial recruitment strategy and we continue to value CEMS as a platform for interacting with top talents from around the globe as one of the founding CEMS Partners.”

Giorgio SiracusaVP HR Western Europe

“In October it will be 13 years since my Lon-don CEMS graduation. Looking back, the pro-gramme is more relevant now than ever and has helped many of us to drive our internatio-nal careers. CEMS was the first programme to offer an approach to the globalised world that has become even more global in the last few years. It enabled me to work with people from different geographical backgrounds and rea-lise how diversity can add value in all aspects of our lives. P&G values are built on the same values of collaboration and embracing diversity. In recent years, I have been challenged to strive to constantly develop my personal skills while always putting people first.”

Lluis TricasCommercial Associate Director

Cash& Carry Channel

“I have served on the CEMS Executive Board for five years because I truly be-lieve this partnership will not only bring leaders who are looking for a new chal-lenge every day into P&G, but also lea-ders who are diverse, inclusive and lead with accountability and responsibility. On behalf of P&G, I want to congratulate the CEMS students, alumni, and academic partners for 25 successful years. We are looking forward to welcoming CEMS gra-duates for many years to come at P&G.”

Luc SuykensHarley Procter Marketing Director

“I joined P&G 11 years ago after finishing my CEMS degree at Bocconi University. I truly appreciate the fact that my inter-national experience has not stopped with CEMS but has even intensified during my time at P&G. Throughout my time in Talent Supply I have worked from the P&G side to streng-then the link between these two amazing organisations and recruited many talents from the diverse CEMS universities. We have more than 120 CEMS alumni in P&G today and I hope there are many more to come!”

Cristina IstriaSenior HR Manager

22 CEMS Magazine


“CEMS has been a top provider of world-class education for the past 25 years, thri-ving on creating the highest educational standards on a global scale. As a result, its graduates are open-minded, have a fresh view of the world and high moral stan-dards, and show a natural inclination for acting in a social responsible manner.

“Ever since Siemens’ foundation 150 years ago, Social Responsibility has not only been a key motto, but also a key reason for success at Siemens. Since it shares this spirit of caring for the social and ecolo-gical environment, Siemens Management Consulting has always strived to recruit from CEMS´ elite set of students and to enlarge the CEMS cohort within SMC.

“CEMS graduates are equipped with the necessary knowledge and, more impor-tantly, with the necessary interpersonal skills and tools to act in today’s fast-changing business world. We wish the entire CEMS community all the best as it celebrates its 25th anniversary”.

CEMS alumni now employed by Siemens: (L-R) Kim de Smedt (CEMS 2012 WU-SSE), Natalie Djodat (CEMS 2012, NOVA-LES), Kai Hermsen (CEMS 2011, RSM-UCD) and Natalia Gomankova (CEMS 2011, RSM-HSG).

CEMS alumnus Kai Hermsen (CEMS 2011 RSM-UCD) now works as a consultant at Siemens Management Consulting. He, like many others before him, took the step up into the working world with a CEMS Corporate Partner. He shares with CEMS Magazine why the partnership makes perfect sense for Siemens.

CEMS and -a partnership that makes sense

23CEMS Magazine


The CEMS community and innovative spirit planted roots in the foundation of the orga-nisation over a quarter of a century ago. Before the Maastricht Treaty created the European Union in 1992 and before the fall of the Berlin wall in 1989, CEMS founding members shared the ambition to be leaders in the establishment of a European educa-tion through a single Master’s degree. The

Realising the dream

Nicole de Fontaines - CEMS Secretary-General

CEMS Master (“MIM” would be adopted la-ter) was conceived as the first pan-European degree of excellence. CEMS faculty groups were also created at the very beginning to foster pan-European cooperation. This crea-ted the first common educational “currency” to harmonise the fragmented market at the time (the Bologna Accords only standar-dised European Higher Education in 1999).

In 1988, the CEMS founders also firmly believed that a pan-European employment market would emerge and sought to prepare students for their futures. They contacted local corporate leaders with the objective to test this vision and create an alliance that would revolutionise the educational market at the time. The business community res-ponded enthusiastically and was given a prominent place in the governance of CEMS, sowing the seeds of the CEMS Global Al-liance, as we know it today.

Above all, CEMS founding members sha-red a passion for innovation and the will to achieve their dream and make it a reality by taking risks and facing strong opposi-tion, but never giving up. Mutual trust and friendship was the engine of the first team composed of the deans of ESADE and HEC and their right arms. Later, they convinced their colleagues from Bocconi and Cologne to join them.

Thanks to this trust and friendship, the CEMS concept was fully designed in one single day: an independent non-profit as-sociation of academic and corporate mem-bers with one leading business school per country, corporate partners on the Board, an independent CEMS Office, and the education of international leaders through a common curriculum and degree. The conceptualisa-tion also included the vision to expand this CEMS community and innovative spirit across Europe and eventually worldwide.

I am so grateful to the two visionary deans Jean-Paul Larçon and Lluis Pugès for trus-ting me, with only two years of professional experience, to materialise our dream and set up the CEMS office.

To me CEMS is still a dream!

The first ever CEMS Executive Director, Nicole de Fontaines, reveals the dream that became a reality, 25 years ago.

The signing of the official document sealing the creation of CEMS at ESADE on 2 December, 1988.(L-R) Professor Lluis Pugès (Dean of ESADE), Professor Jean-Paul Larçon (Dean of HEC), Professor Carlo Secchi (President of the International Relations Commission, Università Commerciale Luigi Bocconi) and Professor Dr. Günter Sieben (University of Cologne).

24 CEMS Magazine


Meet the CEMS Head OfficeFrom day one the Head Office has worked at the service of the alliance to coordinate operations, from curriculum delivery and corporate relations, to activation of the alumni network and the external promotion of CEMS, to name just a few of the office’s responsibilities. CEMS Magazine asked each of the 12 dedicated professionals currently providing support to the alliance to present themselves.

Mariette LecroartFinance & H.R. Manager (1989 to present)

I deal with all budgetary and financial matters as well as management of Human Resources.

Nicole de FontainesSecretary-General (Involved in the creation of CEMS, in 1988)

After co-founding CEMS and setting up and managing the Head Office, I now am responsible for the Corporate and Social Partnerships and the Strategic Board.

Andrée EgloffAssurance Quality Manager (1998 to present)

I am responsible for ensuring that MIM back office operations run smoothly.

Rita SolteszUniversity Relations Manager (involved in CEMS since 2000, and with the Head Office since 2008)

I cooperate with the schools in running the MIM.

Pascal VuylstekerInformation Systems Manager (2009 to present)

I make sure that all IS tools and platforms are working correctly together.

Jamie RomanetMIM and Student Affairs Coordinator(2012 to present)

I help to coordinate and manage matters related to the MIM and university relations. I also work in student affairs, responding to the needs of prospective and current students.

Tara Kristina MillerCorporate Relations Manager (2013 to present)

I share the responsibility of serving and involving Corporate Partners in close cooperation with member schools.

Wieteke DupainAlumni Association Executive Director (involved with CEMS since 2003, started with the CEMS Alumni Association in summer 2013)

I work with Head Office and the Alumni Board to increase the value of the CEMS brand and network and to create opportunities for personal and career development for all CEMS alumni.

Rebecca RosinskiMarketing Manager (2013 to present)

I get the word out about CEMS, covering everything from this magazine and social media, to PRand merchandising.

Roland SiegersCEMS Executive Director (since 2012, previously Deputy Director. Involved in CEMS since 2002)

I oversee all CEMS activities, from strategy to implementation via the team at Head Office, and as an Alumni Board member.

Denisa ZichackovaCorporate Relations Manager (2008 to present)

I create a link between our partner companies and students who are looking for challenging career opportunities.

The CEMS Head Office Team: (front row, L-R) Nicole de Fontaines, Mariette Lecroart, Jamie Romanet, Triona Campbell, Tara Kristina Miller; (back row, L-R) Rebecca Rosinski, Denisa Zichackova, Rita Soltesz, Roland Siegers, Pascal Vuylsteker, Wieteke Dupain; (missing) Andrée Egloff.

Triona CampbellEvents and Network Synergies Manager(1998 to present)

I give members of the alliance the opportunity to meet, work and grow together via meetings, seminars and events. I am also involved in the development of faculty cooperation.

Michaela Pleskova 23 years old, Slovakia Intern in Branding and Customer Experience Project, Adhesive Technologies CEMS Master in International Management (CEMS MIM), Vien-na University of Economics & Business / UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School

Norman Schmitz 25 years old, Germany Intern in Supply Chain Manage-ment, Beauty Care CEMS Master in International Management (CEMS MIM), Uni-versity of Cologne

Anne Koch 33 years old, Germany Corporate Brand Manager CEMS Master in International Man-agement (CEMS MIM), Stockholm School of Economics

Davide Zoia 29 years old, Italy Purchasing Manager – Contract Manufacturing Adhesive Technologies CEMS Master in International Management (CEMS MIM), Uni-versita’ L- Bocconi /NHH Norway

Why did you choose CEMS as a Master’s program?

Norman: I chose CEMS because it offered exactly what I was looking for – an internship abroad, a

semester abroad, great people, and a valuable network.

Michaela: The international aspect was also the reason why I chose the program. I wanted to go

abroad and when a friend of mine told me about CEMS, I realized that it is exactly what I wanted to do.

Anne: For me, CEMS was the reason why I studied at the University of Cologne. CEMS offers so

many different elements and provides attractive opportunities for students: international

experience, academic challenges, and corporate partners.

Davide (nodding): The program truly offers a unique network. The number of corporate partners

is impressive. How many partners are there by now, 50?

Anne: I think there are around 70, right!

Davide: Another point I would like to add is that CEMS is really seen as an elite program. CEMS

students have a bright future ahead of them; I think they have a bonus.

How did you get in touch with Henkel?

Davide: I heard about Henkel when I went to the Career Forum in Dublin. Actually, everything

went really fast: I applied for an internship, Henkel was the first company that called me for an

interview – I got accepted and came to Düsseldorf. After the three months internship, I got the

chance to do my business project with Henkel and the University of Cologne and stayed three

additional months. I was then asked to write my master thesis with the company and was later

offered a job. As you can see, I am still here.

Norman: You started as an intern and work for Henkel today. I hear that many times from Henkel

employees. I got in touch with Henkel through the PIM and CEMS Club in Cologne, where I did

voluntary work during my Bachelor’s studies and got into contact with various people from Henkel.

Anne: Oh yes, there is no chance of getting around Henkel when studying in Cologne. Henkel is

very active at the university. I was constantly in touch with the company during my studies and

the possibility to do an internship at Henkel was definitely an opportunity I had to take, even

though my twin sister Wilma works for Henkel as well. We were not sure it would be a good idea

to work for the same company.

Michaela: Your sister works for Henkel too? Did she do CEMS as well?

Anne: Yes, she did. Henkel is a very good company. In the end, I applied and we both have jobs in

different departments. She is now responsible for Talent Management in HR; at the moment, she

is working on a project assignment in Dubai.

Michaela: My family is also connected to Henkel in several ways. My uncle worked for Henkel ten

years ago so I heard about the company when I was still young.

Why did you choose Henkel as an employer? What do you like most?

Anne: I actually started as an intern and had the unique opportunity to stay. When I did my

internship in the marketing of Fa, I got offered a job in Corporate Idea Management and took the

opportunity. Today, I am working in Corporate Communications. Henkel offers many opportuni-

ties and also meets the people’s skills and strengths. That is what I like most about the company.

Davide: I totally agree. Henkel pushes young talents. I also started as an intern and was asked to

stay. What made me choose Henkel? The people. People really make a company. I made several good

friends in the company – the guy I met on my very first day of my internship is my best friend now.

Michaela: People definitely are important. What I also like about Henkel is the internationality

present throughout the company. There are people from all over the world working for Henkel and

the teams benefit from the different cultures, experience and perspectives.

Norman: I really like the international aspect at Henkel as well. There is also a lot of diversity.

When I read about Henkel, the company’s content appealed to me and I was fascinated by the

company’s values such as diversity or other essential elements like sustainability. Another aspect

I like and actually surprised me in the beginning is the flexibility at Henkel. People are quite flexible in

terms of office hours and I have the impression that Henkel really tries to meet its employees’ needs.

Davide: It is interesting you say that, Norman. The flexibility was also one aspect that surprised

me when I started my internship and it was then confirmed throughout my time here.

Michaela: I agree. The working atmosphere at Henkel is very convenient. Everyone is working

hard and concentrated but people are friendly and caring at the same time.

Anne: I was also surprised about the ability to move between different departments. I started in

marketing and ended up in Corporate Communications. Henkel is not only about studies and a CV

Henkel: Family – Network – Internationality – Friends


Michaela Pleskova 23 years old, Slovakia Intern in Branding and Customer Experience Project, Adhesive Technologies CEMS Master in International Management (CEMS MIM), Vien-na University of Economics & Business / UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School

Norman Schmitz 25 years old, Germany Intern in Supply Chain Manage-ment, Beauty Care CEMS Master in International Management (CEMS MIM), Uni-versity of Cologne

Anne Koch 33 years old, Germany Corporate Brand Manager CEMS Master in International Man-agement (CEMS MIM), Stockholm School of Economics

Davide Zoia 29 years old, Italy Purchasing Manager – Contract Manufacturing Adhesive Technologies CEMS Master in International Management (CEMS MIM), Uni-versita’ L- Bocconi /NHH Norway

Why did you choose CEMS as a Master’s program?

Norman: I chose CEMS because it offered exactly what I was looking for – an internship abroad, a

semester abroad, great people, and a valuable network.

Michaela: The international aspect was also the reason why I chose the program. I wanted to go

abroad and when a friend of mine told me about CEMS, I realized that it is exactly what I wanted to do.

Anne: For me, CEMS was the reason why I studied at the University of Cologne. CEMS offers so

many different elements and provides attractive opportunities for students: international

experience, academic challenges, and corporate partners.

Davide (nodding): The program truly offers a unique network. The number of corporate partners

is impressive. How many partners are there by now, 50?

Anne: I think there are around 70, right!

Davide: Another point I would like to add is that CEMS is really seen as an elite program. CEMS

students have a bright future ahead of them; I think they have a bonus.

How did you get in touch with Henkel?

Davide: I heard about Henkel when I went to the Career Forum in Dublin. Actually, everything

went really fast: I applied for an internship, Henkel was the first company that called me for an

interview – I got accepted and came to Düsseldorf. After the three months internship, I got the

chance to do my business project with Henkel and the University of Cologne and stayed three

additional months. I was then asked to write my master thesis with the company and was later

offered a job. As you can see, I am still here.

Norman: You started as an intern and work for Henkel today. I hear that many times from Henkel

employees. I got in touch with Henkel through the PIM and CEMS Club in Cologne, where I did

voluntary work during my Bachelor’s studies and got into contact with various people from Henkel.

Anne: Oh yes, there is no chance of getting around Henkel when studying in Cologne. Henkel is

very active at the university. I was constantly in touch with the company during my studies and

the possibility to do an internship at Henkel was definitely an opportunity I had to take, even

though my twin sister Wilma works for Henkel as well. We were not sure it would be a good idea

to work for the same company.

Michaela: Your sister works for Henkel too? Did she do CEMS as well?

Anne: Yes, she did. Henkel is a very good company. In the end, I applied and we both have jobs in

different departments. She is now responsible for Talent Management in HR; at the moment, she

is working on a project assignment in Dubai.

Michaela: My family is also connected to Henkel in several ways. My uncle worked for Henkel ten

years ago so I heard about the company when I was still young.

Why did you choose Henkel as an employer? What do you like most?

Anne: I actually started as an intern and had the unique opportunity to stay. When I did my

internship in the marketing of Fa, I got offered a job in Corporate Idea Management and took the

opportunity. Today, I am working in Corporate Communications. Henkel offers many opportuni-

ties and also meets the people’s skills and strengths. That is what I like most about the company.

Davide: I totally agree. Henkel pushes young talents. I also started as an intern and was asked to

stay. What made me choose Henkel? The people. People really make a company. I made several good

friends in the company – the guy I met on my very first day of my internship is my best friend now.

Michaela: People definitely are important. What I also like about Henkel is the internationality

present throughout the company. There are people from all over the world working for Henkel and

the teams benefit from the different cultures, experience and perspectives.

Norman: I really like the international aspect at Henkel as well. There is also a lot of diversity.

When I read about Henkel, the company’s content appealed to me and I was fascinated by the

company’s values such as diversity or other essential elements like sustainability. Another aspect

I like and actually surprised me in the beginning is the flexibility at Henkel. People are quite flexible in

terms of office hours and I have the impression that Henkel really tries to meet its employees’ needs.

Davide: It is interesting you say that, Norman. The flexibility was also one aspect that surprised

me when I started my internship and it was then confirmed throughout my time here.

Michaela: I agree. The working atmosphere at Henkel is very convenient. Everyone is working

hard and concentrated but people are friendly and caring at the same time.

Anne: I was also surprised about the ability to move between different departments. I started in

marketing and ended up in Corporate Communications. Henkel is not only about studies and a CV

Henkel: Family – Network – Internationality – Friends


Henkel and CEMS

• Henkel has successfully been a corporate partner of CEMS since 1994.

• More than 60 CEMS Alumni are working for Henkel worldwide.

• Henkel participates in many events and activities with CEMS in order to give students hands-on experience - mainly through seminars, workshops, business projects and career talks.

• Every year roughly 50 CEMS students perform an internship with Henkel (Henkel is #1 pro-vider of internships to CEMS stu-dents among corporate partners).

• During the internship, Henkel offers an additional mentorship program to CEMS students to reinforce the CEMS network within Henkel, strengthening the ties between CEMS Alumni and CEMS students.

but also about abilities and interests. People at Henkel get the chance to follow their strengths and

broaden their skill perspectives by trying different departments and responsibilities. I really like that.

Davide: Very true. Henkel also gave me the possibility to develop myself and gain different

experiences very fast: in 5 years I have already been given three different jobs!

If you had to describe Henkel in one word, what would it be?

Norman: Family Michaela: Internationality Davide: Friends Anne: Network

How important is it to have CEMS Alumni represent their company?

Davide: I think it is very important. When I first came to Henkel, it was nice to have someone

taking care of you and sharing experiences. Now, I am an alumnus myself and must say that

meeting CEMS students is a great experience. We as mentors cannot only help our mentees to gain

insights into the company but we also know their feelings and expectations. We had similar ones

when we were CEMS students.

Norman: This is an important point. Based on the shared background, alumni and students have a

special relationship.

Michaela: I totally agree. Having CEMS Alumni around makes the students feel more comfortable.

Also, the alumni at Henkel are very engaged – they care and are interested in the students as well as

their expectations and opinions.

Anne: Of course, we are. We know what the CEMS students are going through and want to help them

as much as we can. It is a lot about the possibility of giving something back. We had the opportunities

of CEMS a few years ago and now, we can help others and share our knowledge and experience.

Davide: And we are getting something back as well. All the CEMS students I have met so far were

talented, active and motivated young people.

What value has the CEMS Mentorship program for you?

Anne: I think the program is a good idea, for both sides: Mentees are interested in the mentors’

perspective and vice versa. Both can learn from each other.

Davide: It is indeed a valuable offer. The mentor gets to know the student’s expectations and

opinions and the students get the chance to meet someone from the company who can share

insights and experiences.

Michaela: I really appreciate my mentor’s opinion and advice; it is nice to have that element as

part of the program.

Norman: The mentorship program is also a useful opportunity to connect to other members of the

CEMS group at Henkel. Events such as the CEMS lunch are a nice way of getting to know new people

and build up a network.

Davide: And not only this. The program can also promote connections to other employees at

Henkel. I can only speak for myself but my mentor really pushed my network. Your mentor can

really make the difference.

Would you choose CEMS and Henkel again?

All: YES!


CEMS alumni a 25-year-old success story

Probably the most concrete proof of the success of any programme is the trajectory taken by its young graduates and more experienced alumni. CEMS Magazine heard from six of the 8000+ thriving professionals to have completed the CEMS programme over the past 25 years. They reflect on the CEMS experience and the ways in which it has helped them in the years after graduation.

I started my studies at the Rotterdam School of Management in 1994. Once I had the opportunity it didn’t take me long to choose CEMS: living, studying and partying for half a year abroad in a very international environment! Great!

From January until June 1998 I studied at ESADE, in Barcelona, one of the nicest cities in Europe. The second half of the year I did a CEMS internship at Nissan Motor Espana. Although it was quite a while ago, I still remember the student parties, bars, discotheques, interesting classes, new friends from around the world, cultural differences, the international angle and the vibe of living in Barcelona! I have many very good memories of my CEMS time in Barcelona. Of course I had a great time at ESADE, but things that stick around are the small things, such as drin-king a beer with a couple of American students while watching the Super Bowl (a game I didn’t know the rules of) in the middle of the night in a bar with “demand-driven pricing”. Or wande-ring around in Parque Guell, one of the most beautiful parks in Barcelona, and eating tapas.

My term abroad period was one of the best decisions I could have made, not only because of the fun, the friendships and studying abroad, but also because of the international and multicultu-ral experience. It made me decide to work for an international consulting company. I still value the international aspects of my job and am considering going abroad again. I would recommend any student to study the CEMS MIM, because it truly enriches your life!

Sergio VethRSM-ESADE

I was always very interested in traveling and getting in touch with different cultures. Therefore, it seemed logical to me to seize the opportunity and acquire experience abroad also during my studies. I did my exchange semester in 1992 at Rotterdam School of Management, which belongs to Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam. As a matter of fact, I would have had a confirmed internship at Seat in Barcelona, but I really liked the Netherlands and therefore wanted to stay in the country and get to know the Dutch culture better. I found an internship at a small consulting firm where I was given the opportunity to do my own small pro-ject as I had agreed to work for them for six months.

The international exchange programme in Rotterdam was very well organised for study as well as leisure time. Spending half a year with an international crowd in one class, was just fabu-lous. We were all new in Rotterdam and were therefore keen on getting to know each other and spending a lot of time together – studying, going out and partying…

The intercultural exchange helped me to have a better unders-tanding for cultural differences. It enhanced my already very profound interest in pursuing an international career.In the meantime, CEMS has become an internationally-known and well-reputed organisation. CEMS offers the exceptional opportunity to do a part of the study abroad and to combine it with an internship, also abroad. It is a lot of fun to meet so many students from different countries and to gain initial work expe-rience in a different cultural environment. Last but not least, it is one of the important experiences you could hope to have, which I personally would not have wanted to miss.

A life-enriching experience“ ”

Sabina FurlerHSG-RSM

“A better under-standing for cultural differences”

‘94CEMS

‘00CEMS

29CEMS Magazine

FEATURE: CEMS ALUMNI / A 25-YEAR-OLD SUCCESS STORYAUTUMN 2013

I’m a CEMS alumnus of Bocconi University (2001) and ESADE (2002). CEMS was very important for me in developing my career. Thanks to CEMS, you get used to dealing with an international and multi-cultural environment, which is fundamental if you want to have an international career.

I’m the youngest-ever and the first non-British Executive Direc-tor at CBRE UK. Before joining CBRE, I was a banker at Goldman Sachs and Citi. I was recruited in 2004 by CBRE for the newly-created real estate finance team. I hold more than 11 years of experience working in real estate banking across the UK, USA, Netherlands, Spain and Italy. In June 2012, I was voted number 7 in the “HOT 100: The Rising Stars of 2012” list of most influential people under 35 to watch in the real estate industry published by Property Week in London, UK. This was the first time that an Italian had been included in the list, voted number 7 out of more than 1000 nominees. CEMS was crucial in putting me on this path to success…

I did my Block Seminar in Grasse, France in September 2001. I will never forget that week, which proved a very intense intro-duction to CEMS! It was one of the first Block Seminars ever or-ganised and everything was new and everyone was very excited to be part of it. Then the world changed suddenly. After gradua-ting in Bocconi University in 2001, I joined CEMS in September and I did my second semester at ESADE in Barcelona. I did a semester abroad in Singapore during my third year of my degree before but CEMS was a whole different experience with more practical activities focussed on your future business life.

I would highly recommend CEMS to anyone - every company (large or small) is now competing and working at an interna-tional level. CEMS makes you ready to deal with the challenge.

“Preparing you for challenges ahead”

“Cologne is not enough”. This statement, making reference to a famous James Bond movie, explains my motivation for CEMS. I always loved the versatility of the world which CEMS fulfilled. Studying abroad at one of the best European universities, lear-ning another foreign language besides English and meeting inte-resting, like-minded people were all strong arguments for CEMS.

University of Cologne, ESADE and an internship at Henkel in Barcelona were my major CEMS steps. I have many memorable experiences of my CEMS student life: first of all I really enjoyed the group spirit. When you complete your semester abroad, you meet all kinds of people with the same problems to solve: where do I find an apartment, how easy will it be to learn the foreign language, where are the best bars etc… It is this unique feeling of being in the same boat, ready to explore a new world. Secondly, more personally speaking, I remember the good times of cruising through Barcelona with my “moto” (motor bicycle). The spirit of liberty when you sit on one of those small, loud and stinky motos like all the locals is unforgettable.

The influence of CEMS on my life and career is not to be scof-fed at. The first-class education I received through the CEMS programme opened many doors for my career. It was a USP that separated you from all the other students applying for a job or internship. The CEMS spirit, knowing that there are many op-portunities out there waiting to be grasped, also had a direct influence on my career: I started my own business in 2001 and since 2012 I have been teaching Marketing and Entrepreneurship at the Cologne Business School, sharing my experiences with the newer generation.

Mike SchallehnESADE-Cologne

”“A career driven by the CEMS spirit

Natale GiostraBocconi-ESADE

‘03CEMS

‘06CEMS

Dr.Prof.

30 CEMS Magazine


In 2006, I joined CEMS at the Louvain School of Management as the programme had a great value proposition: an excellent ranking, privileged contact with top employers and tangible aca-demic content to be leveraged as of my first employment day. My first semester in Louvain and my semester abroad in Saint Gallen were just great. CEMS was a fun, collaborative and ins-piring Master’s: the ideal bridge from the academic world to the demanding reality of finance and consulting.

As a student, the most valuable part of CEMS was the internatio-nal opportunities with top employers. International recognition of the CEMS alliance facilitated my professional mobility: a first job in finance in Madrid and a transfer with A.T. Kearney to São Paulo, where I currently work as a manager.

Nowadays, the most valuable part of CEMS is the quality and commitment of the professional network I can rely on. Within A.T. Kearney, I have a great group of CEMS peers in different geographies with whom I have frequent exchanges. Besides, there is an active alumni community to reach out to in every major business hub. During my first week in São Paulo, I ran-domly ran into a Saint Gallen classmate a corner away from the A.T. Kearney offices that overlook the city. As we are part of a dynamic and collaborative community, CEMS is also about contributing. As Brazil is increasingly in the spotlight, I am frequently helping graduates that reach out to me about employment tips in Brazil. Together with A.T. Kearney we also actively engage with the students as we have a great track record with CEMS.

“”

A committed, high-quality professional network

I am constantly looking for global-minded people with the “why not?” attitude. I viewed the highly-ranked CEMS MIM as an ex-cellent platform to launch an international career since it attracts like-minded students with similar goals. By entering the most international management programme available I was confident that I would send all the right signals to global-oriented potential employers.

During my CEMS year, both at my home school, NHH, and as a term abroad student at Bocconi, I enjoyed the hands-on and collaborative academic teaching style combined with numerous networking opportunities with corporate partners. In particular, I liked that the corporate partners took it to the next level by hos-ting practical skill seminars and challenging our problem-sol-ving skills during the mandatory Business Project. Furthermore, the exposure to peers from all over the world has increased my awareness and appreciation for cultural differences.

The CEMS alumni network is unique. My very diverse group of classmates are currently working their way up the corporate ladder in all major cities in the world, not only within my field, investment banking, but also within any other thinkable (and unthinkable) fields and industries. Some of them have also star-ted their own businesses. Often when I have needed career-re-lated advice or an introduction to new business contacts, I have successfully counted on the CEMS alumni network. A couple of weeks after I moved to New York, I attended a social event hosted by the CEMS New York alumni chapter. I met alumni that had been in New York for 5+ years in addition to other newly-arrived people. This kick-started my professional and social network in a new city, and provided me with several practical insights like how to get an apartment, a bank account, a local driver license etc.

Today I am an active member of the growing CEMS US alumni chapter.

”“Education taken to the next level

Gabriel de l’EscailleLSM-HSG

‘07CEMS

Robert ChristensenNHH-Bocconi

‘09CEMS

31CEMS Magazine


If alumni provide the best possible advertisement for the past 25 years of CEMS, then who better to ask what the CEMS experience represents now in 2013? CEMS Magazine profiled four students of an alliance that is even more global in nature than in name…

CEMS students The nextgeneration

Sina Vaziri

My name is Sina Vaziri. I’m 24 years old. I was born in Tehran, Iran, and moved to Canada when I was 15. I did my undergra-duate studies in Economics at the University of Toronto. My CEMS host school is Ivey Business School, and I’m doing my CEMS abroad terms at LSE and HKUST.

There are two aspects of CEMS that strongly appeal to me. The education: CEMS, through its network of top business schools, provides a great platform for gaining a truly international pers-pective on business as well as life. The people: CEMS provides students with the incredible opportunity to meet and build rela-tionships with smart, like-minded individuals from every corner of the globe.

I hope to leverage the education and network that I gain from CEMS to help tackle some of the world’s biggest problems through entrepreneurial efforts. My areas of interest, i.e. the ones I believe are most in need of disruption, are healthcare and education. Both need to become more efficient and affordable, and I hope to contribute to that.

José Carlos Ramírez Gómez

My name is José Carlos, I am 25 years old and I am from Mexico. As a University of Sydney home student I have had the plea-sure of following the tri-national track, which has enabled me to study abroad at both HEC Paris and Bocconi University. I completed my undergraduate degree in International Business in Mexico where my studies were reinforced during international exchanges in both China and Australia.

I saw the CEMS programme as an opportunity for me to have the best of two worlds - the academic and the corporate. First and foremost I have had the opportunity to study at some of the world’s leading business schools. I have, moreover, had the distinct pleasure of coming into contact with the programme’s numerous corporate partners and other multinational corpora-tions with an excellent reputation on both national and interna-tional levels. Ultimately all I can say is that attending classes and sharing ideas with people from more than 30 different countries on a daily basis is something very unique to CEMS.

Now that I near the end of my time in the CEMS programme I find it difficult to sum up how I intend to take all that I have lear-ned with me going into the future. I suppose that if I had to put it into words I would say that it has given me the necessary tools to enter a constantly evolving work environment. I have noticed that this programme succeeds in cultivating skills like foreign language proficiency and intercultural relations, which I believe will be incredibly important for any person to have if they intend to work internationally. It is my intention to bring these skills with me into the future and they, among all the lifelong friends I have made over the past two years, are why I am so very grateful to have been a part of this programme.

IVEYLSE

HKUST

USydBocconi

HEC

CEMS provides students with the incredible opportunity to meet and build relationships with smart, like-minded individuals from every corner of the globe

“

”

“ ”The best of two worlds - the academic and the corporate

33CEMS Magazine

FEATURE: CEMS STUDENTS / THE NEXT GENERATIONAUTUMN 2013

Matthew Creuso Kilroy Elisabeth Wagner

I was born and raised in Vienna, Austria, where I also did my Bachelor at Vienna University of Economics and Business. After graduation I decided to gain some practical experience through various internships in Austria and Australia. I started the CEMS MIM at ESADE Business School in Barcelona, and next semester I will go on my term abroad to Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

In our globalised world it is important to collaborate with people of diverse nationalities and backgrounds. The CEMS MIM, with its special emphasis on social skills and its international commu-nity, enables students not only to live and study in an intercul-tural environment, but also to do so together with people from all over the world who share the same values and goals. The programme offers interesting lectures, inspiring discussions and bright fellow students for whom it is also important to be socially involved. The CEMS community enables its members to exchange experiences and ideas and will become a valuable international network of friends and business contacts in the future.

For me, the most precious aspect of the CEMS MIM is certain-ly the amazing network that evolves among students over the course of the programme. Already after the first semester we had become a great community, and during the second semester we met each other in London, Paris, Lisbon, and Copenhagen. I hope to maintain and expand this network in the future, not only because it can be very valuable in professional life, but first and foremost because I found some very good friends through the programme who will now spread all over the world and with whom I hope to stay in contact in the future. I am very happy to be part of this unique global community and thankful for the amazing people that I have been able to meet through the CEMS programme.

NHHEAESP-

FGVESADEHKUST

My name is Matthew Kilroy, I am half-Italian half-English, I am 23 years old and I was born Brussels, Belgium. My home school is NHH in Norway and my host school will be FGV, in Brazil.

CEMS is a great opportunity for young, bright students to study at world-renowned schools and meet people “like us”. I was born and have always lived in an international environment, so CEMS was a natural step to take. The subjects studied not only are of immediate interest but I feel that these will help me in my future career path. After all, it’s all about having an edge in such a competing, globalised world.

I hope CEMS will help me expand a valuable network of clever people around the world, along with teaching me subjects that I would put into practice once I enter this ever-more complicated job world.

“”

It’s all about having an edge in such a competing, globalised world The amazing network that

evolves among students over the course of the programme

“”

34 CEMS Magazine

FEATURE: CEMS STUDENTS / THE NEXT GENERATIONAUTUMN 2013

Two weeks after successfully finishing my first half marathon in Sierra Leone, I am now back home feeling like a different person. From the moment I decided to join the many determined runners (some of them experienced, others novices such as myself) in this event, I always knew it was going to be quite a challenge. However, nothing I could have imagined would have prepared me for what was awaiting me.

After only a few weeks of preparation and lacking most of what I found out from other runners to be essential items for any type of race, I took off to Sierra Leone with an open mind and an open heart to this new experience in my life.

The atmosphere on the day of the race was amazing! After spending a few days doing site visits to some of the charity’s

Pedro Kuijt Rumayor - current CEMS student (RSM-LSE)projects together, everybody had become friends and a strong sense of camarade-rie permeated the area. While on the run, the scenery was breath-taking – I went from the streets of Makeni town to une-ven dirt tracks through small villages and dense forestland. Physically, though, the race was a real struggle. Over the last few kilometres I felt as if my legs could not go on any further, I wanted to stop... But I didn’t. With the help of cheerful little children who kept shouting “apoto” (white man) and “thank you, thank you” at me, I completed the race after 2 hours and 23 minutes, feeling overjoyed, proud and of course, exhausted.

As many other individuals, especially those my own age, I am in the process of becoming an active, dynamic and res-ponsible member of society. For quite some time, I have felt the urge to give meaning to my actions but had never taken that one step needed to do so, simply because I had

never had a clue about how and where to start. The Sierra Leone Marathon 2013 has been my first step to what I hope will be a long journey of using my knowledge, pas-sion, and skills in the pursuit of my own goals while contributing to the greater benefit of society and those most in need.

Whether you are eager to do something to give back to society or just looking for an exciting new adventure, this may be the answer. Get involved with Street Child and help change the future of vulnerable children living on the streets who are for-ced to become thieves, beggars or com-mercial sex workers in order to survive.

Running for Life

Find out more at www.sierraleonemarathon.com and donate at www.justgiving.com/Pedro-Kuijt

CEMS student Pedro Kuijt Rumayor tells CEMS Magazine the story of a very personal race that he has been running, for the good of others.

STUDENT & ALUMNI FOCUS

A chance to make the difference

Find out more at www.sierraleonemarathon.com and donate at www.justgiving.com/Pedro-Kuijt

Find out more at www.thecollectivesl.co.uk

CEMS Magazine spoke with Charlie Habershon, CEO of The Collective, about an exciting new opportunity for CEMS students and alumni to affect positive change.

CEMSMAG: How did you get started in this organisation? What are your links with CEMS?

Charlie Habershon: I first visited Sierra Leone in 2006 and returned in 2009. On both visits I was struck by the countries huge potential. However, poverty and unem-ployment still remain major challenges.

I decided to set up The Collective–Sierra Leone, a capacity building organisation with the mission to provide individuals with the tools to create positive change. To do this, we place and support innovative graduates and professionals from around the world in challenging projects.

When I moved to Sierra Leone in 2011 I met CEMS alumnus Emiliano Mroue [featu-red in the summer 2012 issue of CEMS Magazine as co-founder of the Sierra Leone-based West African Rice Company]. We became close friends as we rode the challenges of running a start-up in Sierra Leone. He introduced me to the organisa-tion and we quickly identified that CEMS students would be perfect for our pro-gramme.

CEMSMAG: How many people are em-ployed by and volunteering with The Col-lective currently?

CH: Currently we have eight people wor-king in-country. We expect to have 40 people visit and work in Sierra Leone with us in 2012.

CEMSMAG: How do you foresee CEMS students or alumni interacting with The Collective?

CH: I foresee students and alumni parti-cipating in our Leadership Development programme that we will be running in January and April. It was a huge success this summer providing participants the op-portunity to develop their own skills and support the work of our local partners.

Rebecca Rosinski - CEMS Marketing Manager

37CEMS Magazine

STUDENT & ALUMNI FOCUSAUTUMN 2013

Since the beginning, CEMS has been com-mitted to bringing together academic and corporate institutions dedicated to educa-ting and preparing future generations of international business leaders. The orga-nisation has grown from a small group of European institutions to a truly global alliance of Academic Members, Corporate Partners, Social Partners and Alumni. The CEMS Alumni now represent leaders in vast areas of expertise, across the globe and are a great source of pride for the or-ganisation.

As part of the 25th anniversary celebra tions, CEMS is celebrating its alumni through the Alumnus/a of the Month campaign. The Student Board hand selected nominees to participate in the campaign. Those selec-ted were then included in an online vote via the CEMS community on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CEMSpage.


The election for Alumni of the Year took place in September, with the winner due to be announced at the CEMS Annual Events hosted by ESADE in Barcelona in November.We would like to congratulate all of the nominees and thank them for their participation. The voting is our

July: Igor Takeshi Nishimura(CEMS 2006, EAESP-FGV - ESADE - HEC)

June: Verena Berlisg(CEMS 2004, WU - HEC - Bocconi)

May: Ouriel Ohayon(CEMS 1996, HEC - ESADE)

April: Dr. Andrea Castronovo(CEMS 1990, Bocconi - HEC)

way of sharing some of the incredible profiles of people within our commu-nity and creating awareness of the individual success stories that make CEMS what it is. We are extremely proud to consider all nominees part of our community and representa-tives of CEMS.

Celebrating our Alumni

The winners for Alumni of the Month:

38 CEMS Magazine


Matthieu Liard, a 2006 CEMS alumnus (HEC-ESADE), spent six years in Shanghai as an entrepreneur and in April 2013 he started cycling with a friend from Shanghai to London, over 10 000 miles.

Why? To raise money for Operation Smile, a charity that provides free surgery for kids born with cleft palates and other facial deformities. They will work at two mission sites along the way, in Zhengzhou (China) and Milan (Italy) and are aiming to raise enough money for 100 children to have the operation.

They will be crossing 19 countries during their trip: China, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran, Azerbai-jan, Georgia, Turkey, Greece, Macedonia,


Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia & Herzego-vina, Croatia, Italy, Switzerland, France and the United Kingdom.

On keeping up his motivation, Matthieu had this message to share: “it is physically quite challenging to cycle 100km a day but…it is an even bigger mental challenge. In this respect, it is important that we are cycling for a cause. This and the Monty Python motto ‘Always look on the bright side of life’ that I have always abided by definitely helps overcome the mental challenge and gives us extra leg strength when we are cycling uphill, under the rain and against the wind!” This is a strong message for anyone in the CEMS community confronted by a big challenge, whether it is biking across two

continents or being confronted by a major business challenge. By keeping our eyes set on the overriding positive outcome and looking on the bright side of life, there’s no limit to what we can achieve.

Matthieu and his friend will be passing through some CEMS cities, so be sure to follow their progress

on roadofsmiles.com and cheer them on:

9 October - Istanbul7 November - Milan22 November - Paris3 December - London

Cycling for a causeCEMS Magazine looks at the sterling charity work of alumnus Matthieu Liard, who is in the midst of a gruelling 10 000-mile journey in support of “Operation Smile”.

39CEMS Magazine


One of the greatest assets of CEMS is the level of stakeholder involvement. And as the needs of all of them towards CEMS MIM are changing, CAA Prague decided to invite them to a workshop focused on the profile of CEMS graduates from the University of Economics, Prague.

Together with the university representa-tives we invited two companies, inclu-ding corporate partners Škoda Auto, plus teachers and students. The university was represented by the Academic Director Jiri Hnilica and programme management while

Philipp Wilhelm - CEMS 1999 (HSG-LSM) & President, CEMS Local Alumni Committee Switzerland

Battles inpeaceful Switzerland!In peaceful Switzerland, every month a “battle” is raging: CEMS alumni decide which of two events will be more popular, with the winning event being organised. Of course, the battle is done by direct de-mocratic voting… In May, an apéro (Swiss-style cocktail) at Prime Tower skyscraper

was defeating a guided e-bike mountain bike tour. For June, the current 509 CEMS alumni residing in the land of melting cheese, soft chocolate and hard cash were deciding between a visit of the Art Basel exhibition and an apéro in a trendy Zurich city lounge.

Vojtech Oplestil - CEMS 2007 VSE-AALTO

Profiling the “typical” CEMS graduate

alumni were presented by one alumni member and the President of CAA Prague.

Even though the views of the stakehol-ders differed, a moderated discussion and consensual approach led to a success-ful outcome: the definition of a detailed “SWOT” and, most importantly, a list of task for all stakeholders.

The first roundtable took place on December 2011. Since then the discussion has shifted from promotion of the programme (which was one of the key issues of the first round-

If you would like to stay updated on Swiss Alumni events, get the mobile app (http://www.cemsmobile.ch) or email to [email protected] to be added to the CEMSational News email.

The CEMS Alumni Team Switzerland: Luiza Dobre (Vice President), Kirsi Eskelinen (Auditor), Vica Herstatt (Vice President), Julia Schultes (Treasurer), Marta Widz (Vice President), Manuel Maimann (Vice President), Andrea Miotto (Vice President), Dr. Michael Studer (Vice President), Dr. Philipp Wilhelm (President).

For details see http://cemsalumniprague.blogspot.cz/2013/03/what-will-be-future-cems-graduates-like.html

table in November 2011) towards the acade-mic aspects of the programme. It seems like the core - curriculum and learning outputs - is coming to the fore of attention.

In the near future there will also be a shift towards common work on the task list and great results.

40 CEMS Magazine


Martina Fischerová - CEMS Communications Manager, University of Economics - Prague

In 2013, not only does the CEMS alliance celebrate its 25th birthday, but also the University of Economics, Prague (VSE) is commemorating 60 years since its esta-blishment. At the same time it is also 15 years since the first VSE/CEMS student graduated.

These anniversaries led us to organise a CEMS Alumni Soiree. It took place at VSE premises on Thursday 20 June. We decided to invite all 337 VSE CEMS graduates from years 1998–2012 and also all the acade-mic staff who dedicated their time and knowledge to CEMS. At the end, 98 people confirmed their participation and together we enjoyed a very nice evening full of meeting former classmates, chatting and eating good food.

As CEMS is also about networking, there was a “Speed Networking” activity prepa-red in order to meet alumni from different years. From the feedback we see that the event was successful and we hope to orga-nise another Alumni Soirée soon.

Alumni soiréecelebrates15 years of VSEin CEMS

41CEMS Magazine


The first of the three yearly meetings of the CEMS Global Student Board took place in Copenhagen in April. Representatives from all the CEMS schools thus travelled to Denmark to spend a week putting their minds together in order to improve how the alliance functions. Part of the meeting was spent sharing experiences from each of the schools and to report on current plans and activities. The representatives also spent early mornings and long nights working within their respective teams.

Student Board Meeting in CopenhagenJo Holmsen - CEMS Student Board representative, Norwegian School of Economics

Each of these teams has responsibility for a specific aspect of CEMS, such as the support of the local CEMS Clubs, academic affairs, CSR activities and promotion of the alliance.

The Student Board was also joined by se-veral members of the CEMS Head Office, who yet again proved to be great sparring partners in discussions and workshops. The meeting was supported by Corporate Partner Arla Foods, who invited everyone

to their headquarters for a day of case sol-ving and dinner. Copenhagen Business School acted as exemplary hosts, provi-ding conference rooms, lunches, lots of coffee and socialising opportunities.

The CEMS Global Student Board currently have many exciting projects in their pipe-line, and encourages you to have a read through their most recent newsletter, where you will find more detailed information.

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Documents

CEMS Magazine Autumn 2013