Why did you decide to study in the President’s MBA?

Before studying in the President’s MBA, I never thought about the impact that could be created through work not just in my own area and zone of responsibility. In reality, there is something broader than what you are doing at the moment. And this desire to learn more, to delve deeper, and to create a broader impact led me to study at kmbs.

Why did you choose a long-term MBA program?

In the program, we covered various modules: culture, management, finance, systems, strategies. To bring together each methodology and idea into a cohesive picture for reflection and transformation — both internal and external — takes time.
I had been through many short-term programs, but they were fast-paced, and that experience wasn't fully absorbed. Additionally, in the MBA, you join the kmbs community. Throughout the year, we also work on our theses.
It is very valuable that the program has interconnectedness: the teachers frequently revisit what has already been covered, and there is time for reflection. This helps to create that long-term distance where support is always present. Plus, there's layering. There are various modules that add even more value and understanding. For example, neurobiology or economic thinking; they are all so interconnected.
For me, the Presidents’ MBA became a space where a paradigm shift in thinking occurred.
Managing a company is no longer enough for me — I want something greater. After the program, I started to think not in terms of money and time paradigms, but about the paradigms of changes that are happening.

After the Presidents’ MBA, changes occurred at all levels. These are global changes in both life and work. I don't know anyone who has gone through the Presidents’ MBA at kmbs and would say they haven't changed.

Has the value of the company you provide to clients transformed after your studies?

The value has not transformed, but the number of services and clients has changed due to various solutions. In particular, not being afraid to go where it’s difficult.
Our company organizes business events for B2B business. This mainly involves foreign representations of companies that market through events. Each event has a different business objective: visibility, sales, employee engagement, or attracting new partners. Our client is a complex corporate client that requires a lot of demands in terms of their procedures and policies.

60% of our volume is a pharmaceutical company. The rest consists of complex representative companies that we work with upon request. Annually, we organize 4,500 to 4,700 events of various formats. We establish relationships with our clients for years. And within these relationships, there is a budget year. Within this marketing budget, there are various events. This could be a dinner for five people — for us, that is a project because it has a beginning, an end, a closure, and the timing of the event itself. Likewise, there can be events for a thousand people. There are separate project managers who handle only event plans that consist of a quick set of actions and have, for instance, two or three components in total. Then, there are project managers who handle complex tender projects that take a long time to engage and realize.

In continuation of the changes in the company, I would like to ask — what personal changes occurred during your studies?

Transformations began to happen after six months of studying. In the first level, “Personal Strategy”, a desire for change emerged — both within myself as a manager and externally in business. Everything related to the personal and everything concerning working on oneself in depth is truly mine. Initially, we work on internal states and then move to the external operational processes of the company. I realized that it is important first to look at who you are, what you want, and why you need it. Then, you start to embody this in both your life and your company.

During my studies, even my talents changed according to the Gallup Test. This is typical for the changes occurring within me as a person, leader, and in business.
Previously, I needed to think three times before making a decision. All sorts of biases appeared continuously: “It’s scary,” “It’s not for me,” “It’s definitely not the right time,” “Why do I need this,” “I am not in a resource state.”

I am convinced that significant changes occurred because I started understanding myself better. That is: who you are, in which role you best manifest your talents, and what value you create for the people around you. This is very much interconnected.
In particular, I used to be closed off in the sense that I didn’t see the value of partnerships. Now it’s become much easier. My sense of caution, security, and risk has changed; instead, my sense of trust and openness has sharpened. This relates to decision-making and partnerships. By the way, we have many partnerships thanks to the kmbs community. So, kmbs is not only about education; it’s also about the people you study with. Interestingly, we play different roles and work in different fields, but we feel very comfortable together.

I believe that behind every business and partnership, there is a person. If your clients know who is behind the business — as a manager, as a strategic architect of all this — building personal, long-term relationships becomes much more effective. And not only within the company with your employees.
I used to think more about achievements in terms of quantity. Now I think about impact: on the industry, on people, on the country in which I live. That is, how can I create something new and valuable through my work?

The most valuable experience during my studies

Writing my thesis was the most interesting journey in my studies, during which I worked on creating a platform for the development of doctors as infrastructure for building medical expertise and interaction in the medical system.
At first, I had no idea what to write about. What has to happen for you to suddenly wake up and think: “This is the work that needs to be written" or "This is the idea that needs to be explored?"

By the end of the year of study, my idea had undergone a radical transformation. During the studies, I began to take something from each module, layering methodologies, business models, organizational design, etc., and applying them through the lens of our company and accordingly, my thesis. Over time, the project grew. What I brought in last June as my first idea and what I am now going to defend are ideas of completely different scales, between which there is a chasm, even in depth.
Thanks to the studies, I reached a completely new point in the development of myself and the company.
The module on the “customer chain” turned out to be particularly valuable: my strategic vision of processes changed. That is, for whom is our product, why, and what value does it bring, how to implement this in the structure, in the processes? Then you start to layer and think about the wider ecosystem.
During our studies, we talked a lot about business. However, the participants with whom I went through the Presidents’ MBA had a special influence on me. I believe it's fate — when you choose a group. It is chosen by heart or intuition. For example, I submitted my application two days before the start of the program. I could have attended the previous launch or waited until the next year. But you go when you feel that call. The participants are people with whom you already have completely different relationships in life, with whom you can collaborate wonderfully. You can call anyone and ask for help, and you want to spend time with them.
I gain limitless inspiration from interacting with the community and instructors. And all this works in combination: in the combination of people, education, and shared experiences.

What changes have occurred in the company recently?

I have completely offloaded all operational tasks and delegated them to five people. I started building relationships with top executives — those who are close to me or with whom I constantly discuss my vision for the company’s development strategy. I hired two of them during my studies — a year ago. This was quite risky, as these roles were new to me. The first role is a business development manager. The second role is Human Capital Director. I wanted someone to share some of the responsibilities with me because previously all these roles rested on me, which left me short on time to work on other aspects where I excel. What I do best is generate ideas and help others grow.
I developed an understanding that in the team we are all different — there are no identical people. You are either in a system with someone, or outside, or if you are an ecosystem, you collaborate with the players of the ecosystem. Thus, I began thinking like an entrepreneur — about what value you create, with whom you do it, and why you do it. And, first and foremost, it’s about more meaningful aspects.