MBA Meetings with Practitioners

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UBI Business School‘s MBA programme kicked off a new cohort with ‘meetings with practitioners’, an opportunity for our MBA students to learn from a diverse group of practitioners about being a senior manager or entrepreneur.

Friday afternoon, Cybelle Buyck spoke from our Brussels campus about her experience transitioning from the public to the private sector. Ms. Buyck is the Vice-President of Legal & Corporate Affairs Europe for Anheuser-Busch InBev. and the Former Head of Cabinet for the Flemish Minister for Mobility and Public Works. Her experience in both the public and private sector gives her a unique perspective in business.

Also Friday afternoon, Dr. Emmanuel Alexandrakis joined us online from our partner institution, Athens University of Economics and Business. Dr. Alexandrakis spoke about strategic management in the health sector in the post COVID-19 environment and how overall business and economic activity has been affected. He proposed a paradigm shift to consider health as an investment. Dr. Alexandrakis is a Member of the Audit Committee at the Hellenic Development Bank, as well as a Health Economy Global Strategist at the WifOR Institute.

Saturday morning, Mr. Cagatay Guler joined us on our Brussels campus to speak about innovation at 3M, in addition to how his MBA elevated his career. Mr. Guler is the Vice President at the 3M EMEA Healthcare Business Group, and previously worked as the Country Leader Turkey at Ingersoll Rand.

Also Saturday morning, UBI Business School alumnus John Harkin joined us on our Brussels campus to speak about doing business in Europe, including the current challenges and opportunities that present themselves. Mr. Harkin is a Senior Policy Advisor at Ceemet, the European employers’ organisation of the metal, engineering and technology-based industries, as well as a Parliamentary Advisor for Employment and Social Affairs at the European Parliament. We are also lucky to count Mr. Harking as a member of UBI’s Advisory Board.

All four speakers were dynamic and engaging, sharing their personal experiences and expertise, as well as answering a variety of questions from our students!

“These meetings with practitioners facilitate discussion and exchange in an informal setting and give our MBA students a global perspective of business, including an overview of emerging themes (business, politics, economics, sociology, etc.), an understanding of factors affecting companies’ performance in different markets, the opportunity to reflect on and learn from others' experiences, and a framework for strategic thinking."