Dan Colman very astutely remarked in his welcome address to the graduates that the end of the program is only the first step on the path to professional development. In order to triumph in the competitive struggle of the market, to be the best is not enough, it is necessary to innovate; only then will the company enjoy success.
"The program provides a massive stimulus for one’s professional development. What is most important is the complex approach to comprehending the business. Nowadays it is not sufficient to be a good specialist in your field. In order to be a classy executive it is necessary to understand in detail all the processes of the company. During teaching, the majority of my colleagues was promoted or changed their job. For me, a change of position and company took place. Not having had an MBA education it is unlikely that I could have achieved such success and I think this is not the end of it". So says Tatyana Skuratovskaya, graduate of the IMBA program, Director of HR in the company REDI Capital.
Already a tradition at the ceremony is the naming of the best students of the group – Alexander Poddenezhniy, Valentin Adoniev and Maksim Ustinskiy. In turn the graduates named their best teachers who "plucked at the strings of the soul’ and inspired successful and fruitful work over the course of the two years. The names were – Mikhail Sorokin, instructor of financial disciplines on the MBA programs on the Ukrainian side, and Martin Wielemaker, instructor of the course "Strategic management" from the Canadian half.
As a word of parting to the graduates, Dr. Alexander Mertens, the President of the IIB, having praised his colleagues, urged the graduates not to stop developing, both their companies and personally; not to lose the connection with the group and the school and most important, to derive satisfaction from ones work, only then real success be attained.
Alexander Poddenezhniy, a graduate of the IIB IMBA program: "The MBA program changes the ability to think in its entirety. Two years ago, upon entering the auditorium for the first time, we were completely different people. For me, the personal contacts on which business is built are important; I know that I will always find common ground with graduates of the course, be that my course-mates or those of years gone by".
