C E M S
C l u b
B u d a p e s t
JOURNAL 2016
20TH ANNIVERSARY OF CEMS MIM
HUMANS OF CEMS
CORPORATE PARTNERS
THE V4 CONFERENCE
AT CORVINUS BUSINESS SCHOOL PAGE #6
MEET MICROSOFT, VODAFONE, DELOITTE, P&G, BCG & HILTI PAGE #20
BRAND NEW INITIATIVE INTRODUCING OUR EXCHANGE STUDENTS PAGE #14
MEMOIR OF THE MOST SIGNIGICANT EVENT OF THE YEAR PAGE #18
THE ALUMNI NETWORK PLANS FOR THE FUTURE WITH THE ALUMNI NETWORK PAGE #38
MEMORIES OF 2016
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE CEMSATIONAL YEAR AT CEMS CLUB BUDAPEST PAGE #16
/ Sydney /
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CEMS CLUB BUDAPEST JOURNAL // 2016
EDITORIAL DEAR READER, After more than a month of close and careful cooperation with our Corporate Partners, Alumni and CEMS students, I have the honor to present you the latest issue of CEMS Club Budapest Journal.
Published by CEMS Club Budapest Hungary Editor Virág Barabás
As the Representative of PR & Communication in the CEMS Board 2016, I have always dedicated all my efforts to create a transparent and engaging communication style for the CEMS Club in a way that it interests and attracts those who may get in contact with us. The Journal is one of the major tools for these purposes, therefore I am proud to let you take a look inside of our lives in 2016. The 20th anniversary of Corvinus Business School joining the CEMS Alliance wasn’t the only reason 2016 was a special year. Countless international events and conferences happened which we sometimes hosted or organized from scratch with outstanding results. I am pretty sure that right now there is no CEMS Club in the world that hasn’t heard of us yet!
Graphic Design Virág Barabás Special thanks to CEMS Board 2016 // Flóra Cselényi // Zita Csánki // Corporate Partners // CEMS Alumni // CEMS Office & Management Email budapestcemsclub@gmail.com Facebook www.facebook.com/ CEMSClubBudapest
Last but not least I would like to thank our Corporate Partners who made several events possible, and the amazing team of the CEMS Board 2016 who put their greatest effort to over-achieve those high standards they have set in the beginning of the year. Altogether, I am very excited to show you what this year’s Journal contains, hence I would like to wish you pleasant moments while reading,
Webpage www.cemsclubbudapest.com Photos Members of CEMS Club Budapest // Owned by Corporate Partners // CEMS Board 2016
and all the bests until the next Journal! The Editor, Virág Barabás Club Budapest © CEMS 2016 December
CEMS CLUB BUDAPEST JOURNAL // 2016
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4
3
EDITORIAL
5
RETROSPECTIVE FROM THE PRESIDENT
6-7
20TH ANNIVERSARY OF CEMS MIM
8-9
BEST SNAPSHOTS FROM THE CEMS YEAR 2016
10-11
SEMESTER ABROAD
12-13
INTERNSHIP ABROAD
14-15
HUMANS OF CEMS
16-17
MEMORIES OF 2016 AT CEMS CLUB BUDAPEST
18-19
CEMS V4 CONFERENCE IN BUDAPEST
20-21
MICROSOFT
22-23
VODAFONE
24-25
DELOITTE
26-27
PROCTER & GAMBLE
28-29
BOSTON CONSULTING GROUP
30
HILTI
31
MEMORIES WITH CORPORATE PARTNERS
32-35
FACES BEHIND CEMS
36-37
CRACKING THE MYSTERY
38
THE ALUMNI NETWORK
AT CORVINUS BUSINESS SCHOOL
MEMORIES FROM SANTIAGO, ROTTERDAM, LISBON & SINGAPORE
EXPERIENCES AT HENKEL IN DÜSSELDORF AND ARLA IN AARHUS
BRAND NEW INITIATIVE INTRODUCING OUR EXCHANGE STUDENTS
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE CEMSATIONAL YEAR OF 2016
MEMOIR OF THE MOST SIGNIGICANT EVENT OF THE YEAR
“THE ESSENCE IS IN THE GROWTH MINDSET.”
FROM CURIOSITY TO DISCOVERY AT VODAFONE
MEET CEMS ALUMNI FROM DELOITTE ADVISORY
UNLIMITED CAREER OPPORTUNITIES AT P&G
CHOOSE BCG FOR YOUR CEMS INTERNSHIP
EXPLORE THE OFFERINGS OF HILTI
HIGHLIGHTS OF OUR ACTIVE COOPERATION
MEET THE CEMS OFFICE, THE MANAGEMENT & THE BOARD 2016
MEET THE STUDENT BOARD REPRESENTATIVE
PLANS FOR THE FUTURE WITH THE ALUMNI NETWORK
CEMS CLUB BUDAPEST JOURNAL // 2016
RETROSPECTIVE FROM THE PRESIDENT “Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.” (Michael Jordan) CSABA PÉTER BAKOS, PRESIDENT OF CEMS BOARD 2016 As president of CEMS Club Budapest, looking back at 2016, I am happy to say that we are at the end of 12 outstanding months. We had the chance this year to organize some major events which required extraordinary effort from everyone but also taught us a lot. In terms of the traditional CEMS Club events, we managed to make them even more successful than before. On top of all this, we also had the motivation and energy to launch some great new initiatives that contributed to the Club’s reputation. The beginning of the year started out with getting in control of the approaching V4 Conference, CEMS Club Conference and Student Board meeting, three very important international CEMS events that were all held in Budapest this year. The Board worked very hard to get everything in order, but not in vain. The participants of the V4 and the two meetings enjoyed their stay a lot and we got very positive feedbacks. In the fall, the CEMS Peer Review and the Conference of the 20th anniversary of CEMS Budapest took place, two also unusual events. Our traditional events also ensured the different stakeholders some networking opportunity. We had Rotation dinners with Corporate Partners, the Alumni Mixer with CEMS Alumni, and other fun programs like running dinners, international dinners, the Weekend Getaway, the Summer and Winter Camp, and the list goes on. We could also rely on other CEMSies and exchange students as well in coming up with cool new ideas. On the CSR front, the Charity Run was a huge success, attracting 200 participants who raised more than 750.000 HUF for Mosoly Foundation. Last but not least, we dedicated a lot of time to implementing new initiatives. The thematic AlumNights helped us get a sneak-peek into different professions. The Humans of CEMS initiative presenting different CEMSies will be adapted globally. We also reviewed the legal structure and Code of Operation of the organization. We enhanced our CSR activity with the Charity Christmas Ball and Academic Support. Our main innovation however was the launch of the Pro Bono Consulting. We are trying to make an impact building on our core competences – mainly business expertise – to help two NGOs, Kompánia Foundation and Gólem Theatre.
Overall, I believe we can all be very proud of what we have accomplished this year together. I would like to thank our Corporate Partners, the Alumni, the CEMSies and exchange students, and especially my fellow Board Members for their devotion and enthusiasm. Without them, this experience would not have been the same!
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20TH ANNIVERSARY OF CEMS
What does CEMS mean for you?
“The duty of intellectuals in society is to make a difference.” (Thomas More) INTERVIEW WITH RICHÁRD SZÁNTÓ, CEMS ACADEMIC DIRECTOR How would you introduce yourself in a nutshell? I have been teaching the Judgment and Decision Making course at Corvinus University of Budapest for almost 15 years. In the last 4 years I have been acting as Vice Dean of Corvinus Business School, and I was appointed as CEMS Academic Director in 2013. Unfortunately, I did not apply for the CEMS program when I was a university student, and understanding the overall value of this great program now as an Academic Director, I think it was really a pity that I did not try. If you should describe the CEMS program with only 5 keywords, which words would you choose? Academic excellence, talented students, strong partnership with corporations, global initiatives, and networking opportunities.
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CEMS is arguably our best international academic program at Corvinus and together with the most talented students and extraordinary faculty Corvinus is proud to be in the league of the leading business schools worldwide. On 23 September, we celebrated the 20th anniversary of Corvinus becoming a member institution in the CEMS Alliance. How do you see the past years? CEMS was only a small program at Corvinus in the 90s when mobility as such was still in its infancy. Since then CEMS MIM has grown substantially and clearly stands out from the programs attracting students with great potential. We have also assembled a great CEMS team throughout the years who contribute to the success of the program to a great extent. What is the added value of the CEMS program from the perspective of Corvinus? We certainly share the success of the Alliance and our membership undoubtedly enhances the reputation of Corvinus Business School and our university as a whole. The valuable experience that we gain through the partnership is equally important for us as it has inspired numerable advancements and useful changes not just in the CEMS MIM program of our school but also beyond that.
AT CORVINUS BUSINESS SCHOOL Conversely: how could Corvinus contribute to the evolution of the CEMS program?
How do you see the CEMS program and the Hungarian CEMS program 20 years later?
We have a great faculty who actively contributes to the work of the CEMS faculty group, offering block seminars and publishing academic textbooks. Our students get very positive feedback both from the partner schools and the corporate partners, therefore we are proud to be able to provide talented and valuable members for the CEMS community. We are glad to be able to host the CEMS Career Forum once again in Budapest in 2017 and hope to make it as successful an event as in the past years.
The CEMS Alliance has been constantly growing in the last decades, and it will likely be larger in the coming years: we may have academic partners from Africa, from the United States or from some more countries of Asia, hence here at Corvinus we will be able to offer an even wider spectrum of opportunities to our students. I expect that the Corvinus student body will be more international in the coming years as well. Although we have already introduced some initiatives in the field of blended learning, I believe that higher education as a whole will go through a great transformation in the next two decades, and MOOCs and other online platforms will affect each and every academic program that we have now. CEMS will not be an exception, of course.
What do you think were the biggest achievements of the Hungarian CEMS program in the last 20 years? Our biggest achievements, of course, are the 500 successfully graduated students, Alumni, that we helped to successful careers. We are also very proud of the awards that we received from CEMS: Best Block Seminar of the year 2010, Best CEMS Club of the Year 2011, and we were the second best school in 2015 according to student evaluations. To introduce three Hungarian corporations as new CEMS corporate partners is also an important achievement of our school.
What are the biggest challenges that lie ahead the program? It is our goal to make the CEMS MIM program more easily accessible to international candidates and we wish to welcome a larger number of guest students as well in the program. Therefore, in the coming years we will attempt to make our values more transparent and attractive for international students.
What is your favorite story or memory with regards to the CEMS? I visited many partner schools over the years, and I had the chance to meet lots of amazing people there. Looking around from the campus of Adolfo Ibáñez University in the foothills of San Ramón Hill gives you an astonishing view over Santiago de Chile, while the modern spaceship-like buildings of WU make you feel you are on a Mars settlement.
CEMS CLUB BUDAPEST JOURNAL // 2016
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BEST SNAPSHOTS FROM
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CEMS CLUB BUDAPEST JOURNAL // 2016
THE CEMS YEAR 2016
CEMS CLUB BUDAPEST JOURNAL // 2016
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SEMESTER ABROAD BALÁZS THALER
Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez (Santiago, Chile) For me CEMS not only means an opportunity to study abroad or a prestigious management program, but a community of bright talents as well. Spending a semester in Chile was a once in a lifetime opportunity on its own, but it was even better having a great community like the CEMSies who you can share your experience with. Thanks to the CEMS program I now had the opportunity to learn more about South America and the Chilean culture and simultaneously study and spend time with a close knit multinational community. Chile is a really special country: at first Santiago can be easily mistaken for a European city with its glass skyscrapers and busy nightlife. You can take an Uber to go to a shopping mall and find the same brands as in Europe. You need some time to find those Latin American details, but then you will love this country even more, as it is a great mix of two really different worlds. As practically almost nobody speaks English in Chile (and I didn’t speak Spanish at the beginning of the semester), you would think language can be an issue here, but Chileans are really nice to foreigners (or at least this was my experience). This helps a lot especially during travelling, as Chilean Spanish is considered to be one of the most difficult ones to understand. All the way from the chilly Atacama Desert in northern Chile through the volcanoes of the Lake District to the wonders of Patagonia (not to mention the Easter Island!) my semester was full of adventures – and thanks to CEMS I had the chance to explore all these wonders. BETTINA BALLA
Rotterdam School of Management (Rotterdam) I’ve spent my spring semester at Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University and I have to say it was a real „work hard, play hard” experience! RSM has a block system, so we had one course per block, but it was more than enough. Combined with the business project - for me the topic was omni-channel marketing at the retailers, so I could analyze the famous and almighty Albert Heijn -, the university gave us enough food for thought. Luckily, our 70 people cohort was more than just studying all night. We had great random theme parties at a Hungarian guy’s place as gangsters or nerdies, organized pub crawls and even a 5-day start-up tour in Berlin with 40 of us. Despite the windy and sometimes rainy weather we managed to see the country: tulips, windmills, daytrips, we had it all. I even had the chance to be part of the Sustainability Committee of the CEMS Board there: amongst others we organized volunteering opportunities at a school for mentally disabled people, and a charity bake sale, and once I even dressed up like a polar bear to campaign for the Sustainability Week. Altogether, I am really grateful for the memoires and friends I made during my exchange that I will never forget!
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CEMS CLUB BUDAPEST JOURNAL // 2016
SANTIAGO, ROTTERDAM, LISBON & SINGAPORE ZSÓFIA NAGY & MÁRTA KEMÉNY
NOVA School of Business and Economics (Lisbon) NOVA university is an outstanding institution, where everyone can easily find interesting courses and business project for themselves, including finance, marketing or entrepreneurial students. Since there are both half- and full-semester-long courses available, we were able to prepare our own schedule aligned with our preferences - the lucky ones were rewarded with a 3-week spring break. Our exchange semester in the sunny Lisbon was full of traveling, surfing, culinary arts, and active nightlife. We watched the sunset with a glass of beer at the ocean after our surf classes. We spent our evenings having never-ending discussions at wineries enjoying fine Portuguese wines. During the nights we usually met our friends at Erasmus Corner for a few caipirinhas before heading to a club at the river bank. The award-winning local CEMS Club and the Portuguese traditions made sure that we always had something fun to do, including BBQ afternoons, running cocktail, an open-bar carnival party, bubble soccer and spontaneous road trips. Lisbon is a beautiful and carefree city, but Portugal itself is also worth exploring. We travelled through the whole country: hiked in the Azores islands, tasted port wine in Porto, visited castles in Sintra, canoed and sunbathed in Algarve. Portugal was our first choice, and we still wouldn’t decide otherwise. ORSOLYA FRICSKA
National University of Singapore (Singapore) Now I am sitting at one of the outdoor study zones of the campus in my flip-flops and shorts, with a view on a swimming pool and tropical plants. I got the chance to spend my exchange semester at the National University of Singapore, the leading university of Asia. The campus is located in the western part of the state-city and has a size that I have never seen before; there are four lines of shuttle buses making sure that you arrive on time to your lecture, to one of the eight different libraries, to the sports center, to the university museum, to the arts center or to your dorm. Just like the country itself, campus life is highly regularized: the whole area is nonsmoking and alcohol-free, shuttle buses are punctual and you can leave your personal belongings wherever you want to; you will find them at the exact same place hours later. CEMS courses require a high level of class participation, self-learning and independent research as well as many group projects throughout the semester as we have no exams in the very end. This implies a relatively high level of workload. However, together with the 23 other cool CEMSies from all over the world, we have always found the moments and days off from campus life: this meant weekend getaways in Indonesia and Malaysia, discovering the night-life on the rooftop bars of Singapore, or chilling on the beach of Sentosa island with its imported white sand. These places, people, insightful classes with inspiring guest speakers generated unforgettable memories and learnings that I will be happy to share in the future! CEMS CLUB BUDAPEST JOURNAL // 2016
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INTERNSHIP ABROAD RENÁTA FEHÉR
Henkel (Düsseldorf) Looking back to my CEMS year I have to admit that it was so far one of the most interesting and inspiring years of my life. Starting with my exchange semester in St. Gallen, Switzerland, continuing as member of the highly motivated CEMS Club Board in Budapest and ending up as a brand management intern at the Beauty Care Strategic Business Unit of the Henkel Headquarter in Düsseldorf, I had the chance to develop myself and collect a lot of unforgettable memories. I started my 6-month internship in June in the Strategic Business Unit of the Hair Styling team. As I was working in the headquarter of Henkel, I could easily get numerous useful insights and learning experiences on an everyday basis. During my internship I was involved in the main innovation processes for 2018, and I was preparing and coordinating the implementation of the new product launches for 2017. Beside these tasks I had the chance to coordinate some projects on my own, among others I was in charge for the digital content of our brands and prepared the business plan for the Digital Acceleration of the brand, Syoss.
What’s more, Henkel has a strong focus on its interns and treats them very well. Since the HQ and the German local teams of all the three divisions are located in Düsseldorf, there is a huge community of interns (with a significant number of CEMS students among them). Various programs – such as after-work drinks, intern lunches and language exchange possibilities – ensure that you can easily network and make new friends within the company. Several things can be highlighted which I enjoyed the most during my internship: following the creation of new products, from the trend analysis and brainstorming until the implementation process together with the countries was definitely the favorite part of my job. In addition I could not imagine a more multinational working environment: I was working together with teams from all over the world and all my colleagues had a highly diverse background as well. Last but not least I got a mentor on my first day, who provided me continuous feedbacks and ensured that I could make the most out of my 6 months at the company. All in all, I think this internship provided me a great opportunity to experience the core of brand management and gave me numerous insights and useful knowledge, on which I can rely during my future career too!
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CEMS CLUB BUDAPEST JOURNAL // 2016
DÜSSELDORF AND AARHUS FLÓRA BAGYINKA
Arla Foods (Aarhus) Thanks to CEMS, I had the chance to spend the summer of 2016 in Aarhus, Denmark at Arla, a global dairy company. They produce incredibly delicious cheese, yoghurt and other products which I had the chance of course to taste in huge quantities. We were chosen with 8 other students from around Europe as members of the Arla Summer Internship Program, a prestigious talent program for master students. All of us, summer interns were assigned to projects which we had to execute throughout our 10-week internship. I worked in the global Learning&Development department on a process standardization project, which gave me a lot of knowledge on how a company manages employee development across the whole world. I also helped to set up a training program for high performer junior level employees, which actually took place in November! It was so cool to see the pictures of the people from all over the world enjoying their training at the HQ together thanks to the work I did during my internship. In case of both projects, I could see that what I worked on really had an impact afterwards. The company culture was also amazing, we were treated as equals by even the top managers and we could turn to absolutely anyone if we had questions, they were sure to help. The Summer Internship Program managers also took great care of us. The first week, we were taken to visit a farm to see the cows and we also took a tour at the dairy where about half of Pizza Hut Europe’s mozzarella comes from. Throughout the summer, the company offered us several development sessions and we could take on a lot of responsibility while having exciting and challenging tasks. It really was a great professional experience.
However, the summer wasn’t only about work: me and the other interns lived very close to each other (in very cool apartments with a view on the sea provided by the company!), so we could easily spend a lot of time together. It was sort of like a mini exchange semester for me. We cooked dinners, went cycling, sunbathed on the beach - on those rare occasions when it wasn’t 18 degrees -, danced together at the Beyoncé concert in Copenhagen, participated at running competitions, discovered the city of Aarhus and shared a lot of other memorable moments. Our international team of Swedish, Danish, Spanish, Italian and Hungarian people made us learn a lot about the different cultures and we had some quite intriguing talks. Overall, I am very grateful for having had the possibility to do this internship, to get to know such great people and work for such an exemplary company which I probably wouldn’t have done without CEMS!
CEMS CLUB BUDAPEST JOURNAL // 2016
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HUMANS OF CEMS
Our new initiative, called Humans of CEMS, has been launched in October. We are asking CEMSies to tell us about how CEMS transformed their lives and made them who they are, and posting their short stories on our Facebook page. We believe this can inspire people to follow their dreams and live up to their full potential. The idea was presented to the Student Board and international representatives and it received a positive welcome. This year mostly Hungarian CEMSies and exchange students were introduced through interviews, but next year we plan to broaden the range of interviewees, and ask also Alumni members. It is not only a great way to bring the CEMS community closer, but also promotes CEMS to potential CEMS students and corporations!
ALEKSANDRA MARIA KJEMHUS
Norway (NHH) / Hungary (CUB) As I grew up in a multicultural family, half Polish, half Norwegian I’ve always been very passionate about traveling and learning about cultures and cultural differences. I have always taken every opportunity possible to live in different countries throughout my life and so far I’ve been so lucky to live in exciting Australia, in sophisticated Paris and in hot Arizona. As a consequence, CEMS was a very natural choice for me due to all the international opportunities it enables. During my travels, I have met so many interesting people who have taught me so much by sharing their experiences and discussing the differences between us both caused by culture, environment and personality. Currently I’m doing my exchange in Budapest where I’ve made so many amazing friends, both Hungarian and International. In the future I wish to work in an open and diverse environment outside of my countries of origin. Where and what this will be, is still a mystery, but I believe CEMS will help me find out.”
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CEMS CLUB BUDAPEST JOURNAL // 2016
MEET ALEKSANDRA, ISABELLA & CARLOTA ISABELLA ROSSI
Italy (UB) | Hungary (CUB) Ever since I’ve joined CEMS, I routinely find myself sitting in between the girl that runs half-marathons, fluently speaks seven languages and spends every summer teaching Cambodian kids, and the guy who founded his own startup, gave his own TedTalk and plays guitar amazingly. Every time, the train of thought starts racing like this: “Who are these people? Are they real? Wait, how old did she say she is? Only? What have I done with my life? How come everyone knows what they want to be and plans accordingly, while I don’t even know what I’m gonna eat for breakfast?” After months of fanatically feeling the frenzy of finding an internship in an investment bank or top-tier consulting firm - which are not, nor ever will be ME - all of a sudden I realized I was talking myself into madness. When I decided to open up about it with other CEMSies, I understood I am not alone. We all second-guess ourselves based on the achievements of others. We all feel threatened and inadequate at times. At 23 - at any age as a matter of fact- some people have it figured out. Some don’t.
CARLOTA DÍAZ-REIXA
Spain (ESADE) / Hungary (CUB) So, why CEMS? It’s easy: new places, new people, new adventures. Every time I meet someone new I learn so much, it’s crazy! Every person that has passed by my life has taught me something, even the worst. When I got the opportunity to study CEMS I couldn’t have been happier. Budapest is the best option I could have chosen from; the people, the culture, the lifestyle, I love it. Coming from a country like Spain where having fun and getting the most out of every situation is crucial, Hungary just confirmed my expectations. Here my friends have become my family, we party, we study, we travel all together and that’s my goal for the rest of my life, developing a career where I am able to continue enjoying life the same way I do as a 23 year old. My message? Travel as far and as long as possible, meet new people and guys, whatever you do, seriously, make sure it makes you happy!
CEMS CLUB BUDAPEST JOURNAL // 2016
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MEMORIES OF 2016 HIGHLIGHTS OF OUR CEMSATIONAL YEAR OF 2016
Marking the 5th anniversary of the Syrian conflict, we organized a CEMS Best Practice Award winning round-table discussion with UNICEF and had a a thought-provoking discussion about the civil war and its impact on children’s lives.
After kick-starting the semester with the RGL Seminar in Gödöllő, we introduced our exchange students to the mysteries of the Hungarian culture and
The parties at the Winter Camp will always stay a nice memory for all of us.
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CEMS CLUB BUDAPEST JOURNAL // 2016
This year we hosted the CEMS V4 Conference with a record number of 218 applicants as a proof of the amazing Hungarian hospitality.
AT CEMS CLUB BUDAPEST
The annual Charity Run attracted more than 200 participants with whom we collected more than 750.000 HUF for Mosoly Foundation.
This year we dedicated our Christmas Ball to charity and we became Christmas Angels to make the wishes of the children of Kompรกnia Foundation come true.
Corvinus Business School celebrated its 20th anniversay of joining the CEMS Alliance with a special Alumni 20 Conference in September.
In the Summer Camp we enjoyed the sun on the shore of Lake Balaton while competing in games organized by our Corporate Partners
CEMS CLUB BUDAPEST JOURNAL // 2016
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CEMS V4 CONFERENCE FUTURE AND COMMUNITY BUILT ON HISTORICAL HERITAGE: CEMS V4 Conference Budapest, 2016 This year, Corvinus Business School and CEMS Club Budapest got the chance to be the Host University of the V4 Conference. To continue the historical connection between Warsaw, Prague, Budapest (and Bratislava which is not part of the CEMS community yet) the V4 Conference was organized for the seventh time in April 2016 as one of the biggest CEMS gatherings of Central and Eastern Europe. The aim of the V4 Conference is not only to strengthen this linkage, but also to make the CEE region more popular and attractive among CEMS students by providing outstanding workshops, skill seminars and networking opportunities from year to year. In order to achieve these goals, CEMS Club Budapest had put its best effort to invite the most exciting companies and lecturers who could highly contribute to the engaging topic of disruptive innovation in large enterprises. Our efforts had paid off: the record number of 218 applicants proves not only the interest in the region of the students but also the appeal of this year’s program: the three days of professional and social programs with global corporate and academic partners like Google, Henkel, P&G, OTP, PwC, MVM, the Leslaw A. Paga Foundation and the Corvinus University of Budapest truly secured an opportunity for the selected 63 CEMS students from around the world to fully immerse in learning, networking and socializing.
As a kickoff to this year’s topic of disruptive innovation, the conference hosted the Leslaw A. Paga Foundation, expert of regional economy and society. Invited keynote speaker from Poland revealed some insights of the foundation’s report addressing to identify recommendations on common challenges and helping to contribute to build up a successful future for the Visegrad countries. After this introduction, and the opening of Mr Richard Szanto, two panel discussions helped the participants to understand the regional hot topics and current situation in deep: with the participation of Polish and Hungarian entrepreneurs and professionals, such as colleagues of Ernst and Young, MOL and Tresorit, the startup ecosystem and the regional energy sector were analyzed. Students enjoyed these sessions and helped forming the discussion by adding their opinion in an interactive way, using the Slido app.
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CEMS CLUB BUDAPEST JOURNAL // 2016
IN BUDAPEST, 2016 After the purely regional-focused start of the Conference, skill seminars and business case study workshops followed aiming to showcase how innovation is done by large companies. Participants were divided into groups to face challenges from multiple business departments, such as finance, sales, marketing or research and development. All this exhaustive but of course interesting and fun learning was accompanied with social events in the evenings: students got to know a wide variety of Budapest’s lively traditions: bathing by night, culinary experience in local restaurants and attending a world-famous concert and party venue were also major ingredients of the success story.
As building relationships with our corporate partners is of high importance and a key value of the CEMS network, events of this kind were also included in the agenda: all participants could benefit from having a so-called rotation dinner with the representatives of the participating companies and some of students got the chance to have a first round of interview with Google. All in all, after three and a half months of hard work from the part of CEMS Club Budapest, we closed a highly successful event with great feedback from the participants. Although preparation was demanding and required sacrifices from every board member of the CEMS Club Budapest, we had a great time together, and now looking back we can happily and definitely state that we are proud of the organization process and the implementation of the V4 Conference!
CEMS CLUB BUDAPEST JOURNAL // 2016
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“THE ESSENCE IS IN THE GROWTH MINDSET.“ You mentioned the Growth Mindset concept. Could you elaborate on how this company culture supports the development of employees? Carol Dweck, professor of Stanford University, puts a great emphasis on motivation and personal development in her research. In her book called Growth Mindset she defines the rules that Microsoft pursues to follow: the key to success is hard work and continuous learning. In our case Growth Mindset means that Microsoft employees are not asked to persuade that they are the smartest and the most prepared people in the office but to always make the best of themselves INTERVIEW WITH and colleagues together. This philosophy ensures that colleagues at all level of the organization can see their ZSUZSANNA meaningful contribution to the common goals. FRIEDL,
HR DIRECTOR OF MICROSOFT HUNGARY
Microsoft was awarded the Best Employers Award in 2016. What characteristics of the organization contributed to the success? The reason behind is the value that we deliver to our clients and employees via our company culture and belief. There are two pillars of this culture. The first is Microsoft’s goal to consciously involve all social segments to its business, especially women and youth. The second is to use technological advancements to strengthen flexibility between work and private life. In addition, Growth Mindset, which is a belief in constant development, is the very basis of our company culture. Growth Mindset is an attitude that pursues open-minded and extraordinary solutions, and believes in the benefits of continuous development of our skills. We challenge viewpoints thus improving each other’s ideas knowing that together we can reach for more.
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CEMS CLUB BUDAPEST JOURNAL // 2016
Diversity & Inclusion is also an important cultural feature of Microsoft. What do you mean by that and how is it present in the everyday life of Microsoft? Diversity refers to our goal to create a multicolored and receptive organization that conforms to the rapidly changing external environment while understanding and solving client problems in parallel. This is the only way to catch up to the constantly changing challenges. Inclusion on the other hand means our goal to involve as many social segments to our business as possible. In the past years we launched programs to support women participation in the technology industry. As a result of our efforts 31% of Microsoft employees and 50% of our top management are women by now.
MORE THAN JUST THE MACH EXPERIENCE The MACH program is very popular among Hungarian CEMS students. Are there any other opportunities than the MACH Program available for CEMSies? Obviously. Two programs came to my mind. YouthSpark, which was launched in 2012 with the participation of many civil partners, supports start out of young professionals through three main pillars. The pillars are: (1) development of essential skills and attainments which are required for successful employment, (2) learning about IT skills and career opportunities within the IT sector and (3) strengthening the entrepreneurial spirit. YouthSpark offers a wide range of opportunities for students: BizSpark offers free of charge software, cloud technology and professional advisory for startups meanwhile Imagine Cup, a competition organized by Microsoft, supports ideas and initiatives in favor of tackling upcoming challenges of the world. In the past 10 years more than 1,65 million people participated in the competition from more than 190 countries and Hungarian teams scored among top teams in the finals. Furthermore, our 1-year voluntary Student Partner Program develops not only professional skills but networks as well that could support one’s career on the long run.
Probably the biggest challenge for each company is to find the right people who fit to the organizational culture. What kind of values and skills are you looking for in new applicants? The right applicant is passionate about technology, can easily comply with changing business environment and see through complex processes. Self-sufficiency, willingness to cooperate and ability to work independently are basic requirements: in Microsoft one can only be successful by working together and helping each other to achieve goals. „Customer obsession” is also an emphasized standpoint: viewpoints of the client and growth of the client’s business are the most important. Result orientation and „trusted advisor” principle have also primary importance: the last one means that a Microsoft employee is required to have an outstanding professional knowledge in order to be unquestionable for clients and colleagues.
Are you a potential applicant? Last but not least, here are some personal factors that make someone a great candidate for the Microsoft Do you have them? Test yourself! INTERNATIONAL ORIENTATION Willingness to work and develop in an international context. OPENNESS Openness towards ideas and people. TECHNOLOGY Thirst for knowledge about the industry. PERSONALITY Self-dependent and proactive personality. MINDSET Challenging ideas, ability to bring out of the box ideas, critical thinking. PASSION Drive to learn. RESPONSIBILITY Ability to take responsibility from the very beginning.
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FROM CURIOSITY TO DISCOVERY AT VODAFONE INTERVIEW WITH ZSÓFIA SZABÓ, VODAFONE DISCOVER GRADUATE Within the frames of its Curiosity Internship Program Vodafone offers exciting and challenging internships with flexible working hours to students who would like to gain valuable work experience parallel to their studies. Curiosity interns get in the Discover Program with a higher success rate, since they get familiar with the company itself and its culture. This is how they can easily start the journey of becoming a leader at Vodafone Hungary. Zsófia Szabó is currently a Vodafone Discover Graduate, but she started working at the company as a Curiosity intern. We asked her about her career and milestones at Vodafone Hungary. What did you know about Vodafone Hungary’s Curiosity Internship Program? Before my last semester at university, I started to look for those kinds of internship programs that also offered a career building opportunity. Thus, I was well aware of Curiosity. It offered a project-based working style and a chance to get a recommendation for the Discover Program, which is a 2-year leadership program with multiple rotations within the organization. I also knew that the selection process was tough but I was up for the challenge!
What tasks did you do as an intern? I became an Employer Branding intern with a main focus on channeling potential candidates to the Curiosity and Discover Program and I reported directly to the Head of Resourcing and Employer Branding. Mainly I was advising on how to approach talented young people of my age group and popularizing the programs with different tools such as the career website, job fairs, and other kinds of university activations. I also had a chance to participate in the selection process. First, I was pre-selecting candidates for Discover, and after I got admitted to the program itself, I facilitated the Assessment Centers as well. Did the internship help you to get in to the Discover Program? Thanks to the internship, I already knew the organization and I also met Discover Grads, so I was probably more prepared on what to expect from the program and what behavior Vodafone expects from the applicants. At the Assessment Center, which is the final step of the selection process, I met familiar faces, which should have been comforting, but I also knew how high their expectations were, and that put a bit of a pressure on me.
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INTERVIEW WITH ZSÓFIA SZABÓ What rotations have you done so far as a Discover Graduate and how many do you have left? I started as a Shop Assistant at our Köki store, where I spent 1 month familiarizing myself with retail processes and our customers. During my second rotation I worked on a large crossfunctional IT project as Project Coordinator for 1 year. I was preparing decision making materials and I also drew up the initial project communication plan. Besides, I had to do administration, which is crucial in such projects. All in all, this was the most challenging rotation for me as dealing with IT and analytics was a bit out of my comfort zone, but for the same reason I learnt a lot from this position and from the people working on this project. For my last two rotations I chose the Brand team. I really sought to have a position here since I started the program so I have pretty much enjoyed being here from the beginning. First, I joined to the Family proposition team for 6 months and in September I rotated to the YOU proposition team for another 6 months. At Brand I have been responsible for different kinds of BelowThe-Line activations; and I gained experience in Endto-End projects and third party management.
How will the Program end for you? I am aspiring for a position within the Brand team that I will hopefully get. Do you have any advice for those who are thinking about joining Vodafone Hungary? Vodafone has a very dynamic, youthful working environment that inspires you, however sometimes you feel there is chaos everywhere. So before applying you have to be able to decide if this fits your personality. You need to have a right attitude to know how you can maximize your capacities in a working place like this. Flexibility, creativity, open-mindedness, innovative approach will be needed to be able to do well here. It is not enough to say that you own these capabilities, but you also have to demonstrate them throughout the job interviews and your work later. As we are a multinational company, we have quite a few foreign colleagues, so fluent English knowledge is also essential.
If the experiences of Zsófia Szabó have caught your attention, learn more about the career opportunities at Vodafone here: http://www.vodafone.hu/vodafonerol/karrier
CEMS CLUB BUDAPEST JOURNAL // 2016
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DELOITTE ADVISORY
Deloitte is the brand under which tens of thousands of dedicated professionals in independent firms throughout the world collaborate to provide audit, consulting, financial advisory, risk advisory, tax and related services to select clients. The Deloitte Advisory department of the Hungarian office incorporates two main activities in specialized sub-departments: Management Consulting and Financial Advisory. Deloitte’s Financial Advisory business provides strategic solutions in five areas: Corporate Finance, Forensic, Merger & Acquisition (M&A) Transaction, Restructuring, and Valuation services, while the Management Consulting department provides with the world’s leading business and technology consultancy with Human Capital, Strategy & Operations, or Technology practice.
Besides being a trusted major consultancy company Deloitte puts a great emphasis on people management of which you can be convinced by reading the interviews of CEMS Alumni working at Deloitte!
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INTERVIEW WITH CEMS ALUMNI AT DELOITTE MÁTÉ SZILÁGYI, MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT DÁNIEL DRÁCZ, SENIOR MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT What factors were utterly engaging for you in Deloitte which lead you to join the company? Tamás: As my professional interest has always been focused on strategy, innovation and project management I have always considered Deloitte an excellent company. However, I was not sure which service line suited me best. I took part in Deloitte’s Tax and Accounting case study competition in 2014 and it turned out that audit is not for me, but I was in the loop and was always looking for Deloitte on career fairs. Finally, the CEMS Business Project helped a lot to get to know the company better. Dániel: My key desire has always been to see and try as much as possible, hence I preferred a workplace where I could explore various industries, different project types with different clients. Before specializing in a specific topic, I wanted to have an overview of business problems and solutions, and acquire a versatile skillset that I can leverage on later. Deloitte Advisory is truly the place to be for such endeavors: within a couple of months from my first day I was assisting a UK-based private equity company in acquiring some assets in the real estate industry, was doing a business model for a Hungarian renewable energy company and got involved in the M&A process of a big Hungarian retail bank. And this was only the beginning.
INTERVIEW WITH CEMS ALUMNI Deloitte also offers opportunities to those who would like to accomplish their CEMS Internships. What would you highlight from yours at Deloitte? Tamás: I did my CEMS Internship at Deloitte’s Munich office in the Fall of 2016. I was exposed to exceptional people during my time there while I helped our Technology, Media & Telecommunications (TMT) clients with M&A target screening, organizational redesign, and also I advised them on how to accomplish digital transformation. It was also perfect timing for extracurricular activities such as the Octoberfest. Dániel: For my CEMS Internship I spent 3 months at Deloitte’s Milan office which was a great experience: I got involved in the work of a multinational M&A team and had a great overview on the Italian banking landscape. Apart from work, I could benefit from the great cultural offering of Milan and the surrounding regions, I took trips to Bologna, Parma, Geneva and Lyon. Once when my colleagues came to visit me, we travelled together to the picturesque Lago di Como and Lago Maggiore, and had a fun weekend. What are the main lessons or takeaways you have already learnt at Deloitte? Tamás: At Deloitte, you almost always work in a group. But these groups are different from random university project groups, as here everyone wants the same making an impact that matters. My communication skills have been improved because of client-facing projects. Giving and asking for feedback is essential, but this does not mean you are not independent. It means you want to learn from your colleagues and you are ready to grow in your professional life.
Dániel: There are many lessons that I have learnt at Deloitte but if I have to pick one, it is definitely the importance of proactivity. At Deloitte I learnt how crucial it is to strive and fight for your own initiatives to make something great out of them. Proactivity is also in line with our corporate philosophy: our partnerin-charge, András Fülöp wants to transform Deloitte Advisory into a professional entrepreneurship. A place that incubates and accelerates innovative projects, a company that supports you in making your ideas come alive but you also have to take responsibility for them. In such ways we managed to set up new service lines, do projects in previously unexplored areas such as digital, and carry out charity initiatives such as the Deloitte team’s participation at the ULTRABALATON and in the charity event series around it. Finally, what do you want to achieve on the long run at Deloitte or in general? Tamás: Right now I am preparing for the next level at Deloitte: taking more responsibility, leading small teams and maybe working some extra hours. In the long run, I would like to learn more about our focus industries, further develop my skills and deliver quality and eminence to our clients. Dániel: My long-term goal has never changed: leaving behind a better world!
CEMS CLUB BUDAPEST JOURNAL // 2016
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UNLIMITED CAREER OPPORTUNITIES AT P&G INTERVIEW WITH CEMS ALUMNI AT P&G DÓRA HOLCZINGER, ASSOCIATE BRAND MANAGER BENCE KOMOR, SENIOR FINANCIAL ANALYST ZSÓFIA ZEPKÓ, SALES MANAGER TRAINEE
Your career development at P&G can be lateral at a level, progressive across levels within the function or even across functions or horizontal. There are numerous types of assignments at each level and each career path in our company. We Hire the Best. Nearly a half-million people apply for P&G jobs every year. We hire less than 1%. We attract top talent because of P&G’s reputation as a great company for leaders, and we identify the best applicants by using a proven recruiting process that measures intelligence, assesses character and leadership, and predicts success at P&G.
Did the internship help you to get in to the Discover Program?
We Plan Careers.
Dóra: I first met P&G at a student contest called “IT Business Challenge” in Warsaw during my BSc. That was when the world first opened up to me: I spent a week in Poland, working in diverse teams from Europe, Middle East and Africa, and I enjoyed every moment. Then I did a summer internship at P&G in Warsaw, working on projects with global scope, and after my CEMS term abroad, I moved back to work part-time on Brand Management, parallel to school. I tried working at several companies, but I decided to stay at P&G because of to the diverse culture, the smart and nice people I enjoyed working with, and the trust the company put in me: the huge responsibility I got from the very first moment.
We create opportunities for careers at P&G, not just jobs. One way we do this by managing P&G talent globally – starting at mid-levels of management and higher – to enable career development and growth across businesses and locations.
Bence: I joined for a summer internship during my masters to gain some business experience next to my studies. I stayed because I liked the engaging projects, the international environment and the learning opportunities.
We Challenge P&G People from Day One. We believe there’s no substitute for hands-on experience when it comes to leadership development. That’s why we create early, meaningful responsibilities for every employee. Typical assignments demand collaboration, disciplined project management and the need to be in touch with consumers, retail customers and other external stakeholders.
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Read about the experiences of CEMS Alumni who are currently working at P&G, and take a look into their everyday work life at the company!
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INTERVIEW WITH CEMS ALUMNI Zsófia: I had always longed to work for P&G for numerous reasons. To mention a few of them: P&G is not only a top “Sales School” but also the number one Manager School. I was also attracted – not surprisingly after CEMS – by the international environment and the fast track career path with amazing opportunities for people who really have a passion for business. When did you join? What kind of projects have you had since then? Dóra: I joined as a full time employee in January 2016 as Associate Brand Manager of Ariel in Central Europe. I am responsible for whatever happens to the brand on our 9 markets, from the moment of planning the full year strategy till executing and analyzing it. It involves everything about product strategies, advertising, commercial/ trade strategies, competitive analyses, and many ad-hoc tasks. Bence: I joined P&G in June 2012. My most interesting project was to start up a new greenfield Pampers plant in Hungary. It was a very unique opportunity to work on this project from the construction to finding the best suppliers, hiring and training new employees, and connecting the plant to our supply chain.
What do you like the most in your job? Dóra: What I like the most about it is that I cannot fully plan my day ahead – some surprises come up every day, which challenge my problem solving skills. I like that I can realize my ideas, and see the impact of my decisions in the market. I also like that though I am located in Budapest, my team is of diverse cultures, so the work language is English. Finally, the job involves lots of trainings on hot marketing topics and leadership skills, as well as many travels across Europe. Can never get bored! Bence: I am working in Finance but I am very close to the business. I am always working in multifunctional teams with marketing, sales, engineering, logistics and also external companies, authorities from 9 different countries. Every project is a new challenging business case that we need to solve, and every day I learn something new about the different functions and cultures. Zsófia: What I love about my job is the trust and responsibility I received from this Company from the very first moment!
Zsófia: I joined P&G this year in June as a participant of the Sales Manager Development Program. Since I started the Program I have been working on the field, doing negotiations with department and store managers of our biggest customers on a daily basis. This has proved to be an extraordinary opportunity to study about negotiation techniques, about our products and our customers at the same time. The icing on the cake is being supported continuously by trainings in all the above mentioned topics! By the time this journal goes viral I will be joining one of our customer team as a Junior Key Account Manager and I am really looking forward to the new challenges coming with this role.
CEMS CLUB BUDAPEST JOURNAL // 2016
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CHOOSE BCG FOR
Internship Opportunities at the Boston Consulting Group Budapest Office BCG’s internship programs give students of various disciplines and backgrounds the opportunity to get a true feel of what it’s like to work at BCG, and to experience the life of a consultant. Working as an intern at BCG is more than an opportunity to bolster your résumé. It also offers the potential to launch a career at BCG, as a vast majority of our interns receive offers for full-time positions. Orientation and training sessions aimed at providing additional insight into the consulting profession are offered throughout each and every type of internship, giving you a complete view of what it would be like to work as a BCG consultant after you graduate.
What are the internship opportunities at the BCG Budapest office? 1. Visiting Associate: The VAship As a BCG intern, you will be faced with a real client challenge, having the chance to apply what you have learned at school and through your personal experiences. You will work with and be mentored by BCG consultants on 1 or 2 client projects where you will take responsibility for specific components of the work. As a case team member, you will gain a 360-degree perspective on life as a BCG consultant—from working on client projects to socializing with colleagues.
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„As a Visiting Associate I was soon part of a team working on a client case with full responsibility for my own work and frequent client interactions. I was impressed by the growth opportunities and the support I got from my colleagues throughout my internship.” /Balázs Bálint, Consultant/ The duration of the VAship can range from 8 to 12 weeks, and you can apply and start at any time throughout the year. We accept online applications (careers.bcg.com) from exceptional students who are currently enrolled at least in the 2nd year of their undergraduate studies. Please attach academic transcripts up to your recent level of study, CV and cover letter to your application. „I had spent 4 years beforehand studying high-level, advanced economics and computer science, with the goal of being able to definitively prove a theorem or exactly optimize a mathematical problem. In the “real” world, time can be more valuable than the perfect answer and human interactions are never perfectly systematic. The resulting challenge took me some adaptation, but, once I got used to it, it proved to be incredibly exhilarating and rewarding!” /Rajko Radovanovic, Associate/
2. International Visiting Associate The difference between the VAship and International VAship is the location of your work. As an international VA you will be working in countries other than Hungary. Our former International VAs worked in Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Poland and the Czech Republic. CEMS members are more than welcome to apply for this position as their mandatory international internship. The international project opportunities go beyond the above mentioned countries.
YOUR CEMS INTERNSHIP „Spring 2015 gave me the opportunity at BCG to experience my first-ever consulting case as an International Visiting Associate: consumer goods due diligence case in Croatia. The hard work of that period paid off and it was only the first step of the rich experience that has been waiting for me as an Associate. From that moment onwards, my life is a journey of opportunities enriched by diverse functional and industry experiences from all around the world Berlin, Dubai, Casablanca, Riyadh, Bucharest.” /Dóra Mocsinka, Associate/
We offer this opportunity to those who are close to finishing their master`s degree and would like to have a bit longer ramp-up period before becoming a consultant. This type of internship lasts within 6 to 12 months and it is based in Budapest.
If you are interested, apply by sending your cover letter, CV and transcripts to BCGBudRecruiting@bcg.com!
3. Industry internship As an industry intern you will be joining of one of our core industry practice areas such as energy or financial services. You will be offering support for the team working on the ongoing projects and business development processes. The main duties would be maintaining and creating knowledge products, creating different types of analyses, researching requested data and acting as a point of contact with BCG experts from the industry. When needed you will also have the possibility to get involved in a project work.
“It was surprising to see how fast I got involved and became trusted to carry out individual assignments. To be honest I had never been really planning to become a consultant before, but my experience during the industry internship proved me that this is the career I want to pursue.” /Bence Horváth, Associate/
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EXPLORE THE OFFERINGS OF HILTI
INTERVIEW WITH MÁTÉ SZÉLES, PRODUCT MANAGER, CEMS ALUMNUS How did you end up at Hilti? What kind of opportunities are offered to CEMSies within Hilti? I applied to Hilti through the Outperformer Program which is a 2-year Global Management Development Program which could be very engaging to all CEMSies as well. In the framework of the Outperformer Program in the first year you will be based in Hungary in the fields of sales in order to learn the essence of business. After understanding the core business which is direct sales you will be enrolled in 3 different projects in 3 different countries. Though I didn’t get in to the Outperformer Program, Hilti offered a different position which I instantly accepted. Looking back, I am convinced that I made a great decision by doing so. What skills can you develop while working at Hilti? What is your personal story at the company?
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Besides I also had a chance to participate in I-TAP (International Talent Assessment Program) which is a 5-month development program focusing on real life business case and workshops. The program has 3 stages, one in Lichtenstein one Prague and the final presentation in Moscow in front of top management. Where did you do your CEMS internship? Would it be possible to join Hilti for the international internship? After finishing my studies, I went to Tokyo to a headhunter company for my internship and I applied to Hilti afterwards. Consequently, I was doing my internship independently but the second year of the Outperformer Program sends you abroad right away. Participants have the possibility to name a couple of regions where they prefer to go, of course, strategic hubs are in the focus. For example, Nelli Gyöngyösi, a CEMS Alumni is going to Panama for 3 months after Prague where she will spend 6 months first. What are your long term plans at the company? What goals are you working for? Advancement depends on you, if your good luck finds you. The culture is truly development focused. We do our best to develop our people via feedbacks. We challenge our colleagues to get them out of their comfort zone day after day.
What makes Hilti such a unique place to work is our high-performing culture. It’s based on a combination of personal performance, teamwork and support. I would definitely highlight people orientation which makes us unique. Hilti was rewarded in Hungary as Best Employers Award in 2014 and 2015 and we are in the top companies to work for globally. Hilti is like CEMS, you will find similar people. No matter which country you visit, you can get along easily.
Personally I started as a Territory Salesman, currently working as a Product Manager and by next year I will become an Area Sales Manager. Having spent only 2 years at the company I am going to lead a team of 8 which is a pretty unique opportunity with great responsibility.
Starting in the fields of sales I gained entrepreneur mindset, developed communication skills by negotiating all layers in company and strong customer focus. Hilti’s B2B direct sales business model ensures you a fast track advancement possibility where you can develop not just your professional but also your personal side.
I put great emphasis on development possibilities to challenge myself in real life business situations and also to work for an admired company that respects work life balance. Hilti complies with all my requirements!
CEMS CLUB BUDAPEST JOURNAL // 2016
What factors were important for you when choosing a company to work for?
OUR CORPORATE PARTNERS
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CEMS OFFICE & THE MANAGEMENT ZITA DR. ZOLTAYNÉ DR. PAPRIKA, DEAN OF CORVINUS BUSINESS SCHOOL It is a great pleasure for me to see the steady improvement of the CEMS program at Corvinus. After becoming the 2nd best CEMS School in Fall 2015, this year Corvinus was ranked as the number 1 CEMS School in skill seminars. Above these, 2016 was the year which brought Corvinus into the international limelight within the CEMS Alliance, since we hosted the V4 Conference, the CEMS Club Presidents’ meeting, the CEMS Student Board meeting, and the CEMS Marketing Faculty group meeting as well.
RICHÁRD SZÁNTÓ, VICE DEAN, CEMS ACADEMIC DIRECTOR I am delighted that we celebrated the 20th anniversary of joining the CEMS Alliance in 2016. For this occasion, we organized the CEMS 20 Alumni event in September where Prof. Jean-Paul Larcon Professor Emeritus from HEC Paris greeted the CEMS Alumni and Eugenia Bieto Director General at ESADE, and EQUIS advisor was our special guest. Nonetheless, I am glad to announce that in 2017 we will host the CEMS Career Forum again.
ANITA SZÖLLŐSI, CEMS PROGRAM MANAGER 2016 saw a boost in numbers in the CEMS program. Thanks to the continuously rising number of applicants we could enroll a record number of 50 CEMS students in 2016. Also, more and more CEMS exchange students are choosing Corvinus as their semester abroad destination. There was also a growth in the number of students successfully completing the CEMS program. This year 48 students received their CEMS degree in Stockholm which is one of the highest numbers in the 20-year history of the Corvinus CEMS program.
LÉDA SZŐNYI, CEMS CORPORATE RELATIONS MANAGER CEMS at Corvinus has excellent ties with the Hungarian business community: we are proud of our three Corporate Partners - MET, MVM and OTP. We had the CEMS Peer Review visit this October, and I had the honor to sit together with our Corporate Partners and CEMS Alumni in the sessions with the reviewing team. They were impressed by the high awareness of the CEMS program in Hungary, and deeply acknowledged the dedication of our stakeholders.
KINGA RESSELY, ASSISTANT AT CEMS OFFICE 2016 was the perfect year to be an assistant at the CEMS Office. Many events do not happen every year but this year was full of them and I had the chance to work on a wide variety of creative tasks in cooperation with the CEMS Club. We made excellent promotional materials such as the CEMS 20 Alumni Booklet, postcards, and the application poster. It was great to experience the cooperation between the Office and the CEMS Club for the best outcomes.
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CEMS BOARD OF 2016 CSABA BAKOS, PRESIDENT The V4 Conference, CCC, SB meeting, peer review and our 20th anniversary were enough extras for 2016, yet with this team and community we gave life to initiatives such as the Pro Bono Consulting, Academic Support or Humans of CEMS, broke records at the Charity Run, Alumni Mixer and Christmas Ball, and reformed our election system. I learnt to listen more to people, seize synergies between ideas, and help busy teams to over-perform!
ERIKA TÓTH, TREASURER For me 2016 was all about CEMS, and it surely was a CEMSational experience as I had the chance to work with the most awesome people on Earth within the CEMS Board! I’m convinced that the Board members haven’t only done a great work, but supported me when I needed it and gave me constructive feedbacks that helped me to become who I am today. This was a year that I would never forget!
RENÁTA FEHÉR, CORPORATE REPRESENTATIVE I could mention plenty of challenging, funny or memorable stories of the past year. But if I need to choose one special memory, I would highlight the preparation process of the V4 Conference, especially the fundraising part of it. It was really challenging to find enough appealing sponsors for this meaningful Conference, and I can honestly state that during the whole negotiation process I had the chance to further develop myself and overcome my personal limits.
DÁVID CSIK, CORPORATE REPRESENTATIVE I really liked the whole year of 2016. We have launched new initiatives and developed internal processes in parallel. Sweetest memory of mine is the Charity Run to which I highly contributed, since it was very challenging to be a helpful hand in organizing such a huge event. On top of that I developed my skills a lot in communication and sales. I am grateful to have been part of the CEMS Board, which is probably the best team I have ever worked with.
FLÓRA BAGYINKA, FUNDRAISER & SOCIAL REPRESENTATIVE My funniest memory of 2016 is linked to fundraising. As we were the first CEMS Board to apply for government grants in January, we didn’t know back then how complex the system was. Pretty soon I ended up making some urgent phone calls to our accountant in the middle of the night from a party to get all the necessary documentation before the deadline. Luckily, all my efforts paid off, and I learnt a lot about bureaucracy and how to ask favors from respectable people when you are desperately in need!
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CEMS BOARD OF 2016 KÁROLY TROMIBTÁS, SOCIAL REPRESENTATIVE The Spring of 2016 was one of the greatest and most intense time of my life. The Winter Camp, where we could get to know each other with the new CEMS class, and the V4 Gala with 130 CEMSies from all around the world were experiences that as an organizer I will never forget. It was also fun and meaningful working with fellow Board members, and participating in many great programs with them and with all my other friends from this CEMSational group.
JUDIT APÁTI, SOCIAL REPRESENTATIVE My CEMS studies wouldn’t have been complete without giving a bit back to this amazing international community during the past year. I was happy to be a member of the CEMS Club Budapest and CEMS Club Milan Boards. As a Social Representative together with our Social Team I was responsible for making the students’ life more colourful by organizing programs such as the Summer Camp or the Wakeboarding Event jointly with CEMS Club Vienna. I am grateful for each and every moment of this year and proud to be a CEMSie.
ESZTER MARTYIN, SUSTAINABILITY REPRESENTATIVE I’m so happy that I could be part of this wonderful team, CEMS Board 2016. A great many of amazing moments which we spent together, our late night board meetings, inspiring discussions, thought-provoking debates, and crazy parties are definitely among those memories which I’ll never forget. I’m really proud of organizing the Charity Run, and grateful for all the support and encouragement that I received from the team.
BETTINA BALLA, SUSTAINABILITY REPRESENTATIVE This year was full of adventures for me - not only because of my CEMS exchange, but working together with the CEMS Board and making things happen. I am very proud of our Pro Bono Consulting project launched this year, and I’m sure that my idea wouldn’t have come true without the support of the Board. I am really happy that we could lift CSR to a new level and make a difference while also keeping other crucial parts of our activity!
ANNA SÜDI, ALUMNI REPRESENTATIVE Without any doubt the miraculous community is one of the most valuable pieces of the so called CEMS life puzzle. You can meet so many awesome people, share unforgettable moments with them and build priceless relationships. As the Alumni Representative it was an amazing experience to be in the middle of this colorful world building bridges between students and Alumni and making generations of CEMSies to get together.
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CEMS BOARD OF 2016 EMESE HAMZA, PR & COMMUNICATION REPRESENTATIVE My most memorable moments of 2016 were the pre-V4 Conference Board meetings: all the excitement, the brainstorming, the jokes and the teasing, the panic (the relief after each moment of panic), the hard work and at the end of it all - a shared and hard-fought success that we could all be proud of. Gentlemen, it has been a privilege playing with you tonight!
VIRÁG BARABÁS, PR & COMMUNICATION REPRESENTATIVE When taking over in the Fall 2016 as the PR & Communication Representative, I felt that probably all the main events were already over for the year and the Board already formed a good team hence would be hard to integrate. But what happened in reality was that I got to work with the Board members not just smoothly but had many exciting projects such as the Charity Run and promoting CEMS among the potential students. Looking back, I managed to develop my skills a lot which wouldn’t have been possible without the Board!
SZIDÓNIA ZENTAI, STUDENT BOARD REPRESENTATIVE My most memorable moments of 2016 were in April when our university was the capital of the CEMS community by hosting the Student Board Meeting, the CEMS Club Conference and the V4 Conference. Hungarian hospitality was proven to be world-class again by welcoming almost 100 international students from 30 nationalities and 5 continents. Above all, I am most grateful for the chance that I could get to know lots of inspiring CEMSies, and that I can be the part of such a wonderful community.
FLÓRA CSELÉNYI, V4 HEAD ORGANIZER With the start of 2016 the deadline of the V4 Conference was already approaching very fast, and as my official membership of the previous CEMS Board expired I felt a bit sorry for leaving the project. However, as I assumed that the new Board would have a lot on their table and might need some support I offered my help organizing the V4 Conference which they gladly accepted. Almost a year later I’m sure that working with this group of enthusiastic and smart bunch of people was one of the best experiences of the year!
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CRACKING THE MYSTERY THE CEMS STUDENT BOARD “BUILDING BRIDGES IN THE CEMS COMMUNITY” THE EXPERIENCES OF SZIDÓNIA ZENTAI, STUDENT BOARD REPRESENTATIVE OF CEMS CLUB BUDAPEST First I came across the activities of the Student Board during my exchange semester in Tokyo where I ended up as the “Ambassador” in the local CEMS Club, and then I was appointed as the Student Board Representative in Hungary. Since then I have met many Student Board Representatives from all over the globe who are working hard on making the CEMS MIM program better for all CEMSies, and making sure that no one is excluded from the real CEMS experience. Although in our “developed” CEMS community in Budapest the initiatives of the Student Board are not as visible as in some other developing CEMS Clubs - where without the help of the Student Board there would no formal student association at all -, there are still many projects that CEMSies studying at Corvinus Business School can also benefit from. Basically, the Student Board acts as the official voices of CEMS students, and is organized in a team-based structure similarly to the Boards of local CEMS Clubs in general. The Student Board consists of the Executive Team, Alumni Relations, Corporate Relations, Marketing & Communication, Global Sustainability, MIM Affairs, and CEMS Club Support teams which are all striving to make the CEMS MIM program better internationally in their field of interest. Although most names of the teams should be familiar from our local CEMS Board in Budapest and speak for themselves, the last two teams can be novelty and need some explanation. The MIM Affairs team provides student perspective on aspiring CEMS schools, for peer reviews and on academic matters, and the CEMS Club Support team facilitates best practice sharing internationally with a strong cooperation with the CEMS Clubs. Altogether - as the Student Board - we are building bridges across all the stakeholders member schools and different cultures by implementing various international projects in line with the CEMS values within the community.
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What are the main projects that we are currently working on? CEMS STARTUP CHALLENGE A brand new initiative, which took place for the first time during the Vienna Career Forum. The competition consisted of two intense days of workshops, mentorled business development, and pitching in front of a panel consisting of Venture Capital firms, Investors, and Corporate Partners. CEMS CLUB AWARDS & BEST PRACTICES By collecting feedback of the local cohorts about their CEMS Club and evaluating submitted Best Practices the Student Board determines the TOP 3 CEMS Clubs of the semester which then will receive an award for their outstanding works. GLOBAL AMBASSADOR PROGRAM The GAP supports “newer” CEMS Clubs by appointing experienced ambassadors who help to further improve the local CEMS Clubs at their exchange university. CEMS CLUB CONFERENCE The biannual, 2-day CCC gathers all CEMS Club Presidents to exchange ideas and knowledge in order to promote sharing best practices among them. This year Corvinus Business School hosted the event! SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP EVENT This is an exciting new project coming up next semester! The concept might be a 3-day bus tour during which CEMSies can develop their social startup idea. Stay tuned for further details! ALUMNI OF THE YEAR CAMPAIGN The campaign aims at improving Alumni visibility across the CEMS Alliance. Every month an Alumnus or Alumna is elected and becomes a candidate for the yearly campaign.
THE ROLE OF THE STUDENT BOARD REPRESENTATIVE What is it like to be a Student Board Representative? As the part of the CEMS Club Support team I had the opportunity to take an active part in developing the local communities and also to fulfill my personal goal to meet as many inspiring people as possible through the Student Board. During the team calls, CEMS Club updates, Ambassador interviews, Student Board meetings and the annual CEMS Club Conference you can always feel the joy and the passion of the CEMSies for being the part of such a phenomenal community. With the management of the Global Ambassador Program a part of my heart stayed in Tokyo, while I can also peak into the CEMS life in Beijing, Singapore and Hong Kong. I am especially grateful that we could share a bit of the “SB experience� with you in April when our university kindly hosted 20 CEMS Club presidents and 30 Student Board Representatives. I encourage you to actively use the Student Board initiatives for your own benefit, and if you have any questions, always feel free to reach out for me!
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THE ALUMNI NETWORK Being a part of the amazing community is one of the most important benefits of participating in the CEMS program, especially if you have the opportunity to meet CEMSies from different generations and expand your personal network continuously. Therefore, one of the current goals of CEMS Club Budapest is to strengthen the links between CEMS students and Alumni. Although a wide variety of initiatives such as the Student Alumni Mentoring Program (SAMP) and the AlumNights Mentoring Evenings, as well as formal and informal networking nights throughout the semester gave CEMSies the opportunity to get closer to the Alumni and build valuable relationships, we had the feeling that there was place for further improvement. In agreement with the Presidents of the previous CEMS Boards we decided to take relevant steps in order to improve the cooperation of the representatives of the two parties. In the frame of a reform we brainstormed about and laid down the basics of a new system that hopefully will be able to support more effectively the Student-Alumni and Alumni-Alumni relations. 1. STRUCTURE OF THE ALUMNI ORGANIZATION The cooperation of the Alumni Board and the official CEMS Association will be strengthened in order to support the effective work of those Alumni members who are willing to be involved in the organizational processes. Up to now, the Alumni Board (the team responsible for organizing social alumni events and supporting the work of the CEMS Club) and the official CEMS Association (responsible for financial issues of the CEMS Club) used to work separately, – however some people were involved in both organizations. We hope that connecting the two institutions can result in a more effective and stable Alumni Board. 2. REFORMATION OF THE ALUMNI BOARD The Alumni Board will be renewed on a yearly basic. In every year members of the CEMS Alumni will be given the opportunity to apply to the Alumni Board for a 1-year period, if they feel they have the time and motivation to act to the benefit of the CEMS Club. 3. THE ROLE OF THE ALUMNI REPRESENTATIVE The cooperation of the CEMS Club Board and the Alumni Board will be strengthened as well, since the Alumni Representative of the CEMS Club Board will have the right and obligation to check and support the work of the Alumni Board. 4. YEARLY ALUMNI EVENTS One of the most important aim of the Alumni Board will be to organize at least four greater social events for the Alumni community in every year in order to make the Alumni-Alumni and Student-Alumni relations closer. The yearly event series will consist of the Christmas Ball, the Alumni Mixer, the Alumni Conference and an Alumni Social Drink exclusively for Alumni. 5. CURRENT ALUMNI BOARD President: Gábor Marton Members: Gábor Trefán, Éva Varga, Tamás Sváb, Anna Mátyus, Máté Széles
Would you like to be an active member of the Alumni, be involved in the organization of CEMSational events and act as a member of the Alumni Board? If you are interested, do not hesitate to contact us via email at budapestcemsclub@gmail.com!
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