“An opportunity you cannot miss”

Monika Franke, HR Director R&D at Volvo Car Group, Executive MBA graduate class 2013

An Executive MBA brings passion to your job. This is something that Monika Franke, HR Manager of Volvo Cars Sweden, has experienced.

– My CEO offered me the opportunity to enrol for an Executive MBA and asked me to think about it over the weekend, but I knew the answer before he even finished the sentence. This is an opportunity you cannot miss, says Monika Franke, who has held a number of positions in various HR functions at Volvo Car Corporation since 2001.

The CEO of Volvo Cars Sweden drives the strategic business and organisational development of the company and believes that HR plays a key role in these areas. He viewed Monika’s participation in the Executive MBA programme as an investment both for the company and for her personally.

– As an HR Manager you are deeply involved in the company’s strategic work, and the module on Strategic Management gave me many new insights on how to balance the strategies defined by the management team with good ideas emerging from within the organisation. What you do not see you cannot develop, so the ability to capture viable ideas and then adjust the strategies is a key to success, says Monika Franke.

Otherwise, Monika regards personal development as one of the most important aspects of the programme.

– You develop enormously during this kind of training. I think you become more complete in your leadership role by understanding the many different areas of a company, which enables you to more clearly see the organisational needs and opportunities. I can say with certainty that my overall business understanding has evolved, not least thanks to the week in China, which included company visits and lectures about the Asian market. The trip provided a strong international perspective. Now, our CEO will have to pay attention since I will come up with many new ideas for the organisation!

Monika explains that she has acquired a more holistic view of business, a broader international perspective and a deeper understanding of other industries represented in the Executive MBA class.

– I could never believe that waste management or the implant industry would be so interesting!