“The programme gave me a personal roadmap for the future”

When Malin de Maré became a member of the divisional management team, she felt it was time to add business management skills to her engineering degree.

The solution was the Gothenburg Executive MBA programme – a journey that gave her much more than skills, including a deep dive into her own fears and a personal roadmap for the future. When Malin de Maré joined the Executive MBA programme, she had just been promoted to Supply Chain Director and she became a member of the divisional management team.

“Above all, I wanted to improve my knowledge of finance and economics. Since the supply chain is so central to the value chain, I also wanted to get a better grasp of the various functions in the company and to understand the interacting forces. These were the main reasons for applying for the Executive MBA programme”.

In retrospect, Malin can see that she learned a lot more, not least thanks to the interaction with fellow participants on the programme.

“There were people in leadership roles from different countries. I learned a lot about myself and my leadership skills by working with them. In addition to the lessons I learned, I also acquired a valuable network and amazing friends”.

The Executive MBA programme has a distinct focus on Asia and includes two separate ten-day trips to China and India. Besides meeting politicians and business leaders, existential questions were brought up during the Creative Leadership module taught on site in Bangalore, India.

“One exercise focused on finding your inner guiding light. Another was about identifying our biggest fears. One of my fears was ‘publicity’. And it seems to have paid off in the end, as now I find myself sitting here,” Malin laughs. Some of the skills acquired during the programme she could apply immediately. But there was also an element of long-term learning.

“I have acquired knowledge of maps and structures that I can use to make sense of new impressions. When I look at different problems or situations today, I can solve them and draw conclusions much more quickly than before. That is something the Executive MBA programme gives you.”