The 29 participants of RSM’s OneMBA Class of 2017 kicked off their 21-month executive programme less than a week earlier. The global residency, which took place in Washington DC, was the first part of the curriculum. In total, 106 participants from the OneMBA partner schools in Brazil, China, Mexico, the USA and the Netherlands attended the programme’s opening week.
American business environment
“The residency was an eye opener, which really put most of the participants out of their comfort zone,” said Mohammad Ali Khawaja, an RSM OneMBA participant from Pakistan. Khawaja, an information management business partner for global HR at AkzoNobel, added that interacting with new people from across the globe and various industry backgrounds gave him new perspectives.
During their first global residency, participants learned about the US business environment and international perspectives, including global execution models, technology innovation, global team dynamics in a virtual environment, the US economy in a global context, the economic impact of demographic shifts, and entrepreneurship strategies.
International perspectives
“The lectures from renowned academics and industry professionals from the USA were very informative and insightful,” said Khawaja. It was a very impressive start of Global OneMBA. I’m looking forward to learning more during future local and global residencies.”
Jalal Fitoury, a Dutch OneMBA participant at RSM agreed. “The Global residency week gives an excellent possibility to meet peers from all over the globe and to learn from each other’s perspectives,” said Fitoury, a project manager at construction company Scheldebouw.
Competitive markets
RSM’s OneMBA participant Beth Rees from the USA said she feels lucky to be a part of the programme. “I want to get new knowledge and experience to take me to the next level,” she said. “I keep alternating between feelings of excitement, enthusiasm and awe from the first days at RSM.”
During the global residency, Marc Smelik was officially appointed as chairman of the OneMBA Executive Committee. In his role as academic director of the RSM OneMBA programme, he aims to further develop the programme, giving insight into the skills and capabilities for the future, and helping individuals to have the toolkit and inspiration to succeed in dynamic competitive markets. “I feel privileged to work with so many talented and experienced people,” said Smelik. “Our students and faculty members work together to deliver a fantastic learning journey, well beyond the formal programme. I’m very proud to help advance the OneMBA community, and to support innovation across the participant business schools.”
Global Executive OneMBA
The prestigious Global Executive OneMBA programme offers senior executives and professionals the opportunity to experience business through the lens of the world’s most important economic regions, making it unparalleled in its development of knowledge, leadership abilities, global networks and experience of international business where it happens, as it happens. Designed by an equal partnership of five of the world’s premier business schools, the 21-month OneMBA programme includes four global residency weeks in the USA, Europe, Latin America, and Asia; global team-based projects, and an integrated curriculum. In addition to attending core courses at RSM, these residencies and projects provide participants with the opportunity to meet and learn during interactive workshops and lectures by prominent speakers.
