The students in the new, prestigious RSM programme represent 13 nationalities; they are from China, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Greece, Indonesia, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden, the UK and the USA. Of the 39 participants, 23 per cent is female, and the class’ average age is 23.
All-inclusive leadership education
“The recent past has taught us that we need clear guidance and strong leadership in finance,” said Prof. Huibert Pols, rector magnificus at Erasmus University Rotterdam, during his opening speech. “RSM’s advanced programme aims to do more than improve competencies and skills by finding practical and applicable solutions to the issues at hand. Several corporate partners have committed to share their valuable experience and finances to support this programme. This all-inclusive approach is needed to develop the skills of our future leaders.”
“Dinosaurs of the future”
Students will work on cases for and learn from the programme’s corporate partners: Rabobank, Deloitte, Unilever, Achmea, Oliver Wyman and Bank of America’s corporate and investment banking division Merrill Lynch. Guest speaker Robert Bark, partner at Oliver Wyman, gave a presentation on Fintech and the challenge to the banking system on the kick-off day. “Banks are dinosaurs of the future. How will it develop in 10 or 20 years? Nobody knows,” he said, explaining that the technology is developing with a high speed and has a significant influence on the banking system and its operations. Dirk Schoenmaker, Professor of Banking and Finance and academic director of the programme, also emphasised the importance of ethics and sustainability in finance, and the programme courses about this.
Trading game
In the afternoon, the students were challenged with a trading game, organised by merchant bank Kempen & Co. In small groups, they had to advise clients on their asset allocation and create a portfolio with the best risk reward profile based on the risk profile of their client and the students’ own investment outlook. The team could choose between equities, government bonds, commodities, real estate, hedge funds and cash.
MSc Finance & Investments Advanced
The new 16-month, 90 ECTS MSc Finance & Investments Advanced is a selective and advanced level programme which offers demanding content to recognise students of exceptional ability, and features more personal and closer interaction with businesses and organisations in the industry as well as highly interactive and small classes.
Programme participants are challenged with advanced academic courses, personal skills training, and consultancy cases. The curriculum also includes hands-on, action-oriented elements such as the Living Management seminar, internships, superior career preparation, and access to a dedicated corporate network.