The ceremony on 27 June celebrated the 27 new MBA graduates who followed the 21-month part-time study programme alongside their demanding careers. They came from manufacturing, finance, IT, logistics and supply chain, chemical, and energy industries, and all of them have diverse academic backgrounds, including business and economics, engineering, sciences, humanities and arts, and medicine. It was a very international cohort too – 19 nationalities were represented, with an average age of 41 and around 18 years of work experience.
GEMBA Academic Director Hans van Oosterhout introduced the ceremony using a sailing metaphor for the new graduates navigating challenging conditions, comparing their new skills, knowledge, and attitudes as strong rigging. But to move forward, they must raise their sails and navigate wisely using the rudder to follow a strategic direction. Others will expect them to lead and steer with purpose, he said, and emphasised the value of human capital and surrounding oneself with the right crew before wishing ‘fair winds’ to the new graduates.
Guest speaker Elisabeth Stevens, an expert in scaling up organisations and herself an alumna of RSM’s Global Executive MBA, reminded the new graduates that their voice matters. In her keynote address, she explored the idea of reinvention. With a clever twist on the acronym ‘MBA’, she proposed a new definition, ‘master in the art of beginning again’. Her words were practical and inspiring, urging graduates to embrace their next steps with courage, humility, and generosity.
Recognition was also given to those who had achieved exceptional academic results. Four students were on the Dean’s honours list: Monika Juodpusiene, Shreyas Kapse, and Patrick van der Tier graduated cum laude, and Joseph Zekry graduated summa cum laude.
Graduate Joseph Zekry said: “When I think about our GEMBA journey, I feel a deep sense of growth and responsibility. The growth comes from the many valuable insights and meaningful connections I made along the way. The responsibility is to use the knowledge, skills, beliefs and connections I gained during the past 21 months to deliver positive change for my community and the whole world.”
No graduation ceremony would be complete without reminiscences. For the GEMBA Class of 2025, Monika Juodpusiene, who is Executive Director of Marketing and Strategy at JDM Consulting, and Konstantinos Neanidis, Compliance Manager ISM / SHE-Q at Offshore Energy Royal Boskalis spoke about the values that shaped their journey: courage, curiosity, and community.
The sense of camaraderie and shared experience was also brought to life through a presentation by Shreyas Kapse, Head of Product and IT at APG. His collection of photos and videos from the past 21 months drew laughter and applause, highlighting funny and celebratory moments that defined the cohort’s unique bond.
On finishing their studies, the graduates gave their thoughts. Commenting on her GEMBA journey, Johanna Cardenas Lara, Mergers and Acquisitions Manager at Azelis, said: "This experience has deeply reshaped my view of leadership – teaching me that true impact comes from leading with compassion, purpose, and integrity.”
Leadership is about knowing who you are and the world around you, commented Peter Avamale, new GEMBA graduate and Director of Cybersecurity at PwC. “For me, the focus on senior leadership was extremely valuable due to the programme's clear design aimed at helping senior leaders become more strategic. Its primary aim was to equip us with the skills to succeed as senior strategic leaders, applying these concepts within the complex and rapidly changing dynamics of a disrupted world. It feels like I was privileged to have a set of trusted advisors to work with as part of going through this programme together.”
The 27 new GEMBA graduates join RSM’s 55,000-strong global alumni community that has an international network that organises events and meet-ups all over the world. www.rsm.nl/alumni/international-network/
