Before MBA
Radek Mierzejewski considered pursuing an MBA straight after completing his Bachelor of Commerce at Otago in the early 1990s. However, he received some excellent career advice and realised that he needed a “good dose of practical and professional experience” first, in order to get the most from the MBA programme.
Having gained his BCom, he joined PriceWaterhouse as a graduate auditor. Auditing took Radek all over the world, enabled him to gain a Chartered Accounting qualification and propelled him into senior financial positions, including the CFO of an Australian listed company.
“Having capitalised on my financial positions I wanted to move into general management and an MBA was the ticket to help me transition into that.”
Why Otago MBA?
Radek looked at MBA programmes in Europe and Australia, but was attracted by Otago's flexible course, which “trumped all other programmes” and allowed him to continue his full-time executive position while gaining an internationally-recognised qualification.
“As it happened, I returned to Dunedin to take on an exciting new role for a local start-up. I looked at Otago again and was impressed with the quality and international standing of the Otago MBA.”
Benefits of the online MBA
“The Otago MBA gave me practical examples and various frameworks to organise my thoughts and ideas”
Although he initially had reservations about online study, he was soon satisfied the programme offered all the benefits of on-campus study.
“In my opinion it actually offers more – the MBA is all about sharing knowledge and experience from different walks of life and my fellow MBA students spanned the globe and contributed an enormous wealth of experience and insight.”
Because of the Business School's reputation, Radek expected the best, and was immediately impressed with the “calibre of the experts and professionals leading each module”.
“They all came with a wealth of professional real world experience.”
Beyond the MBA
Halfway through the MBA programme Radek received an offer to take on a role in Copenhagen as the Managing Director for DFDS Polska, a finance and accounting shared service centre of the DFDS Group, which operates Europe's largest integrated shipping and logistics network.
“I was able to choose to finish my MBA at Copenhagen Business School, which meant I could continue working as required from our HQ and attend on-campus classes at the same time.”
“I would certainly say that my MBA has helped me in my current role. As a leader of over 220 staff, my success is directly related to my ability to clearly articulate our mission, goals and objectives. The Otago MBA gave me practical examples and various frameworks to organise my thoughts and ideas, and convey them to the organisation in clearly understood objectives and strategic initiatives.”