Full-time MBA 1993
Head of department of Real Property Registration, Iceland
Studying at RSM was a game changer for me. I was a technical guy in computer science when I arrived in the Netherlands, but my MBA gave me a new outlook on life.
It was a very international environment, there were 120 of us from various backgrounds and 30 countries made many lifelong friends. I moved to Rotterdam with my family and it was a great experience, we enjoyed getting to know the Dutch people and my wife even learned the language.
The professors introduced me to subjects I knew next to nothing about as a computer scientist, such as financial strategy, organisational behaviour and negotiation. I came to use them all in my career.
When I came back to Iceland, I started an RSM alumni association. There were three of us in the country at the time, now there are 20. We all have happy memories of our studies in Rotterdam.
Thirty years ago, I promised myself I would retire at the age of 60. Although I’m nearly that age now, I will never stop working as I love to take on challenging projects. For example, I’m involved in an organic farming company in the Netherlands with some of the best people in the world.
Business education is changing. I’m now taking a course on digital business because you always have to stay up to date. Although we are used to working online, it’s not the same as meeting up in person. I look forward to the return of those days.
