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This Dutch Business School is sparking new MBA careers in sustainability & entrepreneurship

06-03-2018

Daniel Mazzini left a job of 14 years to pursue an MBA at Maastricht School of Management (MSM). Now, he’s exploring new opportunities in sustainability consulting and entrepreneurship

For Maastricht School of Management (MSM) MBA grad Daniel Mazzini, the future lies in sustainable development and entrepreneurship.

Originally from Peru, Daniel spent 14 years working in engineering roles at Schlumberger across Argentina, the UAE, and the US. Then, the 2016 oil crisis hit; jobs were in scarce supply.

Determined to pursue a new path, Daniel decided to move with his family to Europe and an MBA at Maastricht School of Management in the Netherlands—one of the country’s oldest and most international business schools.

“It was nice to go back to school and listen to something different to what Schlumberger had to say,” Daniel says.

MSM’s one-year MBA offers four specialized tracks—Entrepreneurship, International Business and Sustainable Development, Accounting and Finance, and The Digital Economy—with students exploring sustainable development across the MBA curriculum.

When asked about the most inspirational aspect of the course, Daniel points to the MBA’s Entrepreneurship specialization which combines classroom-based lectures with experiential learning experiences.

Daniel’s class was tasked with interviewing local entrepreneur Bart Bost, creator of Greentom, a baby buggy made entirely of recyclable materials.

“Interviewing this guy who created this company inspired me a lot,” says Daniel. “It broadened my frame of mind, especially after working for the same company for 14 years.”

Maastricht School of Management’s MBA encouraged Daniel to change career track. After over a decade working in fossil fuels, he’s now pursuing a career in the sustainability space, consulting for a startup founded by an ex-colleague who’s created a new sustainable material.

He’s also looking to take the leap into entrepreneurship himself; bringing superfoods from his native Peru to Europe.

“I think it’s the future,” Daniel says of sustainable business. “Oil has maybe 20 or 30 more years left in it—that’s it! —and the laws in Europe in particular are driving the switch to renewable energy. Because of the environment, and the responsibilities I have to my kids, I think it’s the right thing to do.”

Daniel credits his MBA with opening his eyes to new possibilities. “I can say that an MBA—any MBA, but in particular MSM—helps.

“In my case, as an engineer, we’re always looking at problems and numbers. But an MBA from MSM gives you a broader view of things—you see the bigger picture.”

Josette Dijkhuizen, award-winning social entrepreneur and expert consultant, has served as an honorary professor in the entrepreneurship department MSM for the past three years.

She sees the school’s focus on entrepreneurship—allowing budding entrepreneurs to tailor their MBA experience to match their needs—as central to its drive towards creating business leaders with a social conscience.

“The whole customization of MSM’s programs—I think that’s what the world needs,” she says. “We don’t need basic programs; we need programs dedicated to certain people so that they have more of the specific knowledge that they need in their working environment.

“We need entrepreneurs who are critical, who come up with new ideas, new products, and new services,” Josette continues.

“Development lies in education and having critical thinkers, and that’s what Maastricht School of Management does best.”

By: Amy Hughes, Business Because. The full article is available on Business Because.

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