Local CBS alumni attended CBS' 100th anniversary reception in Atlanta

Through CBS’ 100 year long history, many of the university’s alumni have made international careers and spread across the world. In addition to these are the many international students who, especially through the past 10-15 years, have come to CBS to educate themselves and who have subsequently returned home or traveled to different parts of the world to bring their skills into play.

To reach out and meet some of the CBS alumni across the globe is something which President Per Holten-Andersen has long had an ambition to do more systematically and consistently. The opportunity arose in August 2017 in connection with the President’s participation in the yearly Academy of Management conference in Atlanta, where CBS was hosting a reception to celebrate its centenary.

Alumni are key to CBS’ global business collaboration

- CBS is an international business school. We do not only cater to the Danish business community, but to the global, and continuous contact and cooperation with the business community we conduct research in and deliver candidates to is crucial to all aspects of CBS. So I have wanted to meet and speak with more alumni for a long time, emphasizes Per Holten-Andersen.

That was the agenda when CBS invited some of the local alumni who live and work in and near Atlanta to CBS’ anniversary reception on Monday 7 August in the CNN Center. A handful of alumni showed up to participate in the celebration of their alma mater alongside new and familiar faces and representatives from their former educational institution.

- It was just as uplifting and inspiring as I had hoped. It is always a pleasure to meet and talk to skilled and passionate professionals. Bearing in mind the fact that CBS has taken part in shaping these persons and given them the professional tools they have built their careers and lives on, it becomes a both enlightening and gratifying experience, an excited President Per Holten-Andersen comments about the reception.

Great that CBS is investing in its alumni network

It was not just the president and the other representatives from CBS’ management who were excited about the reception and meeting, so were the participating alumni. They were happy to both meet the conference participants from CBS and to have the opportunity to network with like-minded local alumni:

- It was a nice event and it was lovely to meet both new and familiar faces. It is great that CBS is now investing in its alumni network. Network opens doors and drives business and is often the key to success in the US. A thriving alumni network can help you build your network faster in a new city or job, remarks Henrik Balle, Principal of the cloud solution consultancy I/O Merchant.

- It was nice to be invited and great to meet so many from CBS’ management. It was incredibly exciting to hear about some of the focus areas that CBS works on today, and it was nice to hear that a large effort is being made to develop entrepreneurs and in facilitating more network between them, remarks Karina Nielsen, CEO of the system and process consultancy Ciellos, and says:

- It makes a big difference to have a good network when you travel abroad to conquer the world – I experienced that myself when I traveled to the US 10 years ago to build a company. I am certain that strengthening the alumni network from CBS internationally can be beneficial to future entrepreneurs. I would definitely like to take part in it.

Karina Nielsen plans to contact the other alumni from CBS who live in and near Atlanta – also those who were unable to attend the event – so they can network and be a joint, local resource for CBS in the future.

Alumni in the area near Atlanta who wish to take part in establishing a network can contact Karina Nielsen via LinkedIn.