CBS MBA Alumni Day 2015 celebrates the art of “entrepreneuring”

On 7 November 2015, CBS MBA alumni from 22 chapters came back to campus to celebrate the annual CBS MBA Alumni Day. Alumni from 1996-2015 were able to reconnect with old classmates while brushing up on their business skills. The afternoon’s academic focus was dedicated to entrepreneurship, chaired by CBS professor Daniel Hjorth, who introduced the term “entrepreneuring” to describe the act of entrepreneurship, and emphasised the need for an updated leadership agenda, which allows for innovation and entrepreneurship as opposed to just focusing on management and control.

 

Two real-life entrepreneurs shared their stories: Tommy Andersen, founder of interior-friendly yet high-tech home sound system Libratone, and CBS Executive MBA Alumnus Niels Sodemann, CEO and co-founder of Queue-it, a product designed to control the inflow of users to a company’s website during peak times. Both offered insight into the entrepreneurial process, challenges along the way and strategies for success. 

 

“Disruption is polarising,” said Tommy Andersen said, “Dare to differentiate from your competition through, for instance, your communication channels.”

 

“One of the MBA-related learnings we have taken away is, for example, to go after segments instead of countries,” said Niels Sodemann, and added one a more jovial note: “We use half our brain the MBA way, and with the other half we try to think the absolute opposite way.” 

 

The afternoon sessions were followed by discussions, networking and dinner, culminating in the announcement of the MBA of the Year Winners. This year, the Alumni Society had opted to shine some light on the founders of MadMad Mad Bodega, Heather Thomas and Marian Reed from the Full-time MBA class of 2014, who opened their sustainable restaurant in Copenhagen earlier this year feeding customers food which makes us healthy and the planet happy. 

 

“It was reassuring to be reminded (throughout the day) that the entrepreneurship journey is a road well-trodden, even if each entrepreneur path is unique,” said Marian Reed in her thank-you speech.

 

“The most inspiring teachers and colleagues at CBS helped me to better understand HOW to shape and run a business that promotes a more sustainable world,” Heather Thomas added, “I like to think that MadMad receiving this award acknowledges that we CBS alumni share a passion for being more creative business people with a shared goal to build a more sustainably abundant and healthy world. I am so proud to be a part of this community.”

 

 

We would like to thank all CBS MBA Alumni for an educative and entertaining day and look forward to more of the same!