Arjan de Haan joined the Global Executive MBA Class of 2026 and shares his inspiring journey so far in today’s podcast episode. As he explains, GEMBA is much more than lectures, it’s about hands-on, transformative experiences. One moment that stood out for Arjan was an exercise on inclusion: “You have the right information, but you’re not heard. That kind of experience stays with you. It makes you realise how important it is to step up and ensure everyone feels included.” Listen to the full interview to hear more about Arjan’s personal and professional growth as well as his advice for future leaders.

For Dircki Taljaard (EMBA '26), one of the most challenging - and rewarding - parts of the Executive MBA has been the Life Journey course. It’s given him space to reflect, grow, and approach his work with a new perspective. "And of course, I’m also building the hard skills - like accounting and business - which are priceless. You learn the language by doing the course.” Listen to the full interview to hear more about Dircki’s journey, insights, and advice!

In today’s podcast episode I talk to Charles Mangwiro, one of our Full-time MBA students (Class of 2026). We chat about his background in investment management, insurance, and Fintech after which we dive into his FTMBA journey. During the MBA Charles learned to be more intentional about his work every day. The Personal Leadership Development component of the Full-time MBA programme raised his awareness on looking beyond the tasks. “I was more task oriented. Personal Leadership Development made me more aware that empathy is part of leadership.” When looking back on the highlights, he shares a few. “The Living Management Project, where we had to go to actual businesses and solve actual challenges and cases was a big highlight. We also had the opportunity to go to London for the study trip. All of that was inspirational and insightful.” Listen to the full episode to learn more about the MBA journey, and his advice if you’re on the fence!

In this episode I sit down with Hannah Foster, Recruitment and Admissions Manager at RSM. She shares what the admissions process looks like for the Full-time MBA and we debunk misunderstandings one may have about this process. ‘It is an important decision, so you do want to put your best foot forward, but don’t overthink the process. It’s not too intensive,’ says Hannah. And as a cherry on top we also dive into the new ‘MBA student for a day’ experience that we now offer. ‘The MBA Student for a day experience is a more complete programme that aims to give you the full experience of what a day in the life might be like for you as a student here.’ Listen to the full interview to learn more about this great opportunity!

In this episode, Ana Muraro was looking forward to and preparing for her Executive MBA Class of ’25 graduation. Now, she’s officially an alumna and has joined a powerful global network of over 50,000 alumni. In this episode, Ana reflects on: • Her very first week of the EMBA journey • The impact of the Personal Leadership Development component • How SDGs resonated with her - and came to life during the South Africa study trip 🎧Her advice is invaluable if you’re considering an Executive MBA.

In this episode Shilpika Basu, one of our Executive MBA students who joined the programme earlier this year, reflects on her EMBA journey so far: “Finance was always such a dry subject for me - but during the MBA, I had the most fun and camaraderie in accounting classes with Dennis Jullens. The lively discussions and banter made learning so much more engaging, and he was such an amazing person to learn finance from." Listen to the full episode to hear more about Shilpika’s EMBA experience, highlights of the programme so far and her advice!

In this episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Ginelle van Tartwijk, Philanthropy Advisor at ABN AMRO MeesPierson and proud alumna of RSM’s Full-time MBA Class of 2024. Originally from the US, Ginelle moved to the Netherlands with an efficiency mindset – determined to fully dedicate herself to the MBA journey. During our conversation, she reflected on the role of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in her studies at RSM: “The SDGs are a very big component of what we talk about in class, what we try to focus on, and what we take with us as we graduate.” The SDG that resonates most with her? SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals. “I always come back to that one as being most important, because ultimately we have to work together to achieve the other goals. It’s difficult to do it alone - and I see that both in my work and in the big philanthropists I follow.” For more insights and to hear her full MBA story, listen to the full interview!

During the Global Executive MBA at Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (RSM), participants can choose a unique track: Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA). It’s designed for future CEOs who want to lead an existing company, rather than start one from scratch. In this episode, we speak with Leonardo Palú, a recent graduate from the Global Executive MBA Class of 2025. Leonardo took a bold step by launching a search fund in Brazil – a courageous career pivot that marks the beginning of his journey to acquire and lead a business. He’s just completed the fundraising phase and is now actively searching for the right company. We explore: - What the ETA track offers - What his experience has been like so far - And how he envisions himself stepping into the CEO role. As Leonardo puts it: “They’re not just investors, they’re invested in you.” 🎧 Listen to the full episode to find out more about this alternative path to entrepreneurship.

In this episode we sat down with Márcia Di Domenico - a seasoned finance professional and Executive MBA student - who brings over a decade of global experience in audit, controlling, and reporting. From PwC to leading finance at a startup in Brazil, and now Senior Group Financial Controller in Rotterdam, Márcia shares how her EMBA is transforming her view on leadership and reshaping her future. 💬 We dive into: - Choosing the right MBA programme - Redefining leadership & strategy - Navigating surprises along the way - Career vision beyond job titles - Growth as both a leader and a person 🎧 Tune in to hear insights from a finance professionals and advice for anyone considering the EMBA path.

“There’s nothing better than talking to alumni or current students. Sometimes there are limits to what you can find online – but reaching out can really open your eyes to what’s possible with an MBA.” – Beatriz Valenzuela, FTMBA Class of 2025 Beatriz graduated this March, completing the Full-time MBA alongside her husband. 💬 “Doing the MBA together made the experience even more meaningful – we grew as individuals and as a couple.” In this episode, Beatriz shares: - What it was like navigating the FTMBA – and why you should use your student card! - Why she and her husband moved back to Mexico after graduation - How she plans to apply her MBA experience back home 🎧 Listen to the full episode! #FTMBA #MBAJourney #WomenInBusiness #LeadershipDevelopment #RSMMBA

When Tugay joined the GEMBA programme at RSM, he expected to sharpen his business skills, and he has. But what he didn’t anticipate was the depth of personal growth the experience would demand. When discussing the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, Tugay speaks candidly about his personal connection to SDG #1 – No Poverty: “I was born and raised in the Netherlands, and that makes me privileged. But my ancestors weren’t. One grandfather was from Italy, the other from Turkey, and both grew up in poverty. I carry their legacy with me. I have a deep desire to break the cycle and help build a world where everyone has a fair chance at a better life.” This was just one of many powerful reflections Tugay shares - including his belief in leading by creating a safe environment. 🎧 Listen to the full episode to hear more from Tugay and the leadership insights he’s gained along the way.

With a degree in Chemical Engineering and over 15 years of experience in the Oil, Gas & Chemical industry across Europe, Australia, and the Middle East, Zaher Charaf joined the Executive MBA programme in January 2025. In this episode, we dive into how he found his way into this field, what led him to pursue an MBA, and how the programme is shaping his perspective on his career path. 🎧 Listen to the full interview here! #ExecutiveMBA #RSM #CareerJourney #LeadershipDevelopment #LifelongLearning #QualityEducation

In this episode I dove into the MBA journey of two of our FTMBA Class of ’26 students, Yen Pham and Pascal Chabaneix. With different stories about their personal and professional backgrounds, thoughts and insights on leadership, turning points in their lives and the whole decision making process to do an MBA, this podcast is full of inspiring stories and nuggets of wisdom you must hear!

‘Transformation is not optional in this programme. Especially because of the Strategic Leadership Development course.’ – Shreyas Kapse (GEMBA ’25) When asked about key take-aways of the Global Experiential Learning modules, Shreyas shared: ‘The GELS’s are truly the experiential part of the learning. It is the most pragmatic kind of learning that you can expect.’ Listen to the full episode to learn more about his journey, his experiences and some examples of the Global Experiential Learning trips.

Nejla joined the Executive MBA Class of ’26. When asked about the SDG’s, she shares: ‘#4 is about Quality education, #7 is about affordable energy and #10 is about reducing inequality. Those three each have the targets and indicators that are incredibly ambitious but I think that’s what we need. Those three really move the needle to be able to unlock exponential progress on the others.’ Listen to the full interview to learn about Nejla’s personal and professional journey and advice

Catarina Lopes Pereira joined the Executive MBA Class of 2026. With extensive experience in expert roles, Catarina decided to do an Executive MBA to broaden her horizon further. ‘I think that doing an MBA at RSM can help me with taking on more strategic roles with more impact and enhancing my leadership skills,’ she shares. Listen to the full interview to hear about Catarina’s journey, experiences and pieces of advice!

When joining the Full-time MBA Class of 2026 here at RSM, Sarah Humphries did have some expectations but also knew her expectations would be a bit different. ‘I knew that with my creative background, I would be looking for something different from the institution that I was joining. And I wanted to join an institution where I would not have to apologise for my design background,’ says Sarah Humphries. Listen to the full interview to hear more about Sarah’s Full-time MBA journey!

In this episode Ikram Mataich (GEMBA Class of 2026) shares how she is experiencing her Global Executive MBA journey here at RSM, the importance of having people around that support you, and the importance of believing in yourself and your leadership skills. ‘I would say that you have to find the courage to apply. Have that confidence in yourself.’ Listen to the full interview to hear about her GEMBA journey!

In this podcast Amina Daniels (FTMBA ’26) shares her story about overcoming obstacles, her journey towards an MBA here at Rotterdam School of Management, and how she is experiencing the Full-time MBA programme so far. ‘It’s not enough to open a business. You need policy to really have a greater impact on communities,’ Amina said. Listen to the full interview, to learn more about the value of an MBA and advice coming from a student that is in the midst of her MBA journey.

In this podcast Meghan McKinnon, one of RSM’s Career Development Managers, shares how the career center helps guide and coach our current students during their MBA journey. ‘We focus on four primary areas, so the first one is self-awareness. That’s knowing who you are, that’s knowing where your skill-sets lie, where your strengths are, what you really enjoy doing. And often times as we just go through our career, we don’t really step back and think about these things and evaluate them. So we do spend quite a lot of time on that.’ Listen to the full podcast to learn more about how our career center is there for our students, as soon as they embark on their MBA journey. The topics in this podcast are: - Coaching and positioning yourself in the job-market - Coaching every individual student, regardless of their journey - How does the Career Center offer support and coaching? - The skills every MBA candidate needs - A word of advice