NHH celebrates 20 years as CEMS member

This year NHH marks 20 years as a member of CEMS, and the occasion was celebrated Saturday 29 September.

03.10.2012 - Text: Stella Gjerstad Photo: Norunn Økland/Stella Gjerstad

Alumni, current students and friends of CEMS were invited to a half day seminar followed by an informal dinner in the staff cafeteria in the evening.

Around 50 people attended and enjoyed a varied programme, offering all participants the chance to catch up on the latest developments at NHH and recent trends in CEMS, all while enjoying plenty of opportunity for social interaction and networking.

Alumni Marco Proto (2011, left), CEMS-student Gudrun Thorsheim and alumni Marius Styczen (2011) were among the participants at the celebration of NHH's first 20 years as a member of CEMS.

Two way influence

The event was opened by Rector Jan I. Haaland, who provided a background and overview of the history of NHH and CEMS at the school.

He gave the audience an up to date description of NHH's present international aspect, emphasising how CEMS has influenced the development of NHH's process of internationalisation but also how NHH has contributed to shaping CEMS.

This was exemplified in recent years by NHH's rectors' membership of CEMS' Strategic and Executive Boards as well as the participation of two presidents on the CEMS Student Board that both have had NHH as their home school.

Social partnerships

In 2010 it was decided that CEMS, in addition to Corporate Partners, also should cooperate with Social Partners in the alliance. UNICEF was therefore invited to speak at the event and Elisabeth Rytterager from UNICEF Norway introduced the participants to her organisation's work with companies and which challenges and opportunities this type of cooperation presents.

Maria Stierna from NHH Aid provided a useful practical example of a type of project that UNICEF runs, having visited a project focusing on education in Malawi.

After these presentations Lise Jokstad Hafskjold, the NHH CEMS Student Board representative, organised workshops where the participants worked on questions regarding how CEMS and Social Partners may mutually benefit from cooperating.

NHH CEMS Student Board member Lise Jokstad Hafskjold and Elisabeth Rytterager from UNICEF.

Introduced SAMP

Alumni Marco Proto (2011) and Finn Harung (2012) concluded the seminar by presenting the recently launched idea of SAMP (Student Alumni Mentorship Programme) within CEMS.

The aim of this programme is to create links between CEMS students and alumni, so that students may receive professional advice from alumni, while alumni may gain the opportunity to maintain insight in the member schools and the master degree itself, as the programme develops.

The programme is up and running in countries such as the Czech Republic, France and the Netherlands, and the CEMS alumni association is now working on defining a concept that may work also for NHH CEMS students and alumni.

Marco Proto and Finn Harung presented the Student Alumni Mentorship Programme, SAMP.

Happy with the event

Anna Abramova, representative of this autumn's NHH CEMS Club was in charge of the logistics for the celebration.

"I am happy with the event as I believe people enjoyed themselves, having been able to mingle and network in a relaxed environment. I hope that the experience from this year can create the basis for more CEMS alumni meetings at NHH in the future," Anna Abramova says.