In My Own Words

"Having worked as a General Manager, Project Management for several years with a education of BSc Eng. I felt that I needed more knowledge about Business Management. I expressed my wishes of taking an eMBA to my superior who recommended the International Executive CBA program, since he had own experience of that.

The eCBA gave me exactly what I had been looking for. Now I feel much more confident in my daily work, I am able to discuss on a higher level with my colleagues and last but not least I have a document (certificate) that proves it. One good thing with the program was also that you get to know a lot of new people that you can share your views and worries with in the future."

Monica Bäck, CBA
General Manager, Power Plants
Wärtsilä Corporation

"In a survey about SCILs Executive CBA student satisfaction, I would probably rank SCILs on the top. The benefit I got from it was not limited to the professional environment, but it had a positive influence in my private life. A few simple key-words summarize the elements that I was able to grasp along the full training: concepts like “Consistency”, “Culture of Discipline”, “Short-Term Wins”, “Differentiation”, are now driving my professional and private activities.

I definitely improved my capability of having a clearer and simpler vision of things, making me more effective and, in the meantime, less stressed!"

Andrea Perin, CBA
Managing Director
Vacon Italy

"The program was as tight as expected. Five modules in a limited amount of time made it rather challenging. However, it was a very well working concept. Good level of lecturers made a high class atmosphere and we did not forget also having a lot of fun during the course. Obviously, the interaction within the group is crucial and in our case we were lucky. The class had a good mix of experience, different personalities and company backgrounds, which made the course extremely giving on the path of personnal development.

Our company will most certainly use this opportunity also in the future."

Jon Sundén, CBA
Group Production Director
Cloetta Fazer

"The International Executive CBA program was marketed to me as one that "would change my whole life" by a friend who had previously attended the same course. It did change – if not my whole life – but my conception of business administration and even of myself. The lecturers were superb, and the learning concept ideal. It was a lot of hard work but worth every effort.

The program was a great learning experience and an opportunity to meet extremely interesting people from different business areas. I can highly recommend the eCBA to all who want to improve their skills in their current positions or wish to take a step forward in the career."

Seija Ketola, CBA
Product Manager
Aventis Pharma Oy, sanofi-aventis

"The Executive CBA concept was clear and preparing us for a tight and intensive learning experience. This is however an excellent approach, it means full commitment and setting high priority as a basic requirement. The focus on the personal development created an open atmosphere in the group and resulting in a good team spirit. All assignments had a clear focus on a direct implementation, hereby also resulting in immediate company benefits. The interaction during the course was intense, resulting in good lessons to be learned for all participants. A good program which I can highly recommend for future potential candidates."

Dirk J Verschoor, CBA
Managing Director
Vacon Benelux

"Due to my work and family situation I was not able to commit into an eMBA program for a two year time period. Therefore the International Executive CBA Program offered by SCILs was an answer to my needs. The program was compact and intensive. The most important topics in the strategic business management were covered by the help of excellent teachers, up-to-date and easy-to-read literature, intensive team work and very educative written assignments.

The things I enjoyed most were the learning yourself, open team spirit and the mind-challenging discussions. The activity of the teachers in the email discussions was another delightful surprise and helped a lot in the written assignments. The Executive CBA is really an excellent choise for a person looking for an intensive but valuable crash course in the strategic business management and most of all a very good opportunity to put your understanding of the issue into a test."

Kari Hartikainen, CBA
Program Manager
Metso Automation

"During the Executive CBA program I got a good overview of the management disciplines that I have been involved in during my career. At work the topics has been covered mainly on the surface. Thanks to the program I have now a clearer picture of the theories and how the different management areas connect with each other.

The program design was effective and intense, and I especially enjoyed the three days interactive classroom sessions. The rewarding part of the training was the personal feedback and challenging discussions and debates in class. The professors managed to create an open atmosphere in the group, which supported the exchange of ideas and also developed our skills to respect and make use of different viewpoints. Transferring this type of team spirit to daily work would for sure enhance the creativity and productivity."

Jukka-Pekka Mäkinen
CEO and President
The Switch

"The International Executive CBA program was for me a training highlight. It surprised me with both the standard of required input and what I got from the classroom as output. The classroom sessions with students from all areas of business and managerial positions ensured lively and energetic discussions with no stones left unturned as the problems where solved.

I can strongly recommend the eCBA for all areas of business managers and directors."

Raine Luomanen, CBA
Managing Director
Retail Event & Marketing Oy

"I needed some extensive business course, but I was not able to eMBA training, due to work and family constraints. Then I found out about this program which I felt was perfect for me, because it offered the same themes with the same international approach as an MBA program, but at a considerably smaller investment of time.

I have got a rather deep insight into the areas the modules covered, and it was especially useful not only to listen to the professors who had significant work experience behind them, but also the other participants who brought in all their knowledge, lessons and stories from real life. These helped me quickly find the relations between the material I had heard from the instructors and the problems I was facing day by day at work.

The main benefit for me was of course that I now better understand the different people and organisations units I work daily with. Knowing more about their challenges I have better chances to influence them and cooperate with them. The books and other readings provided for the modules were selected very carefully and were compact, yet informative enough. But the most helpful part of the whole learning method was the case studies and the related group work; they gave the essence to the theory.

All in all, the eCBA program fulfilled my expectations greatly: thorough insight into the most important fields of business in as little time as possible."

Zoltan Bodor, CBA
Communications Officer
Kemira GrowHow

"I was the oldest participant in the class, and my objective was to update my knowledge of marketing, strategic thinking, negotiation, and people management. I think the program is a well designed package for business managers from a varied scope of industries, led by experienced lectures. In the course of the program we studied and discussed the theories behind the respective topics.

The program combines a broad range of theories from business literature, and makes the material come alive in class discussions and in selected case studies, which help to apply the knowledge in real life situations.

The participants gain a good knowledge base to be more productive at their work, as they can make use of a number of new tools and thoughts offered by the program. I consider the rather tight schedule a benefit, as it helps you to focus and to complete the program. The written assignments were rather time-consuming, but they proved to be very useful and helpful in applying the theories in practice.

I strongly recommend the program even to senior executives like myself, who want to refresh and update their knowledge."

Osmo Härkönen, CBA
Vice President, Project Management & Execution
Power Plants, Wärtsilä Corporation

"I have been working almost 15 years in various sales and marketing positions in both large and small organizations. Many of the trainings have been informative, “nice to know” or “good time to meet people” from other companies. SCILs training opened my eyes, for how it makes a big difference when there are professional speakers with an international background together with a well-packaged learning process (pre-work, 3 day module and assignment).

Every module was in a positive way different, giving useful tools and guidance to my own way of thinking. As in every course personal effort (commitment) is required, but SCILs was able to make it in a motivating and professional way.

I can see and feel my own confidence grown and also I believe my company can benefit from this investment.”

Jouko Liljeström, CBA
Director, Global Accounts
Vacon Oyj

"After I completed the Executive CBA program, I concentrated on developing my career for a while and started to apply what I had learned. When SCILs informed me about the opportunity to participate in a flexible and accredited MBA program, I considered it seriously. I have now completed the first semester in the CHIC MBA, and it really has continued from where I finished off in the Executive CBA program. I can highly recommend this career development path."

Tomi Levelä, CBA
Business Consultant,
Visual Management

"The SCILs Executive CBA provides managers with the core skills and knowledge they would otherwise find only in a top MBA program - requiring only a fraction of the time and investment. Participants in the this program bring a tremendous amount of practical business experience that makes the interaction between all participants - including the professors - dynamic, and full of insight.

The concepts and models we present become real - we are constantly discussing how they can be adapted to fit the needs of our participants and their companies immediately. The focus is on how to immediately apply what you learn - there is no more stimulating, and professional environment than the SCILS classroom."

Dr. William S. Lightfoot
SCILs, Academic Advisor

"I started the SCILS eCBA program in 2006 having just joined my current company, Amgen. For me, the program was highly useful not only from the perspective of gaining new knowledge, but also as the assignments enabled me to study and get to understand Amgen from various perspectives. The link between theory and practice was crystal clear."

Tanja Veikkola, PhD, CBA
Sales Manager
GlaxoSmithKline

"I think the topics of the CBA program cover widely the most important aspects of leadership. The international atmosphere and the teachers made the learning a high-level and demanding experience. The classroom sessions complemented well the studies on my own. The program was tough but very rewarding. I was able to pick up many new points of view and lots of practical thoughts and ideas which I can apply in my daily work. The participants were a good mix of professionals from various lines of business. The topics were tackled from a multitude of angles, and the team spirit was great."

Harri Tamminen, CBA
Project Manager
DFDS

"I would not have had the time for an MBA training, so I was rather excited about the SCILs' Executive CBA. For me it was short enough, compact and practical. I found the international lecturers to be very experienced. They provided us with lots of fresh ideas, many of which I have already been able to apply in practice. I was also pleased with the opportunity to get acquainted with so many nice people from a variety of companies."

Aku Sorainen
Managing Partner
Sorainen Law Offices

"The Executive CBA program, in my opinion, is a very sensible package, which gives a good overview of the managerial challenges. The instructors are top class experts of their respective fields, and they were able to  keep all of us alert and on our toes during the three day classroom sessions.
I can honestly recommend the program for every person on the management level as well as for those seeking a management position in the future."

Esko Myllylä, CBA
Vice President, Technology Development
Teleste Corporation

"I want to thank you  all for a great ECBA program. If I have to name three to five my most important gains and experiences, I would indicate the following:

I was inspired with many new ideas, concepts and tools, useful in applied leadership and   management.
The program was based on real situation of my team. It contributed very much in facing actual challenges in my life.
I gained on experiences shared with me by peer students.
It was an intellectual feast!

Last but not least, I learned that I was able to do much more despite that I thought my capacity was fully utilized...."

Wojtek Wlodarczak, CBA
Company Preisdent
Wärtsilä Polska