What they say about us

Anders Laurentzius, CBA, MBA, Head of Investments, Group Wealth Management,
Danske Capital

"With my background in the financial sector with its focus on ROI, giving my theoretical toolbox a boost was an obvious thing to do, especially since it also advances my career in the bank. Taking an MBA at AVT does all this.

Here I obtain new input when it comes to strategic thinking and management that I can use on a daily basis plus comprehensive insight and tools that extend far beyond my special field which is investments. The MBA has also helped me utilize my potential in the "non-financial" sides of my job – and has strengthened my personal development.

Dividing the programme into a CBA programme followed by an MBA has really kept my motivation high because I can always see the light at the end of the tunnel. And the programme – with its study tours and international professors – is incredibly inspiring. I dare say that this MBA has made me a much more attractive asset in every way."

Nanna Norup, CBA, Creative Manager

"As we move from being an industrial society to becoming an information society, companies will be competing more and more on innovation and creativity. This requires new management competencies and new management styles.

This is the type of management style I want to develop by taking an MBA at the Business School. As an industrial designer with experience from creative project management, I understand this way of thinking but in my experience, the creative potential in companies is not utilized optimally. Often because management doesn’t quite understand the creative processes.

With an MBA, I will have the opportunity to influence the future. I’ve chosen AVT because of their global approach and because they are visionary. This is apparent not just in their teaching which is inspiring and motivating but in the whole way the programme is put together. The programme starts with the manageable and easy to understand CBA – followed by an MBA. That’s what I’m going for."

Christian Wolff-Petersen, Managing Director, GH Holbæk Jernstøberi

How can you help your business thrive in a rapidly changing industry?

By acquiring knowledge and leadership skills that empower you to compete effectively in the modern global marketplace, says Christian Wolff-Petersen, managing director of GH Holbæk Jernstøberi, an innovative iron foundry located in Denmark.

"I chose to pursue the CBA because I had a great desire to change my leadership approach from ‘management by fear’ to a more contemporary style. The CBA program at AVT has been an eye-opener. I probably used to be quite the old-school kind of manager, one who thought he needed to be able to do and control everything. Now, I am learning that I must cut down my working hours and put trust in my employees if I want to be able to expand the business.

Becoming international in the true sense was another reason for choosing the CBA at AVT. Most decision-makers today are global, with fairly solid business backgrounds. I want to be able to meet my counterparts in negotiations with the same level of knowledge and education. The AVT CBA program is helping me become the modern, capable and international leader that I want to be."

Michael Nørup, CBA, CEO, Composhield A/S

"It is important to choose your ammunition with care when it comes to carving out a position for a Danish company in the global marketplace. And it’s important to keep a cool head. As Managing Director of Composhield A/S, I was looking for a programme that had the right international profile in terms of my daily challenges. And this I found in the CBA programme at AVT.

The CBA programme with its innovative, case-oriented study programme, gives me practical tools I can use to manage our business. The AVT programme was "born global" with its very professional, international focus, which is highly useable and very stimulating. Here proven knowledge is combined with innovative thinking.

Composhield A/S is today on the front line when it comes to developing high-tech composite shields for mobile use. A position we can be proud of in this country. So if Danish industry is going to arm itself for the competition in the global marketplace – and keep a leadership position – I can highly recommend a management training programme like CBA."

Mia Enochsen, CBA, cand.pharm, HD(A), Nordic Product Manager, Astellas Pharma A/S

"I honestly admit that going to school is a bit of a drug for me. I’m simply hooked on studying and gaining knowledge. And by taking a CBA at AVT, I’ve managed to satisfy this hunger!

CBA isn’t just a good international supplement to my other studies, I’ve also acquired a range of concrete, practical tools that will enable me to act and communicate on the international scene. Plus understanding and knowledge that I benefit from at work on a daily basis at the international pharmaceutical company Astellas Pharma A/S.

The programme has also helped me develop personally thanks to the time we spend with the very professional team of professors and the other students. AVT has really mastered the art of putting together groups of people from different industries, different cultural and educational backgrounds, and different career paths. It’s really stimulating – so I will probably take the MBA too. Knowledge is infectious!"

Below you can read more about what previous AVT CBA and MBA participants have
to say about our programs.

We have also asked participants on several of the recent classes on their experience:

Meet CBA January 2007 (CBA 2007-II)
Meet MBA Class 2007
Meet CBA August 2007 (CBA 2008-I)
Meet CBA January 2008 (CBA 2008-II)
Meet CBA August 2008 (CBA 2009-I)

Anne Trolle, Director, Lawyer,
The Confederation of Danish Industries

The CBA program was tailored to suit my need for a supplementary training on MBA level without having to jeopardize my family and career for six months. Together with the different leadership disciplines, the program was nicely composed of skillful international professors. On basis of the program, I moved away from my previous field of work in order to work with strategic leadership. The final simulation exercise in Strategy was an excellent eye-opener and put everything we learned during the program into perspective. Finally, CBA also expanded my network with many skillful characters who contributed to an optimal outcome of the CBA program.

Christian Engelsen, Sales & Marketing Director,
Teleperformance A/S

The learning gained from the CBA program has proven very valuable to both our organization and my professional career.
The educational material from Harvard Business School Publishing brings real life experience into the classroom - setting the scene for relevant and open classroom discussions.
The CBA program has been an opportunity to go through the key processes of our organization and to rethink the strategic plans - bringing about many important insights.
The program has a very professional framework creating the optimum environment for an effective learning experience.
In essence the CBA has provided a very high return on the educational investment!
Having successfully completed the CBA program - I continued with AVT's MBA program that proved to be just as valuable!

Peter Flodin, Nycomed

The CBA program has been of great help in my current work at Nycomed.  It gave me a fundamental understanding of a number of business topics such as: Marketing, Business Technology and Operations Management, Negotiation, General Management and Strategy. This has helped me in my daily work building up a new department at Nycomed: I have learned how to market a new service to the company, how to solve the daily and strategic challenges of my new service, and how to negotiate internally with management and externally with vendors.

The CBA also gives you a new personal network and the CBA program allows you to combine career, education and family, something that is very important to me.

Allan Agerholm, General Manager,
Hilton Copenhagen Airport

Continued personal development is important to me and managing a large team of people means that leadership is a discipline in which you can never learn enough.
I have an MBA already and although leadership is a key module in the MBA, the McL is ideal to further improve myself, as the program specifically addresses the leadership development needs and covers all areas of leadership.
The flexible way the McL program is put together around e-learning will allow me to complete the modules when it suits me best, balancing the demands of both professional work life and family life.
I have previously completed other AVT programs and I am sure the McL will be of an equally high international standard.  With material from Harvard Business School Publishing and seminars by Joan Magretta it will be a highly rewarding end inspiring program

Ole Beith, Corporate Banking Manager
Sparekasse Thy

The CBA program is designed and executed on a high professional level with great educators from the best US universities. The program content is thoroughly relevant, something I can and have already used. One of the great things is that the paper after every topic has to be based on your own business, which makes the education more pertinent and useful. Working in groups each month gives you a very good opportunity to add to your network, and the CBA is structured so that after completion you can continue with an MBA in the same way. This was an opportunity I could not let pass.

Torben Rosenberg Rasmussen, Corporate Banking Manager
BG Bank Århus

I have gained much more understanding of other areas in business through the CBA program. I use the tools I learned daily. And as an extra bonus I have gotten a larger network, both with fellow CBA graduates and within my own organization. The CBA gave me the desire to continue with an MBA, also at AVT.

Bo Erik Christiansen, Marketing Director
CC&Co Group

I felt the time had come to bring my theoretical knowledge up-to-date and looked around for a relevant educational program. I found only one that fit my bill, but then it did so exceptionally well. The CBA program fit the demands of my family, my company and me perfectly with regards to contents, length and price. The CBA program has a practical, concrete approach to the topics, allowing you a fast value-add within your company. The networking is an integral, living part of the program and has benefited me greatly. I can recommend the CBA program highly for business managers who are looking for quick, effective strengthening, both operationally and strategically. If your employees want to go for the CBA, let them!

Thomas Rimington, CFO
TELMORE A/S

The CBA program has been a great help in my current work at TELMORE A/S in many ways. First of all, I got a basic and broad understanding of a number of business topics such as Marketing, Business Technology and Operations Management, Negotiation, General Management and Strategy. This has helped in my daily decision-making. Secondly, I have learned to think outside my “box,” outside Finance, giving me additional inspiration and creativity in solving the daily and strategic challenges of my job. I have also met many interesting people, helping me to create an expanded personal network and resulting in many challenging discussions! All the topics have a good balance between theory and cases and are taught by competent professors who have a great ability to make the topics interesting. The CBA program allows you to combine career, education and family, something that is very important to me. I can recommend the program highly!

Carsten Brostrup, Sales Manager
L&P Springs Denmark

The CBA program has expanded my knowledge, helping me in my job and in my interactions with customers and partners. The breadth of the program forces you to study issues and problems outside your normal areas of competence. As an active participant you also have opportunities to create a very broad network, which inspires you in difficult situations. The US professors make the program quite international though most of the education is in Denmark.

Jon Bingen-Jacobsen, Managing Director
STRATEC Medical A/S

Having made my way, without any formal background in business, from salesman to sales director and now managing director for ten years of a daughter company of a Swiss firm in the public health field, I felt the need to test what I know. An article about the CBA in the newspaper Børsen highlighted that this was a management education where one could combine work, family and studies. That fit me well and, with a little planning, it turned out to be true. The classroom education was inspiring, the papers based on one's own company exciting, and the networking opportunities great. The outcome lived up to my expectations and is very concretely aiding the current evolution of my company.

Jonathan Gregers Fanøe (CBA2004)

Completing the CBA program has given me a theoretical background I did not have before. My career started in the mailroom of Virgin Records and led to General Manager within nine years. I had no theoretical education, so the CBA program gave me insights into many of the functions that are part of my job every day. I can highly recommend the CBA to other people in the same boat as I: a great business track record but no academic background. It is hard in the beginning, particularly when you are not used to the classroom, but your business experience helps, so go do it, start on the CBA!

In search for an education, which provides a solid basis in general business processes, analyses and grounds for decisions, I engaged with AVTs CBA programme in 2004. CBA stands for ”Certificate of Business administration” and can be viewed as a ”Mini or Focus MBA” The educational topics and cases elaborated under the program do touch all important business areas and are based on topics and materials developed by the Harvard Business School, Boston.

A few things were decisive for me, when choosing the program:

• international acknowledgement, certification
• international material and perspectives
• relevant business cases, comparable to topics touched by MBA programs
• a reasonable life aside the commitment

The latter item gains importance, once one has interviewed a few MBA candidates, who mainly talk about stress management, wait gain/or loss and remember their late educational engagement mostly as a period of harsh imbalance in their life.

AVT´s CBA provides a solid business education teaching useful tools for anybody involved in or managing business decisions. One is able to maintain a reasonable life aside the education. The “take home package” is a solid set of tools to work with and to compete with in ones future career.

Poul Hvidberg (CBA 2003), Vice-President, Procurement
ISS A/S

This is it! An educational program that did what I wanted, allowing me to study the most relevant areas of management within a reasonable time frame and at a reasonable cost. All in all the CBA really gave me what I was looking for. The CBA includes six topics, all taught at the MBA level, and all directly applicable for me every day. I have benefited greatly from all the topics, and gotten new inspiration and ideas for change. It gave me the theoretical background that complements my career experiences, and I can strongly recommend AVT's CBA. In addition to the academic benefits I got the opportunity to build strong network, which I value highly and use. And now, with the opportunity to complete a full MBA in twelve months after the CBA, the program has become even more compelling.

The CBA program was a great experience in many ways. First and foremost, it allowed me to acquire a large amount of theoretical knowledge with the six management modules, which all were handled by very competent instructors. This theoretical input was then converted to practice through the papers where we could apply it to the managerial challenges we see in our own companies. This gave me a unique opportunity to approach and further develop the strategic plans for my own area of responsibility. The CBA program fit perfectly in a busy daily schedule; the workload did not impinge too much on day-to-day work. For me, the height of the program was the management simulation exercise where we got the opportunity to test diverse strategies in very realistic situations. In addition, the CBA program is a great opportunity to expand one's network through a large number of very inspiring fellow students from businesses very different from mine.

I found the CBA program fun, exciting, and instructive. Competent professors, a broad spectrum of participants, and a curriculum from American business schools together create a perfect learning and inspirational environment. The seven modules are well structured and expose us efficiently to the most important disciplines of leadership. The six months also effect, in parallel with the study of management theory and practice, an intensive (re)-learning of business English in reading, writing and speech.

The CBA program gave me a unique chance to complete a professional, compressed leadership program that would match with work and family. The CBA program, based on Harvard Business School cases, is the answer to the desire of many leaders to strengthen their theoretical knowledge while gaining international exposure. An added-value for the student's employer is the fact that the papers in the six topical areas all are intended to be based on the place of work. The program was inspiring, demanding and dynamic, containing lectures, papers, study trip to USA and last - but not least - a three-day intensive management simulation exercise.

A program like the CBA is characterized by three things: the professional content, the competency of the instructors, and the quality of the fellow students. The CBA program passed in all three categories. Since the program is case-teaching based, the interaction between theory and practice was good, the instructors were of the highest international quality, and the fellow students were inspiring and competent. The structure of the program: weekend classes, field trip to Boston, and the final management simulation exercise fits well with a busy career.

I have gained many experiences in my professional career through working closely with many different people, from different organizational levels and in many industries. The CBA program gave me an opportunity to create structure and gain perspective on these experiences and this - combined with the development of competencies in management - has created the basis on which I can become a better leader in the future. Leadership carries with it the responsibility to execute as well as possible. The participants in the CBA program bring different experiences and knowledge to the classes; however, we are all goal-oriented. I look forward to maintaining my network created by the CBA program.

Tom Soling, VP, Sales and Marketing
Ronald Accessories A/S

After ten years of running my own business, I felt the need to study modern management theories, but a two-year MBA program seemed like a lot. The CBA program turned out to be the perfect answer. Six core topics from the MBA curriculum update you on the important aspects of general management. The program is very concentrated with highly qualified teachers, and the diversity of backgrounds of your fellow students make for a powerful network. I use things from my CBA studies daily in my work.

Jørgen Due, manager
Grundfos Management A/S

I entered the CBA course with three goals: MBA level education in six months, networking with peers from other businesses and testing the CBA concept. And one concern: Would it be possible to get all keeping a good balance with a full-time job, a family life and many leisure activities?
After running at "full steam" for the six months all goals were obtained and the balance was intact. The Protean Strategist simulation exercise was an excellent closing seminar that refreshed and combined all the individual subjects taught. I highly recommend the CBA course as a good alternative to a full MBA.

The CBA was the right choice for me, as it was designed to co exist with a busy job and limited to 6 months. The programme gave me a good set of tools on top of my previous educations from Handels Højskolen. The learning through case studies was very efficient and that combined with the professional network which was etablished - made it a very good experience. I am using the tools and thoughts from the education in my daily work!

I have gained a lot of different experience during a short but some times rather hectic career. The CBA-programme gave a unique opportunity to pull thing together during six month of highly inspiring reading, lectures and interaction with teachers and other students. The CBA-programme has broadened my management knowledge within the main MBA disciplines. The interaction between theory and practice was well-thought through and the fact that all papers are focused on your own company forces you to apply theory on real life situations. Cases delivered by Harvard Business School brought life to management situations and dilemmas in a very inspiring and engaging way. Several Danish universities could rapidly improve the learning curve of their students by applying the same teaching techniques as used on the CBA.

Claus Dyhr, Country Manager
Motorola - Denmark