The MBA – My Joker Card, FHNW School of Business

Salomé Szentpaly is a graduate of the Dual Degree MBA FHNW Cross-Cultural Leadership / Edinburgh Business School. She currently works as an HR Solutions Partner in an American technology company headquartered in Switzerland.

In December 2021, Salomé finished her last MBA Modul and started her new job. She was contacted directly by the talent recruitment department of the company, which offered her this attractive position with a great future perspective.

Initially, Salomé studied cultural anthropology and pedagogy. She has taken on leadership tasks early in her career and has had additional trainings in HR Management.  “I also had the option to choose a Master in HR, but decided to go for the MBA as I wanted to have this broad overview.” The focus on the globalized professional world was the deciding factor to select an MBA programme. After careful research she decided for the MBA FHNW Cross-Cultural Leadership Programme. The offer was attractive for Salomé: attending an international study programme in Switzerland and graduating with a Swiss degree as well as a U.K. degree.

Salomé greatly valued the direct exchange with other students; in study groups for example or during collaborations on case studies. “I got in touch with people which I would probably never have met throughout my professional career”, she points out. All of them with the same aim at furthering their studies and their development. It was a challenging period that demanded some sacrifices too, especially on weekends when little time was left for friends and family, but “it was my choice and the exchange with other students helped a lot”.

Salomé’s Master thesis entitled ”A Way of Leading. Can self-awareness increase values-based leadership?“ was directly linked to her HR job. She is convinced that self-awareness produces better leaders for today’s business environment: “It’s very difficult to be a good leader without self-awareness and self-reflection. You need to keep working on yourself.” There is still a lot left to be done in the HR segment, but we must remember to always keep our focus on the human being and his or her talents.

Salomé wanted the MBA for personal and professional development, but she points out that beside hard work a bit of luck is also required for the doors to open that allow the next step up the career ladder: “I see the MBA as a joker card and in my situation the joker card was played very well.” The benefit may be direct or indirect, but in any case an MBA will have a positive impact on your career.