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COTRUGLI Business School has become a leading business school in SE Europe, whose programs of business education are completed by more than 10,000 people from the region.

At the very beginning a small group of intellectuals and business people

joined forces around the idea of starting a new business school. The goal was

to create such a school that will develop leaders who will care for the planet,

profit and the community as a whole.

Since then, COTRUGLI Business School has become a leading business

school in SE Europe, whose programs of business education are completed

by more than 10,000 people from the region. Our internationally accredited

MBA programs and prominent lecturers from around the world connect the

entire SEE region. The campuses we have in Zagreb and Belgrade, and repre-

sentative offices in Sofia, Ljubljana and Luxembourg are meeting points for

business people from SE Europe.

However, for us, the most important criteria for success is the satisfaction

of our participants. This publication honors them, their continuing journey

with us and their inspiring success stories. Once you meet them in person,

they will be more than happy to share them with you.

Enjoy the reading!

Jyoti Gupta, PhD

Dean

Never underestimate the power of a small group of committed people to change the world. In fact, it is the only thing that ever has. MARGARET M EAD

It was summer two years ago when I decided to continue with my education. I was not sure what I wanted but I knew that it should be something different from the offers from the local schools.

I was reading a newspaper and I saw the advertisement “I am MBA”. I heard about MBA from different people but I never thought that I could be an MBA participant, not because I did not believe in myself, but because I thought that MBA would never be available for participants from Bosnia and Herzegovina. I sent my application and the rest of the story was my success. I was selected among more than 30 other applicants to get one of the scholarships.

Right after finishing MBA, I got a job at Prime Communications PR agency as an Account Manager. The agency recognized the value of MBA and decided to hire me. Through my study I gained excep-tional practical knowledge that I now use in my professional life. At the PR agency I worked with different clients, from NGOs to companies from different industries and an MBA helped me understand the clients’ needs, whether they came from sales, finance, or marketing… we learned everything!

When I finished my MBA study I was happy and sad at the same time. I was happy for my success, but sad because the adventure was ending. People that I met there were excep-tional young people who shared their experience and knowl-edge with my colleagues and me. I have to say that besides great lectures. I will never forget my friends from different countries - my dear Maša from Serbia, Mitko from Bulgaria, Maja from Macedonia and many other dear persons.

Today, almost a year after graduation, I have to say that MBA changed my life. I moved to a new company and I am personally and professionally satisfied and I am constantly working on upgrading my knowledge.

Adnana Jabučar Skrobanović Sales Executive GR A N D HOTEL BR ISTOL SA R A J EVO Bosn ia & Herzegov i na

M BA / 2009

MBA helped me understand the clients’ needs, whether they came from sales, finance, or marketing.

Although my abroad undergraduate experience was one of the most valuable ones in my life, still there were omissions that I had to make up for in the coming years. After returning to my home country, all my business and participant connections were left behind me, in the country I studied. They were of no or of weak use in my home country, and I had to start from the scratch. This is why I decided I would do my postgraduate study in the region where I wanted to build my career, and that I would give my best to find the programme that would meet my high standards.

MBA programme at COTRUGLI Business School offered all I needed at that time: regional connections from different industries, great teammates from my country, possibility to work simultaneously on my career and on my education since I did not have to take a year off to study, great references and renowned lecturers, AMBA accreditation and scholarship possibility.

All my expectations proved right: I not only very valuable busi-ness connections, but I also now have some lifetime friends; lec-turers did not teach me only business, but I also learned a lot about myself; I not only became better at what I do, but I am now also more confident and more self-aware in my everyday life, and this is what I find a crucial component for every progress.

For me, the MBA programme at COTRUGLI Business School rep-resents an opportunity to meet a lot of great and young people and to develop ideas that give you a kick and courage to discover new business perspectives.

I would warmly recommend this MBA programme for everyone who wants to learn more, develop and explore, and who is ready to see life and business differently and more thoroughly–because MBA is all about opening new perspectives!

Amila Čović Trade Marketing Specialist N ESTLÉ A DR I ATIC Bosn ia a nd Herzegov i na

M BA / 2009

MBA programme at COTRUGLI Business School represents an opportunity to meet a lot of great and young people and to develop ideas that give you a kick and courage to discover new business perspectives.

Karijeru vidim kao životno putovanje puno izazova i avantura. Jedina ograničenja na tom putovanju su ona koja sami namet-nemo. Svoje putovanje sam započela nakon što sam diplomirala Management na Ekonomskom fakultetu u Bukureštu. Sljedeći koraci su bili pohađanje kolegija magistarske razine na istom fakultetu te početak doktorskog studija. Tijekom studija otvorila sam vlastitu tvrtku i imala velike razvojne planove za nju. Nakon nekoliko godina radnog iskustva shvatila sam da trebam upisati MBA program kako bih rasla i profesionalno i osobno. Upis na MBA je bio prirodan korak u mom razvoju. Nakon posjeta prezentacija MBA programa različitih poslovnih škola, privukla me multikultur-alnost i različitost programa na COTRUGLI Business School.

MBA program je predstavljao dodanu vrijednost u svim važnim poljima upravljanja tvrtkom. Najvažnije mi je bilo dobiti priliku za osobni razvoj i bolje razumijevanje sebe, kako bih istovremeno postala bolja managerica i bolja osoba. Program je pobudio želju sudjelovanja u projektima koji imaju društveni utjecaj, potrebu da se profesionalno izgradim kao ugledna poslovna žena, potrebu za networkingom, upoznavanjem novih ljudi, kontinuiranim učenjem i otkrivanjem novih mogućnosti.

Badea Moise Ruxandra Direktorica i vlasnica TR A DSY M CONSU LT Ru mu njska

M BA / 2009

MBA program je predstavljao dodanu vrijednost u svim važnim poljima upravljanja tvrtkom. Najvažnije mi je bilo dobiti priliku za osobni razvoj i bolje razumijevanje sebe, kako bih istovremeno postala bolja managerica i bolja osoba.

Before I even heard of the COTRUGLI Business School – and that was a few years ago – I had done a great deal of research of busi-ness schools both in and out of the region. A major part of it included face-to-face talks with a number of recent graduates. Each and every of them – even those coming from the Financial Times top 30 MBA schools – listed networking with fellow partici-pants as the single most essential value of the program.

Having decided at that time to pursue the business career in my home country, I was in search of a local business school that would bring together teaching quality and networking opportuni-ties. Luckily, it did not take me long to recognize both within the COTRUGLI MBA program.

As one of the pioneers in the local MBA ‘market’, COTRUGLI com-bines excellent academics, state-of-the art curriculum and flex-ible class and exam schedules with brilliant participants from a variety of educational and professional backgrounds. In a nutshell, it offers western-style MBA quality but with a strong regional focus. Most importantly, a year and a half of the MBA life means not only hard work but also funny social time that produces a wealth of business, as well as private contacts. It feels truly great to have top business people around you – at one moment, you are in the class discussing a complex business case, and at the next, you find yourself sitting with them in a pub and having fun as if you have known them all your life.

Less than a year upon my graduation, I look back on the COTRUGLI Business School experience with a smile on my face, pride in my heart and a host of fresh business ideas that keep coming out of my MBA.

Dragan Pejčić Vice President A LTIS CA PITA L Serbia

M BA / 2009

Less than a year upon my graduation, I look back on the COTRUGLI Business School experience with a smile on my face, pride in my heart and a host of fresh business ideas that keep coming out of my MBA.

As a young E-business graduate I had justenough knowledge, to position myself in the rising online industry in Macedonia and I longed to swim in the business world right after graduating. Meeting the successful managers in the corporate environment in the Balkans made me think of the potential I had, to make local change in the global plan for managing the regional industry. I have never had a doubt about the progress of my personal devel-opment, and COTRUGLI has helped me a lot along the way.

According to all the research I did, it is the only business school on the Balkans that offers the authentic mix of regional leaders’ experiences and world renowned lecturers that can be smoothly scheduled an agenda of any young manager. I have walked a line from an Internet Marketing Assistant to a CEO, all the way long with an MBA program on my back. Frankly, to use my “exploring” vocabulary – with a travel guide in my pocket!

I went to COTRUGLI for the reputable knowledge package. Surprisingly, COTRUGLI went after me to make me do something with it! Today I feel not just the inspirational drive, but also my own accountability for creating the competitive advantage of the dynamic business environment I operate in. Being in an educational environment surrounded by COTRUGLI participants is like sitting in a selected audience of the most inspirational talk you have ever heard live.

We know that leadership has a lot to do with believing in your-self even when no one else does, and in the same time COTRUGLI brought me in, a queue of supporters and criticizers, each one of which adds value to my business output and each one of them, just like me, shapes the global network of world changing leaders.

Elena Ivanova CEO EX PLOR I NGM ACEDON I A.COM Macedon ia

M BA / 2010

Being in an educational environment surrounded by COTRUGLI participants is like sitting in a selected audience of the most inspirational talk you have ever heard live.

I was in brand management for years in a well established phar-maceutical company. I was thinking for years about my further professional development including MBA program, however, at that time the schools were just starting with their programs in Serbia. I had limited information about COTRUGLI Business School but I took the risk. I was granted with a scholarship for the first MBA program at COTRUGLI Business School right when my career was in stagnation. Couple of months later I got a new opportu-nity to excel my career in another pharmaceutical company.

As I was going through the MBA program at COTRUGLI Business School, I started to appreciate more the fact that, at the same time, I was working in a new company. I had the opportunity to immediately apply the course material to the real-life situa-tions at work. That was a wonderful daily practice. It was espe-cially useful for the development of my leadership skills.

There are times when you think that enrolling in a part-time MBA program might not be the smartest decision you made. Even though I had one of those moments too, luckily it was just a brief crisis without any consequences. I would always point out COTRUGLI Business School as an example of a good mix of the-oretical and practical knowledge, sharing experience and build-ing network. Personally, I benefited the most from improving my flexibility that helps me move easily from one position to another.

I am also very happy that as a representative of the generation X I had a great opportunity to get to know and understand better the generation Y who will work alongside me throughout my career.

Ivana Ćećez Business Development Manager GLA XOSM ITH K LI N E Serbia

M BA / 2009

I had the opportunity to immediately apply the course material to the real-life situations at work. That was a wonderful daily practice.

Već nakon završetka treće godine diplomskog studija ekonomije na Beogradskom sveučilištu sam počela raditi kao pripravnica. Nakon tri godine radnog iskustva shvatila sam da mi nedostaju specifična poslovna znanja, s obzirom na to da su znanja koja sam stekla na Ekonomskom fakultetu bila dosta široka i nedostajala im je primjenjivost u praksi. Moji nadređeni nažalost nisu smatrali da mi je potreban dalji profesionalni razvoj pa je moja ideja za dalje studiranje stavljena na čekanje. Kao u mnogim drugim slučaje-vima, izreka ’’Vjerojatno je tako najbolje’’ se pokazala točnom. Tri godine poslije počela sam raditi za Societe Generale banku, a moja želja za daljnjim profesionalnim razvojem se ponovo aktivirala te sam počela istraživati MBA programe.

Uz praktično znanje koje sam stekla i tehnike koje mogu primjen-jivati i u privatnom i poslovnom životu, MBA program na COTRUGLI Business School mi je pomogao da steknem brojna prijateljstva, otvorio mi zanimljive mogućnosti putovanja i zabave. Naučila sam puno od kolega, a s obzirom na to da smo ostali u kontaktu, taj pro-cess učenja se nastavlja. Magistrirala sam u rujnu 2012., a u vel-jači 2013. sam dobila posao kod novog poslodavca te dogovorila 50 posto veću plaću.

Nadam se da će moje iskustvo potaknuti druge mlade profesion-alce iz različitih poslovnih grana da kontinuirano ulažu u svoj rast i razvoj. Moj primjer pokazuje da se ta investicija isplatila već dvostruko.

Ivana Pupić Odjel ljudskih potencijala U N ICR EDIT BA N K SR BI JA Srbija

M BA / 2012

Uz praktično znanje koje sam stekla i tehnike koje mogu primjenjivati i u privatnom i poslovnom životu, MBA program na COTRUGLI Business School mi je pomogao da steknem brojna prijateljstva.

Počela sam karijeru kao prevoditeljica u Grčkoj ambasadi u Beogradu. Radeći s različitim ljudima u međunarodnom okruženju gdje je svijest o kulturološkim razlikama iznimno bitna, upisala sam magisterij iz područja upravljanja ljudskim potencijalima. Nakon toga me želja da naučim više o organizaciji velikih sustava odvela na Međunarodni sud za ratne zločine počinjene na pod-ručju bivše Jugoslavije, gdje sam postala članica međunarodnog tima. Napisala sam i knjigu o mobingu “Mobbing, evil heard only in whispers”. Kvalificirana sam medijatorica koja aktivno sudjeluje u rješavanju razmirica klijenata i zaposlenika.

Istinska vrijednost programa COTRUGLI Business School leži u ljudima s izuzetno zanimljivim životnim i poslovnim iskust-vima. Zamislite da ste okruženi ljudima koji isijavaju optimizmom, ambicijom, strasti za poslom i životom općenito, ljudima koji uvi-jek stavljajuju tim na prvo mjesto. Osim što naučite biti poslovno efikasniji, također naučite vrijednost timskog rada u postizanju životnih ciljeva! Za nekoga sa HR iskustvom ovo je ohrabrenje i potvrda da uspješnost poslovanja ovisi o dobrim međuljudskim odnosima. Htjela sam proširiti znanje iz područja financija i račun-ovodstva, osjećala sam da ću s novim vještinama i iskustvom moći bolje razumjeti potrebe svojih klijenata. Ovaj program vidim kao ključnu točku u životu svakog mladog profesionalca i kao pri-liku koja se ne propušta. Stoga samo naprijed!

Nakon što sam istražila nekoliko MBA programa u regiji, nije bilo sumnje da je COTRUGLI najbolji izbor. Bez prave konkurencije, ova škola je postavila visoke standarde kvalitete programa i pre-davača. Povjerenje koje sam im dala su potpuno opravdali!

Jelena Todosijević Savjetnica / koordinatorica V LA DA R EPU BLI K E SR BI J E K A NCEL A R I JA Z A EV ROPSK E I NTEGR ACI J E, Sektor za koordinaciju Serbia

M BA / 2012

Nakon što sam istražila nekoliko MBA programa u regiji, nije bilo sumnje da je COTRUGLI najbolji izbor. Povjerenje koje sam im dala su potpuno opravdali!

After my working experience in media and several years at the PRIME Communications PR agency as a PR Director, I wanted to expand my knowledge in economics, management and leader-ship, because I felt that with new skills and experience I would be able to better understand the needs of my clients.

MBA program of COTRUGLI Business School met my demands so I instantly decided to start this challenging and educational adven-ture. Although my expectations were very high, the experience and knowledge that I gained with this MBA program exceeded my expectations. And today, after this special experience, nothing is the same and this form of education changed my business views completely.

Besides new skills and competences in various business seg-ments, MBA taught me to set the right goals and to achieve them very quickly and without obstacles.

The greatest advantage of MBA for me was meeting and working with colleagues from my generation, what gave me the opportu-nity to exchange experiences and opinions and it was a real plea-sure to learn from them. Working together with ambitious and capable young professionals from different sectors and countries on cases and business plans helped me to acquire a broad spec-trum of knowledge. Although sometimes it was difficult to bal-ance between business commitments, traveling to lectures in different cities, studying for exams and following each lecture, it was worth it, because it influenced my professional and personal development.

What is certain is that, I will remember this MBA experience because it directed me in the right way and I believe that I acquired knowledge and friendships that will play an important role in my future career. For those who are ready for a change and have the ambition to achieve more than average, I recommend an MBA, because I believe that this is a life changing experience.

Lejla Brčani-nović PR Director PR I M E COM M U N ICATIONS Bosn ia & Herzegov i na

M BA / 2010

Besides new skills and competences in various business segments, MBA taught me to set the right goals and to achieve them very quickly and without obstacles.

I once said that the COTRUGLI journey is worth taking for every person that wants to broaden his/her horizons in the world of business. When I decided that my know-how in performance improvement was ready to be upgraded, the only logical way to proceed was through business education, a program that would allow me to share my experience with lecturers and study fellows and enrich it by learning from their experiences. The COTRUGLI Business School MBA program matched my criteria.

Hence, I hopped on! My Macedonian MBA Dream Team was the first win for me! The mixture of our different backgrounds and areas of practice from the very beginning prom-ised great learning experience. Merged with the interna-tional group of participants and well-selected lecturers, the wins continued counting: the journey transformed into a very dynamic experiential learning; the network expanded; the friendships grew stronger and are to stay for life.

The greatest win of all was that what I learnt globally – thanks to the outstanding lecturers and quick-witted participants in the program, I could apply locally. The best practice I took away from the program is one of the most valuable tools in my con-sulting work with the organizations at home and internation-ally. And this is not a personal gain only, but it is more like a snow ball effect - my work impacts the work of individuals and organizations, which by improving their performance improve the mega systems, the societies, in which they operate.

Next generations, if you are reading this: do not hesitate, join us! The MBA program at COTRUGLI Business School is an appealing journey! It will, for sure, influence you, your closest environment and the world in which you live and work.

Maja Petkovska Program Manager, Certified Perfor-mance Technologist WOR LD LEA R N I NG Macedon ia

M BA / 2009

The greatest win of all was that what I learnt globally – thanks to the outstanding lecturers and quick-witted participants on the program, I could apply locally.

After I had graduated from college, I soon realized that no matter which industry you are in, you need to know the basics of the business in order to advance. Reading about various post-graduate programmes, it seemed to me that an MBA would be the best way to “get the bigger picture” and catalyze this process enormously. Aside from a powerful life experience, the MBA degree should supply three main value propositions: Skills, Networking, and Brand.

One day, I accidently stumbled upon COTRUGLI MBA program. Since that day, my life and my career took a whole new direction. I was given the opportunity to meet motivated and knowledgeable young people, to listen the lectures of world’s finest business lec-turers, to learn and evolve both personally and professionally, and last but not least, to have wild parties with our so called “hard core crew”.

Once you join COTRUGLI, you become a part of a group of people who share your thoughts, your experiences and your background. The power that this network wields and the advantage of the same is enormous! Job, career, academic know-how – you may be stuck on any conundrum, and summon help from a worldwide associ-ation simply by an email or a phone call. And this fabric is one of the strongest that I have witnessed till date, and I am sure that no query addressed to this group has gone unanswered.

Finally, the best thing about an MBA is that it muscles up your personality. An MBA course is a hotbed of activities where the participants are constantly goaded to deliver. These are make or break conditions – you either shape up or ship out. But besides competing, you learn how to co-operate with different personal-ities, you learn how to lead and follow, as well as how to win and lose with dignity (although that has never stopped us from doing the victory dance, after winning in basically anything).

If all of this is not enough reason for you to sign up, please give the brochure to the person you think has the best potential of becoming an MBA.

Matija Nakić Business Sales Manager HT ERON ET Bosn ia a nd Herzegov i na

M BA / 2009

The best thing about an MBA is that it muscles up your personality. These are make or break conditions – you either shape up or ship out.

My professional career started in an Insurance company. As a young telecommunication engineer I worked in IT department and, at first, had only a few assignments. Gaining more and more knowledge, day by day, meant raising complexity and quantity of my assignments. In less than one year, my knowledge of IT was not any more sufficient for me to do my job properly. I needed more knowledge and more skills to understand the environment, assignments, and deal with them the way I wanted.

During my studies, I noticed that people worldwide who are suc-cessful in business, leaders, as a rule, combine different kinds of knowledge in order to achieve their standings. This led me into search for the knowledge, which makes difference between lead-ers and followers. It was easy to find a common denominator – an MBA study.

My choice was COTRUGLI Business School, for several reasons, and today I know it was a correct one. Meanwhile, I got a manage-rial position in the leading IT company in region - InfoDom Group.

Time spent at COTRUGLI Business School, surrounded by young and ambitious individuals, professionals, from different back-grounds, discussing our everyday situations, was irreplaceable. A lot of experience and knowledge transmitted to us, from our lecturers, enlightened us and created desire for self-improve-ment, showing us the way to achieve it. After the process of “COTRUGLIzation”, by becoming a member of COTRUGLI Alumni Club, one has a perfect base of contacts for further self-develop-ment in business and life.

COTRUGLI MBA program changed my life in a positive way and I see it as a very important part of me today. If you feel you need to speed up your life and business, in order to learn and achieve more, you have found the right way to do it – at COTRUGLI Business School.

Narves Behli-lović BOSN I A & H E R Z EGOV I NA

M BA / 2010

This led me into search for the knowledge, which makes difference between leaders and followers. It was easy to find a common denominator – an MBA study.

My first job after completing the university was that of a product designer. Having graduated from mechanical engineering and being driven by the passion of designing new products, I thought that I possessed all the skills necessary to achieve my career goals. However, as I became more ambitious and moved into the business development, I realized that I lacked managerial and soft skills necessary to succeed at the highest level. All of a sudden, my daily tasks and people interaction became too chal-lenging and I soon made the decision to pursue an MBA degree. COTRUGLI Business School and its MBA program seemed a perfect fit for my needs. I enrolled in the program in 2009, after winning the scholarship.

Today, I am happy to see how positively MBA has influenced my professional (and personal) life. The knowledge and skills that I gained at COTRUGLI have had a transformational effect on my performance, while the business network that I built during the program has opened new doors and new professional oppor-tunities. At the same time, many of my COTRUGLI colleagues became my close friends.

I firmly believe that people who want to prosper should strive to improve themselves through continuous and life-long learning. The society, on the other hand, needs people with fresh ideas and proper skill set to lead and manage companies that will be able to compete on a global level. For such people, COTRUGLI Business School is a unique opportunity to gain new knowledge and competencies, and build a network that will push their careers to the next level.

Nejc Klopčič Business Development Manager DASSAU LT SYSTEMS AUSTR I A Sloven ia

M BA / 2009

The knowledge and skills that I gained at COTRUGLI have had a transformational effect on my performance, while the business network that I built during the program has opened new doors and new professional opportunities.

MBA program at COTRUGLI Business School has had a major impact on my career by giving me the skills, tools and resources to exceed my own expectations and achievements.

The MBA project of my group was archive management and Data Outsourcing Centre company. In just one year of opera-tions in Serbia, the Data Outsourcing Centre became a recog-nizable company in the field of archive management. Besides the knowledge and skills that were the result of this suc-cess, COTRUGLI Business School has given me the oppor-tunity to explore new possibilities, therefore, thanks to net-working at COTRUGLI Business School – the Data Outsourcing Centre expanded into the Macedonian market. The School has allowed me access a network of distinguished profession-als and the alumni club that regularly helped me in my career.

Although admitted, canceling the MIB - and the Aston Business School - Birmingham, and choosing MBA at COTRUGLI Business School - is definitely one of the best decisions I have ever made. Starting the MBA program at the COTRUGLI Business School, I harbored extremely high expectations, but at that time I had no idea how much experience would exceed that expectations.

Siniša Tutuš Managing Partner DATA OUTSOU RCI NG CENTR E Serbia

M BA / 2009

The School has allowed me access a network of distinguished professionals and the alumni club that regularly helped me in my career.

I have always shared the opinion that every successful person should develop simultaneously not only proficiency in his/her work and personal skills, but also should seek constant knowl-edge and development. What I missed most at the time when applying for MBA at COTRUGLI Business School was definitely international exposure and networking with successful peo-ple from Bulgaria and the region. At the beginning, this was what I expected from the MBA program. But later, I got much more! I met people who have the skills and knowledge to drive change and, what is most important, - dare to try and realize their ideas and dreams. I gained knowledge and different, fresh perspec-tive of business, which I applied directly in my work. I had the chance to have open communication and free networking with people from some of the leading companies in the region.

When I enrolled in the MBA program, I was a Key Account Specialist in a telecommunication company in Bulgaria. As the modules passed one after the other, my managers assigned me with more responsibilities – to lead important projects and take part in creating company strategy for development. Now, I am a Sales Specialist at Adecco Bulgaria, part of Adecco S.A. and I am responsible for half of the country market. What hap-pened to me in the past few years was exactly what I wanted – gaining new knowledge, together with career development!

I will always remember one quotation from my commencement day: “This is just the beginning, fellows”, which keeps on remind-ing me of the priceless moments during my MBA. I believe that the decision to enroll in this program was one of the best I have made. This is a great landmark not just in my career, but in my develop-ment as a person and a specialist. What I got from the program is something which cannot be described, it should be experienced!

Stela Stefanova Regional Sales Consultant A DECCO BU LGA R I A Bu lga ria

M BA / 2008

What happened to me in the past few years was exactly what I wanted – gaining new knowledge, together with career development!

I have always been a very curious person, eager to learn new things and develop new skills, challenging myself to push the limits and boundaries of what I can achieve. After my graduation, I started to work in a company specialized in capital markets, which introduced me to economics and expanded my previous, mostly technical knowledge. I wanted more and always thought about taking an MBA program someday. Having heard about a new school which was giving an opportunity to become a graduate by participating in national scholarship program, I immediately knew what I had to do.

I thought that the selection process would be hard but I was wrong – it was even worse. It pushed the person to its limits, demand-ing the last resorts of strength, will and determination. The funny thing was that at the end of a strenuous day, even with empty stomachs, nobody was hungry and nobody was complaining either. Only happy faces could be seen, together with people shak-ing hands and exchanging new ‘war stories’.

By winning the scholarship, I became a lifelong member of the COTRUGLI family. It was not easy to spend a year and a half on studying and travelling, and at the same time, to main-tain a balance between private life and regular job tasks. But like they say: when there is a will, there is a way. Was it hard? Yes. Would I do it again? Most definitely! I met some wonder-ful new people, true professionals in their areas of exper-tise and learned some new things about myself, all thanks to COTRUGLI. I wanted the best, so I got the best. After success-ful collaboration on several projects with my fellow partici-pants, the biggest challenge yet is to put into life an idea, a com-pany, which was presented as our final business plan. And I think that it will not stop there. I know that it will not stop there…

Tomislav Šarec Systems Analyst CENTR A L DEPOSITORY & CLEA R I NG COM PA N Y I NC. Croatia

M BA / 2009

I met some wonderful new people, true professionals in their areas of expertise and learned some new things about myself, all thanks to COTRUGLI. I wanted the best, so I got the best.

COTRUGLI MBA is not about improving your professional skills by upgrading your academic knowledge. It is a platform to exchange knowledge and experience, broaden your network of contacts and challenge your mind and skills to drive positive change in your business environment.

The main benefit from my MBA degree is intangible. I have changed my mindset!

Since enrolling an MBA at COTRUGLI Business School till now there has been a tremendous progress in my career. When I started my MBA two years ago, I had been working as a financial analyst for almost two years. At that time I felt the need not only to progress in my career but also to become a driver of change for the Bulgarian market. I believed I was able to become one of these change drives with innovative thinking, current concepts and entrepreneurial approach that trigger the development of the markets. And the MBA program became the tool, my lecturers - the guides, my MBA fellows - the ones to exchange knowledge and experience with, and my colleagues – the ones to support me in achieving this goal. Of course, the core was hard work.

The immediate benefit was I could apply the gained knowl-edge to my work environment. The long-term benefits are new business opportunities that I discovered thanks to my MBA program, the partnerships I gained and the invest-ments I managed as a result of all the mentioned.

Tsvetomira Tsotsova Investment Manager I N N I M MO I N V ESTM ENTS Bu lga ria

M BA / 2008

The main benefit from my MBA degree is intangible. I have changed my mindset!