– The company has a good foundation and we are doing well. But it is now that we wanted to make a change, and that was the reason why I wanted to participate in the Executive Management Programme INSEAD, where I would have the opportunity to meet like-minded managers who are in the same situation as me. Additionally, I already have a strong network internally within the industry, but I wanted to expand this.
Knowledge, learning and “spirit in the air”
Rasmus Grønborg Bak was particularly surprised and impressed by the environment he met at INSEAD.
– The experience I had at INSEAD, was much better than expected. The business school exudes learning and knowledge, and there is so much “spirit in the air”. The teachers are highly motivated and they deliver top quality teaching. What also made a big impression on me was how great the commitment was from the other participants. It was really exciting to meet different people from both family businesses, capital funds, public organizations and other companies. Everyone has a different starting point, and that inspired me to look at things from a different angle, he explains and adds:
– The most important thing I take home relates to the teaching of AI (Artificial Intelligence) and digitalisation. It requires considerable resources to implement these things, but it is also enormous how much it can move if you dare to be ambitious in this area. Next, I have gained access to new knowledge within a large number of subject areas as well as a large number of practical tools within the strategic and managerial subject area.
Light the fire
The learning from the program will be applied both in the short and the long term.
– There are things that I have already put into use, but there are also things that have a 5-10 year perspective. Among other things, digitization and data collection are more important to us than ever before in our organization. And for me it has been extra fuel on the fire to be away and gain knowledge about this specialist area.
Also from a network perspective, the program has made a positive contribution, he emphasizes.
– The network has been crucial, and there are five participants I have had close contact with afterwards. Increased togetherness strengthens relationships, and the project task we did together between modules 2 and 3 has also shown this. The project task was based on my company, where we looked at the possibility of digitizing the processes in DSH Wood, which would be a huge step. It is extremely valuable – and a rare opportunity – to sit down with a competent group of sparring partners and dive deep into such a case. I have built up an important network and have some people I can reach out to if I need it in the future, concludes Rasmus Grønborg Bak.