Among the many services provided by EFMD that contribute to the quality improvement of business schools by developing individual competencies, presenting good practices and benchmarks, training and seminars stand out.  

The Executive Academy (EA) is one of the elements of the education portfolio that offers professional and personal development opportunities to decision-makers or those with a substantive role in the decision-making process. It does this while maintaining the right balance, always bearing in mind the ultimate goal of the individual’s contribution to the achievement of the organisation’s objectives.

The management of the University of Pécs Faculty of Business and Economics (UPFBE) has been committed to the development of its staff in different fields, so naturally, these trainings have also been important for the senior management of the faculty.

At the same time, the Executive Academy offers not only valuable knowledge and self-development but also a great atmosphere and networking opportunities, as after the programme, all participants have the opportunity to join the alumni organisation, which offers support beyond the training, including solving specific questions and challenges, personal or group consultations, presentations and seminars on the latest trends.

Reflections from EA Alumni

Two leaders of UPFBE recently participated in the Executive Academy, thus significantly shaping the school’s strategy and future development. The school was represented at this spring’s training by Dr Katalin Erdős, Vice Dean of the School, who summarised her experiences:

“I have served as the Vice Dean for Educational Affairs at the Faculty of Business and Economics, University of Pécs, since July 2022, so I have participated in the EFMD Executive Academy as a newly appointed manager at my School.

It was recommended to me by one of my colleagues, Krisztián Szűcs, who is also an EFMD Executive Academy alumni. Based on his commending words, we can say that my expectations were relatively high, and these were fully met or even exceeded by the event.

The entire academy is designed to deliver the most, not only during the on-site part but before and after the event. Completing the academy is time-demanding but worth investing time and effort. The preparatory materials support the attunement and provide a solid foundation for the further stages.

In Prague, I had the chance to meet excellent professionals who are, at the same time, kind and humble people. The open and honest climate enabled us to share our thoughts, concerns and plans with our peers.

It was nice to see that the presenters, who are at the top of their profession, did not consider their role as a come-present-run performance but dedicated their time to the group, shared breaks and social events with us.  The dedication and hospitality of the organising team was exceptional.

I also highly appreciate the support provided after the week in Prague. The consultations with my peers on our capstone projects provided new impulses. For me, the individual coaching after the programme turned out to be an invaluable piece of the puzzle.

All these together helped me a lot not only to better understand my role as a manager and accept many of the potential imperfections associated with it but also to discover deficiencies that hindered me in making personal and professional progress and start to correct these.

Even more, I rediscovered my deep-lying objectives and triggers and figured out how to reconcile these with the subsequently emerged ones.”

–Dr Katalin Erdős, Vice Dean of the School, UPFBE

In addition to all this, EA has also contributed significantly to the faculty management’s understanding of the EFMD accreditation system and to their knowledge of the situation and challenges of other schools, thus contributing to the subsequent successful accreditation.

Looking Ahead

For information on the upcoming America’s Stream Executive Academy on 04-08 March 2024 in Miami, Florida, please visit the events page or to secure your spot now, register here.

For other valuable insights, topics and trends about professional development and additional reflections from previous executive academies, follow the conversation here.