Name: Frederic Phipps, 36
Currently: Executive MBA (EMBA) participant at Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University.
Occupation: Liquefied Natural Gas Trading and Supply Manager, Shell Gas and Power International, The Hague.

“At Shell, an MBA is seen as a way of maximising an individual’s contribution to the group. My choice is seen as a positive commitment to grow as a manager. The company allows me to tailor my hours to fit study around commercial deadlines and the needs of the business. Shell recommends MBA programmes from the top ten business schools in the USA and Europe. Both Shell and I see the EMBA as a win-win situation.

“I already had a solid and diverse 10 years of business experience when I decided to join RSM’s Executive MBA programme. My reasoning was that I wanted to go beyond the basics – to get a really strong knowledge platform for future management responsibilities. RSM is known as one of the leading business schools in Europe and I liked the learning philosophy of the school: start with theory, and then implement it in practice. I also valued the international environment and wanted to learn the best practices from different cultural and business perspectives.

“The return on the EMBA investment is life-long. The programme gives you the opportunity to connect with successful and international executives in other industries you would never normally meet, and create very strong affinities with these people. It gives you the tools and concepts to understand issues in-depth and to solve them more efficiently. I am now more sensitive to cultural differences and their business implications. For instance, I recently managed to finalise an important deal with an Arab client because I was able to see the negotiation dynamics from his perspective. You learn how important it is to understand such complexities.

“Ultimately, I think I am gaining confidence and developing emotional maturity. Your decisions become more substantiated; you see the business world with more clarity. I now feel more comfortable dealing with complex or unfamiliar situations. The EMBA is helping me to understand the business I work in at a much higher level, ensuring that I am better prepared for a senior management position.”

The Rotterdam School of Management offers the following MBA programmes:

- International Full-time MBA

- Executive MBA

- Global Executive OneMBA 

Visit Rotterdam School of Management for information on the MBA programmes.