In the plethora of options for professionals to pursue business education, Copenhagen Business School stands out not only for its world-class programmes but also for its authentic commitment to sustainability. Below you will find success stories of participants who embarked on their sustainability journey and secured successful and impactful careers through internships.
The Copenhagen MBA recognises that future business leaders must understand the broader impact of decisions on the environment, society, and long-term corporate success. The curriculum is shaped to address sustainability challenges and opportunities, preparing participants to lead ethically and responsibly in the world post-MBA.
“The field is really moving into the mainstream, and it’s moving to the core of organisations. If you look at environmental and social problems, and also governance problems with regard to corporations, we see that these problems are actually always around us. And some of them are getting more severe over time,” says Andreas Rasche, Professor of Business in Society and Associate Dean of the Copenhagen MBA.
“Our commitment to sustainability is deeply rooted in the Nordic tradition of educating individuals who are passionate about business and compassionate towards our planet and society.”
The programme is the only full-time MBA offered in the Scandinavia and it is spread over an intensive year, designed to foster an informal learning atmosphere with small class sizes, ensuring a personalised and elevated educational experience.
Sustainability is integrated into every aspect of the curriculum through the core courses. On top of this, participants can choose to go a step deeper with the Governance & Sustainability Concentration where corporate governance, compliance management, circular economy, sustainable supply chains, and sustainable finance is explored. The topics are highly engaging as participants examine real-life cases, visit companies, and hear from experts who give testimonials of sustainability in action.
The full-time, one-year programme culminates with the Internship Project, allowing candidates to apply their MBA toolkit to real-world challenges within renowned companies like Ørsted, Danske Bank, Deloitte, Maersk, and Dissing+Weitling.
With a background in audit and Mergers & Acquisitions advisory, Nontawach Soonthornsorn had the ambition to pivot his career towards sustainability. As he was searching for business schools he found a few programmes that focused on sustainability as part of the learning journey.
He elaborates…
“Ultimately, I chose Copenhagen Business School because in Denmark, and Scandinavia in general, there are a lot of leading companies in terms of sustainability. Moreover, in the EU, these companies are also leaders in terms of sustainability regulations, compared to other regions in the world. I now get to experience working in a culture that prioritises sustainability, and the agenda here is relatively advanced.”
– Nontawach Soonthornsorn, Sustainability Analyst at Raison Consulting, Full-Time MBA Class of 2023
Nontawach secured a sustainability-focused internship with Raison Consulting, where he leveraged his MBA learnings in the internship project.
“The Sustainability and Governance Concentration provided insights into Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation in Europe – which is a set of EU rules which aim to make the sustainability profile of funds more comparable and better understood by end-investors. The concentration was practical, and I was able to apply these lessons to my internship project in real time. All four modules of the Concentration widened my lens in sustainability from risk, to governance, to supply chain and more.”
He emphasises, “In the EU, there are many regulations regarding sustainability, and SFDR is one of them. Since these regulations are so new, it is like a black box for the public. In my internship, I conducted research on how the private healthcare sector reacts to the SFDR. I looked at the pool of the largest fund in the EU and saw how they deal with SFDR, with the ultimate goal of creating guidance for smaller funds to implement the SFDR.”
With 7+ years of experience in digital marketing consulting, Damian Starek, transitioned from intern to Strategy Manager at European Energy, a company committed to sustainable energy solutions.
“During my internship, I completed two projects spread across the strategy and the sustainability (ESG) departments. I made recommendations on the market-level strategy that the company should pursue. On the ESG side, I was co-ordinating the development of a double materiality assessment, which forms part of the new EU sustainability reporting requirements and is critical to the development of a corporate, sustainability strategy.”
While an intern, Damian applied his MBA classroom learnings on the regulatory landscape related to sustainability in the EU and globally, which then provided him with thefoundational understanding of the minimum required steps that a company should take.
“I found the courses on stakeholder identification particularly helpful as these allowed me to both identify and pick-out relevant stakeholders that my internship company engages with and assess the impact that the company has on these groups. This translated directly to the output of my work. I also learned about some of the challenges and trade-offs that companies face when it comes to sustainability-related issues. For example, the sourcing of solar panels from some suppliers in China.”
– Damian Starek, Strategy Manager at European Energy, Full-Time MBA Class of 2023
Damian reflects back on the unique proposition of the CBA MBA education, “The Copenhagen MBA aligned with my aspirations. Whilst a lot of other MBA courses are focused on preparing students for traditional industries, such as consulting or investment banking, I feel that the programme prepares the person for a broader range of careers with a focus on sustainability, whilst also teaching the Nordic style of leadership, which is characterised by broad stakeholder participation.”
Christopher Tyler’s four years of experience in managing multicultural teams across Asia prepared him for a career focused on ethical private governance, stakeholder theory, and community empowerment. Christopher decided to undertake the Copenhagen MBA for sustainability as well as the visa-scheme for non-EU citizens.
“I specifically chose the Copenhagen MBA because sustainability is interwoven into most of the MBA courses, to different extents. I was also excited about the opportunity to remain in Denmark for a full-time position, as the Danish visa scheme is quite friendly to non-EU citizens. This was an opportunity other EU MBA programmes did not possess.”
– Christopher Tyler, Analyst at Ramboll Management Consulting, Full-Time MBA Class of 2023
He completed an internship with Ramboll Management Consulting and secured a full-time role post-MBA as an Analyst. His division specialises in Strategic Sustainability Consulting, and in his internship, he primarily focused on the social and governance pillars of responsible business conduct.
“In other words, I focused on how companies can pursue best practices regarding human rights and ethical corporate governance strategies. For example, I worked on supplier risk management systems based on international sustainability frameworks and guided business to align with forthcoming EU non-financial disclosure regulations.”
Christopher clarifies specific lessons of the Sustainability and Governance Concentration that proved to be helpful during his project.
“My work as an intern was entirely about sustainability – so naturally, I used the lessons I learned in the classroom all the time. Andreas Rasche’s courses proved particularly helpful, especially the principles regarding sustainable finance, sustainability in supply chains, and corporate governance. The MBA is highly applicable to my work and has equipped me with the skills to drive change at this level.”
The Copenhagen MBA’s commitment to sustainability goes beyond theory, shaping professionals who lead the way in sustainable business practices. Participants are catalysts for impactful and sustainable change.
School: Copenhagen Business School (CBS)
