The CEMS experience: already 2 months in Helsinki

The semester has already passed the half way mark as us exchange students are more than settled in the rainy but charming city of Helsinki. Finland and the Finns have been especially nice to us in order for us to settle in and enjoy our exchange to the fullest. With formal and informal activities, we have really been able to relish the Helsinki experience even though we are all so different in our own ways.  From the amnesia inducing Crayfish Party to the insightful company visits, the motto of ‘work hard, play hard’ has been more and more settled in the rhythm of the Helsinki CEMSies. In addition to the wonderful Finnish CEMSies, a special shout-out needs to go out to the older year CEMSies who are showing us internationals how it’s done.

With some big events and trips coming up (Budapest!) in the near future, I can say that we internationals are having a blast here in Helsinki….. And no! We are absolutely not thinking about going home!

Willem Zhan
CEMS exchange student from Rotterdam School of Management

CEMS cottage in October

CEMS 2013-2014 application period has started!

Master's in International Management - CEMS at Aalto is always looking for internationally orientated students who has the potential to become tomorrow's leaders. Talented bachelor graduates (or those graduating as bachelors by next summer) from around the globe with an ambition to pursue a great career are welcome to apply. CEMS does not require previous professional experience is necessary, but candidates should be high-achieving, socially competent, and real team players.

Master's in International Management - CEMS has been accredited as one of the top management programs with over 80% job rate by the Financial Times. Besides that, Master's in International Management - CEMS offers the student tools to further develop him or herself through exclusive courses and an international exchange period. The link between theory and practice is particularly strong in Master's in International Management - CEMS as CEMS has a vast network of corporate partners. CEMS students will work together with one of the corporate partners through the much praised 'Business Project'. Finally, internship opportunities are endless as the CEMS corporate partners and the rest of the business world knows the four letters of CEMS very well. 

The application period has already started and will be closed on the 20th of January of 2014. This seems like a long period, but as with many other applications, the collection of the necessary documents can consume time at a fast rate. CEMS Club Helsinki strongly prompt interested bachelor graduates to think ahead. 

More details on the application can be found here. On the 13th of January 2014, there will be an information session in E-127 (Arkadia). 

We are here already, what about you?

Proudly introducing the CEMS Club Helsinki Board and Teams of fall 2013

The CEMSies of 2013 Fall proudly present its newly elected CEMS club Helsinki Board and Team. We hope to have a blast this semester while trying to keep the CEMS name high! If you are curious to the CEMS Club Helsinki and its members, please feel free to drop us an email at cemsclubhelsinki@gmail.com and we will see what we can do for you.

President

Hello! My name is Miina Tikkanen, and I am the current President of CEMS Club Helsinki. At the age of 26, I’m close to finishing my master’s degree in Management at Aalto University, along with pursuing the double degree in CEMS MIM. The coming spring semester I will be spending in Vienna, Austria, for my term abroad. Joining the CEMS Club was self-evident for me right from the start, since I believe being involved is the best way of getting the most out of the CEMS program – and now I was lucky enough to be chosen as the president. I believe the organizational and team leading experience I’ve gathered from work and various student union activities will help me in this position. For example, last year I worked as the head coordinator of ARENA Career fair, the largest annual career fair organized for business students in Finland. Most recently I’ve also worked in a consultancy firm as summer analyst. My responsibilities as president include mostly coordinative, administrative and representative duties, such as organizing meetings, supporting all the teams, leading the CEMS club, as well as keeping in touch with other CEMS clubs and the CEMS office. My goal for CEMS Club Helsinki in fall 2013 is to improve the visibility of CEMS within the Finnish business society. I also aim at making this semester fun, eventful and a memorable one for all the CEMSies at Aalto.

Vice President

I'm Patrick Obolgogiani, the current Vice President of CEMS Club Helsinki, age 25. I currently study in Aalto School of Business pursuing a Master's degree in Information and Service management, in addition to the international studies of CEMS. My primary reason for joining CEMS Club was having a positive impact on the community and improving the school experience for all CEMS students - including myself. By utilizing my past experience from Sales and Marketing, as well as three years as an entrepreneur, I'm looking to create new resources and ideas for our team. Within the Club, my job is to assist the President in management of the Club, as well as to organize the CEMS Stage 2013 -event. My main goal for 2013 fall is to increase the awareness of CEMS within the Finnish society and Aalto.

Treasurer

My name is Juho Saarinen and I am 26 years old. I will act as the Treasurer of CEMS Club Helsinki for the rest of the year in addition to being the Treasurer of the CEMS Nordic Forum 2014 project as well. My role includes among others managing the finances of the club, budgeting and applying for funding from external counterparties. Aalto is my home university and I will be spending my CEMS exchange period in Cologne during the coming spring. Joining the CEMS Club felt natural to me as I am very interested in extra-curricular activities and anyways wanted to make the most of the CEMS year. My latest job occupation took place at the treasury department of Stora Enso, a Finnish-based pulp, paper and biomaterial company. Besides now being a member of the CEMS Club I have also been involved in many other student union activities during my studies at Aalto. My main goals for CEMS Club Helsinki would be to have lots of fun with other CEMS students and to accomplish all of the the club's planned events successfully.

Communications & PR

My name is Willem Zhan, during this Fall, I will be the filling the role of Communications & PR in the CEMS club board. I am currently 22 years old, Erasmus University is my home university and I am currently pursuing my master's degree in CEMS-MIM at the Aalto University. As an exchange student, joining the CEMS board felt the best way in order to connect with the Finnish students and get the best out of my student life as its is not only about studying. My previous working experience was at a bureau which enabled university students to tutor and help high-schoolers with their curriculum. The experience was great and I had learned a lot on how to communicate in such a way that the opposite party would fully understand your intentions with minimum effort. At communications and PR, I will be the promoter of CEMS on all possible platforms. Furthermore, a blog will be kept with news regarding the CEMS community and general interesting stories to read. My goal will be to promote CEMS and the CEMS club Helsinki to many people as possible.

Alumni Relations

Hi, I am Lisa Portmann, the current Alumni Relations officer at the CEMS Club Helsinki. Currently at the age of 24, I am continuing my master in Corporate Development at my home university, University of Cologne. The CEMS board enables me to be really involved in the student life and atmosphere because studying full time is just too bland. In the past, I have worked for several companies as an intern in order to search for the perfect job position in the future. During these experiences I have gained valuable knowledge and acquired substantial motivation for my future projects. At Alumni Relations, I will form the bride between current CEMSies and the CEMS alumni. My main goal is to maintain and reinforce this relationship between the old and new generation by planning numerous fun events and the mentor program. In this way, the CEMS community will always stay together.

Corporate Relations

My name is Veronika Georgieva and I am currently serving on Board of CEMS Club Helsinki responsible for Corporate Relations. Aalto School of Business is my home University and Nova Business School in Portugal is my next destination for the Spring semester. I am excited to get this opportunity to join the Board and to further enhance cooperation between companies and students. The position provides me with the chance to connect CEMS students with outstanding companies and to give my fellow students possibility to interact with companies’ representatives in relaxed and informal settings. I am currently working as Sales Manager at Finnish IT company MultiTouch Ltd that offers interactive displays to the wide variety of business clients across the globe. The skills that I acquired while performing my job greatly help me to serve the Board responsibilities more effectively. As Corporate Relations Board Member, together with a great support of my team, I am actively involved into keeping our students close to corporate world. There are exclusive CEMS Club company visits and case solving events are coming in the next few months. Hope to see as many of you as possible there!

Social & Humanitarian Team Representative: Events Marketing

Hey all! My name is Jasper Wierda, a Dutchie from Erasmus University in Rotterdam studying International Management. At CEMS Club Helsinki, I am responsible for Events Marketing and I am also one of the Coordinators in the Social & Humanitarian Team. Together we strive to increase the bonds between all CEMS students, but also in making CEMS and its events better known to other ambitious candidates. CEMS is great, a perfect environment for honing your intercultural skills. I for example, like to experience differences between cultures, something I discovered while doing voluntary work in both India and Nepal. This had been one of my main reasons for joining CEMS. I have always been an active student in several study associations at my home university. During 2012-2013 I even joined the full-time board of Faculty Association Asset, overlooking the interests of over 6000 students at Tilburg University, and acted as Chairman of Asset | Strategy & Logistics. Becoming active is cool! It provides you a good opportunity for practicing business skills, building important sustainable relationships and it is great fun as well. That’s why I joined CEMS Club Helsinki as well, a decision that has resulted in an amazing time in Finland so far. You know, some say Finnish people are cold at start, but they quickly turn out to be very nice and loyal friends.

Social & Humanitarian Team Representative: Social Events

I'm Janina Åhlgren, a 24-year-old CEMSie from Aalto University. I handed in my Master's Thesis last August and will now focus on the CEMS studies and related activities with great enthusiasm. After this fall, I'm heading for Canada to do my student exchange at Ivey. I think getting connected with like-minded people is one of the best things student life can offer - this is why I'm representing the Social Events team in the CEMS board. With my track record in organizing various kinds of student affairs in the past, I believe my contribution for CEMS Club Helsinki is valuable. The event calendar planned by the our team shows that there is a lots of exciting activities and affairs coming up this fall! The details will be communicated via Facebook and/or email.

Social & Humanitarian Team Representative: Wellness Events

I’m Tuukka Väisänen, a 24-year-old CEMS MIM & M.Sc. Finance student from Aalto University, Helsinki. This fall, I’m a member of the CEMS Club Helsinki board as a part of the Social Events team. With the team, we are planning and carrying out all the fun social activities during the fall following the “Work hard, play hard” mentality. I have been participating in plenty of extracurricular school-related activities during my studies already, but I had never been a member of the board of an organization. I want to contribute to the mutual goal of having a great CEMS semester in Helsinki and also develop CEMS Club Helsinki at the same time. Currently, I am also the other one of two vice chairmen of the representative council of KY, the student association of business students at Aalto University. I recently finished an internship at the State Treasury of Finland, where besides different accounting tasks I prepared analyses of e.g. productivity of Finnish governmental organizations. While the internship enhanced my analytical skills, I hope to improve my organizational skills as a member of the CEMS Club Helsinki board, and further to learn to multitask under the pressure of a demanding study curriculum.

Social & Humanitarian Team

The Social team is all about relaxation and amusement for the CEMS students. Our enthusiastic members are Bence, Jasper, Tuukka and Janina. Our main goal is to organize events for current CEMSies and alumni in order to enjoy the students life. Let's face it, achieving goals is useless unless it can be celebrated.

Corporate Relations Team

Corporate Relations team is responsible for bridging CEMS students with companies. Our team consists of Olga, Veronika, Jussi and Sharad. We are looking for ways for CEMS students to visit outstanding companies, to have excursions to their premises and to have social events together. Our main goal is to provide CEMS students with opportunities to closely communicate with company representatives, learn about working environment, career opportunities and of course to have fun together with them!

Alumni Relations Team

Alumni Relations is the connecting factor between the current CEMSies, the previous CEMSies and the CEMS alumni. We, Katharina and Lisa, will show that the CEMS spirit goes on even after graduation. It is our goal to maintain and reinforce the connections between all CEMSies regardless of their status now