“CEMS gave me a truly global mindset” – interview with a former CEMS student now living in Barcelona
You earned your master’s degree at Corvinus and also completed the CEMS program. As an Italian student, why did you choose Hungary and Corvinus for your management studies?
Matteo Grilli: I first discovered Budapest during my bachelor’s studies when I participated in the Erasmus program at BME. Since then, I really fell in love with the city. So once I finished my bachelor’s degree in Bologna, Italy, I started thinking about where to go and where to pursue my master’s degree. I saw that Corvinus University was offering the CEMS program — I fell in love with both the program and the city, so I decided to come to Budapest and do my master’s studies at Corvinus University of Budapest.
Did you know anything about the CEMS program beforehand?
Matteo Grilli: Yeah, I did some research and saw that Corvinus was offering the CEMS program. That’s actually why I chose the university — besides its strong international and national reputation, of course.
How did the CEMS program enrich you, and what additional experiences did it give you?
Matteo Grilli: The program gave me a truly global mindset, for sure. During my CEMS studies, I had the opportunity to spend a semester abroad in Singapore. The program helped me a lot to better understand the international environment in which I wanted to build my career. It also provided me with the soft skills I needed — for instance, how to interact with people from different backgrounds. I’m really making great use of it now that I’m working in a highly international environment in Barcelona.
In your opinion, what was the most important strength of the program?
Matteo Grilli: I think the mindset was the most important factor of the program — definitely the approach to solving challenges.
You’re now living in Barcelona and working as a sales development executive. How do you think your CEMS degree supported you in building such an international career?
Matteo Grilli: I spent the first year of my CEMS double degree program in Budapest and then one semester in Singapore as well. Studying, working, and doing teamwork with my international fellows really helped me adapt to an international environment. The biggest advantage this master’s gave me is definitely the ability to work with people from very different cultural backgrounds.
Who would you recommend to enroll in the CEMS program?
Matteo Grilli: I would recommend it to people who really love to travel and enjoy being in international environments. If you’re an open-minded person who would like to pursue an international career, it’s definitely worth applying to CEMS.