But is 6200 alumni a lot or a little? Arguably it’s just the right amount, because one of the strengths of EBS is its small, cosy community, where everyone knows their fellow students and lecturers not just by face, but by name. It goes without saying that such an environment promotes warm relations between students: auditoriums have often brought together future business partners.
As tends to be the way with business schools, nearly a fifth of EBS graduates have started one or more businesses. Around a third of alumni are employed as senior or middle managers, with nearly half working for international companies. Alumni are also represented among public sector leaders. As such, the impact that ebsters have on the management culture of Estonian organisations, on the country’s economy and therefore on the lives of people in Estonia is by no means modest.
After all, Chancellor Madis Habakuk’s EBS credo puts the well-being of our alumni – and through them the success of the school and society as a whole – very much in the first place.
Mart reflects on the fact that the impact EBS has in society depends on how capable and ambitious its students are. “Universities fight for talent,” he says. “EBS’s trump card isn’t so much that we hoover up all that talent, but how much of the potential that’s hidden in people we’re able to unlock. I think we’re as good at that as we are because as a small university we’re able to offer a personalised approach.”
Randy Padar, a former professional footballer turned entrepreneur and investor who graduated from EBS in International Business Administration in 2020, feels that EBS has a prominent role to play in society as a trainer of leaders in both the public and private sectors. “As a centre of excellence, EBS is first-rate,” he says. “It’s also a great place to fashion yourself into a leader. The way I see it, the environment around them is 20 times stronger than a person’s will. If you’re with five smokers, you’re the sixth smoker. When you’re with five really amazing people, you become a sixth amazing person. EBS is a small but amazing community, and that’s a gift that keeps on giving even when university’s over, because everyone stays in touch.”
Piret Mürk-Dubout, a member of the management board of the Tallink Group, graduated from EBS in 2006 with an MBA degree. She says the course was greatly enhanced by the fact that its students included both experienced managers and newcomers taking their first steps in the world of management. “Everyone got to exchange ideas and you learned from everyone,” she smiles. “After we graduated, a sort of support group of fellow students formed who we’d call to discuss things or ask for advice. It’s like a club we’re all part of.”
Kerli Ats, who leads the Estonian Farmers Federation and earned her Master’s in Entrepreneurship from EBS in 2017, has had a similar experience to Piret. “A proper little community developed on our course,” she explains. “We were all different ages and came from different professional backgrounds, which was really interesting and stimulating. I put so much store in learning from other people.” A year after completing her Master’s degree, Kerli decided to pursue a PhD. “I chose EBS for it precisely because my Master’s studies had been so practical and such a strong network of students and lecturers had taken shape,” she says. “That’s why I decided EBS was the best place to continue my education.”