Need a taxi? No problem! More than 60 cities worldwide are served by Bolt, with the EBS graduate Martin Villig being one of the founders. Those, who wish to travel and head to Tallink ships, may not even know that EBS alumna Piret Mürk-Dubout is on the company’s board. Several of our graduates are engaged in clothing business. Karel Loide manages the international clothing and footwear chain Fifaa, and Kriss Soonik-Käärmann has created her own design lingerie brand.
EBS graduates are also among top managers in the public sector. For instance Rain Laane, Chairman of the Management Board of the Estonian Health Insurance Fund and Madis Müller, the President of the Bank of Estonia. Pop quiz: which of Estonia’s Prime Ministers are EBS graduates? Correct answer: Tiit Vähi, who graduated from EBS in 1990 as part of the second class, and Kaja Kallas, whose study years spanned the first decade of the 21st century.
Professor Olav Aarna recalls how in the first half of 1990s a considerable number of top managers in the Estonian public and private sector got their primary business and administration knowledge in EBS. The reasons are quite mundane: there were no other schools in Estonia teaching business and administration on such a level in Estonia. The environment has changed in the 21st century and academic opportunities are worldwide. Nonetheless, EBS has positively influenced the development of the Estonian management culture, both through its successful graduates and research.
How would a 1997 graduate characterise Estonian Business School and its development? Estonian Business School is a private school – undoubtedly a new phenomenon in the Estonian education system. All new ventures entail a risk. We took a risk with the newborn school and the uncertain future. By today, we are the graduates of an accredited university. The first major risk that we took by opting for Estonian Business School has paid off. In four years, we have seen how the “risk and reward” ratio has constantly improved.
Employees are always dissatisfied with two things – their salary and their bosses. Similarly: students are seldom pleased with the tuition fee and lecturers. The graduates of 1997, however, experienced the satisfaction after graduation. The results of the work carried out by the school and lecturers cannot be assessed during the studies, but only in the course of years, with success and competitiveness in business serving as the criteria.
When we analyse the development of Estonian Business School, we realise that, in the present economic situation where top-level specialists are few, Estonian Business School has succeeded in engaging many of the renowned specialists among these few, aiming at providing an education which is able to keep up with the dynamic economy. You are studying administration, finance, marketing and many other fields of economy When you try to envision the management of a business university, you probably have to admit that running an industrial company or financial institutions is much easier than running a private school in the present economic conditions.
The quality of the education provided by Estonian Business School depends on the efforts made by the school management, but also by the students. Therefore, we all have a responsibility to the school’s development. Even more so, considering that the school is so young. Students play an important role in creating and maintaining traditions.
Many of the students of Estonian Business School study and work at the same time. Working while studying is possible, but studying while working is much more difficult. The better and more profound the education, the bigger your chances for a good starting position for the future career. Not everyone is able to become a student of Estonian Business School – it requires ambition, enthusiasm and risk appetite. Together with a good education, the above characteristics provide a strong foundation for competing on the labour market.
Source: Estonian Business School Yearbook 1997