Patrick Verdonk holds a Master's degree in Industrial Sciences (Hogeschool van Amsterdam).  When Patrick enrolled for the Executive MBA program, he was working as an Integration Officer/ Project manager at Alcatel-Lucent in Belgium.

 

His Master Thesis included a business plan for an Alcatel venturing track.

Patrick is now eBusiness Program Manager at the Spanish division of Alcatel-Lucent.  'My boss sent me an invitation for an info session at FBS,' Patrick remembers. 'I've always been fascinated by change, so an MBA-program with focus on entrepreneurship certainly appealed to me. It felt like the perfect combination: the building blocks of a traditional MBA-program, plus a strong focus on business development.

 

The program turned out to be an eye-opener in every way. It's as if the investment you made is being paid back to you, simply by giving you the chance to develop your own business plan in the second year. At that point, all the academic theory you gathered in the first year suddenly starts to make sense.

 

The staff's coaching sessions contribute a lot to that result. I'll never forget the sessions about negotiation. It was tough sometimes, but when you succeed, you know you're strong enough to find a solution to whatever problem should come your way in the future.'.