NANYANG EXECUTIVE MBA

It More Than Doubly Met My Expectations

Ken Koort, 37, is Chairman of the board of Diamond Group, a holding company registered in the Republic of Estonia. The group holds shares in real estate, IT, fuel, and aviation company Diamond Sky, of which Ken is CEO. Diamond Sky operates and manages private and business aircrafts inside EU and CIS countries. Ken is a pilot himself. He and his wife Kristiina are also partners in their family loud-speaker business.

Ken Koort –
Nanyang EMBA, Class of 2015

Ken has a degree from the Moscow State University for International Relations. He recently obtained an Executive MBA with an Aviation track from NBS. It happened quite almost serendipitously. Years ago, Ken was visiting IATA (International Aviation Transport Authority) training centre in Geneva which had a joint programme with University of Geneva; after an intensive interview with the director of the programme he was given a recommendation to apply to NBS/NTU instead.

Ken spent a year thinking about and researching MBA programmes worldwide. He finally decided to join the MBA programme in Singapore, based on its excellent reputation and the quality of the faculty which is highly regarded worldwide. He had also been working in aviation for years, and was attracted to its Aviation track, which is unique in the world. (The EMBA also offers tracks into shipping, hospitality and General Management.) He knew it was the right programme for him.

Another important consideration – Ken had lived and travelled widely around Europe; he had also undergone training in the US; but Asia was a region he had had little experience with. He was keen to know more about how it worked, its culture, and certainly more about the potential of the aviation market.

He did not regret his decision. He said, “It more than met than doubly met my expectations.”

He greatly enjoyed his “eye-opening experience”. He learnt to see things differently via the brainstorming sessions, with classmates who came from all over the world, providing rich exchanges on both the business and social arenas. They also brought their different corporate experiences from their own companies, for example, one classmate brought his experience of running an airport, which added hugely to the overall learning.

Ken was also impressed by the quality of the professors and the range of expertise and networks they had between them. He liked that the course was well- structured and the programme well-organised. The case studies were similar to those you could get from Harvard and other top business schools, so he was able to learn about best practices from around the world. He said confidently that he speaks for the other classmates as well, to say that as a whole they were very satisfied with the programme. Plus, he added, “We had our own chef (one of the classmates) during course, what more can you want?”

To those still debating whether to do an MBA, he says, “Do it. You get a better qualification, and you develop a lot of important skills which will help enormously in your career.” He adds though, “Because you will be spending 18 months of your life doing it, choose your university and programme wisely.” 

The Nanyang Executive MBA is a part-time 13-months programme that is designed for senior leaders aspiring to innovate and transform the way they lead. The programme aims to embrace the connection between business, technology, and innovation to deliver a relevant curriculum to business leaders to excel in global environments and adapt to each new wave of digital change.

Download the Nanyang Executive MBA brochure

Click here to learn more about the Nanyang Executive MBA programme or contact us at execmba@ntu.edu.sg.