"MIB program gave me efficiency and self-confidence to work on any project anywhere in the world"
Vincent Kersuzan, current MIB second-year student, tells about his international experience and life in Russia.
Current job: Consultant (intern) in Public Affairs and Communication
Prior education: Master’s degree in Public Affairs and Politics
Professional areas of interest: Public Affairs, Entrepreneurship, Lobbying
Languages proficient in: French, English, German
Someone you admire: Elon Musk
First of all, could you share with us, what was your motivation to pursue a master’s degree in Russia? And how do you find your experience of studying and living in Moscow so far?
After finishing my master’s degree in Public Affairs in France, I received an interesting job offer, but I didn’t feel like accepting it. I wanted to broaden my knowledge and interests. I had written several thesis all along my previous curriculum, all of them related to economic and business interests linked to the European Union and Russia. So it came as a logic next step for me to develop myself in a more international perspective, related to Russia and to business: it is how I decided to apply to this program.
Why, out of all the master’s programs offered by the leading Russian universities, you decided to pursue Master of International Business at the HSE?
There were at least two arguments that made me decide to apply to HSE and not to other universities or programs. The first one is that HSE is one of the leading universities in Russia, the rising star, with a high quality of education and maybe the one that meet the best international standards. Being rewarded of a degree respecting in one hand international curriculum and, on the other hand, recognized abroad was a necessity. Secondly, HSE is maybe the only Russian university offering such a good quality of education in English. Being not proficient in Russian was never a problem with the MIB and HSE administration. About the Master of International Business, it was to meet professional goals. Also, the MIB program, being fully professionally oriented, had schedules compatible with full-time work activities.
Your studies at HSE MIB are almost over. How were your expectations met?
My expectations were fully met. Indeed we had theoretical classes, but also very professionalizing ones, with a lot of amazing speakers sharing with us their experience. I was able to understand better international companies and their competitive environment, as well as develop entrepreneurial and management skills. Also I discovered new interests, such as lobbying and business development.
Can you share with us some of the most exciting or challenging moments?
The most challenging part was clearly to work and study at the same time. To meet the level of expectations for the MIB program while working was, indeed, an intense – but rewarding –experience. There were several exciting moments, especially to work on several projects, virtual or real ones, with different teams. Those projects were the MIB experience that I was waiting for.
Courses and lecturers you find the most exciting, and why?
Irina Kratko in Entrepreneurship opened my entrepreneurial mind. The course was one of the most interesting ones, with the possibility to develop our own team project with a high level of expectation and goals to meet. Irina gave us a lot of important insights and comments, as well as provided speakers that were able to help us to match reality as close as possible – almost making the project feeling real, and for some of them to make them possible to implement. In general, all the lecturers were open minded and sharing with us their own experience, also giving us tips for our future careers. That was a very valuable thing to match with the theoretical knowledge we acquired.
In your opinion, what are the most important and useful skills you acquire while being an MIB student?
I gained a lot of useful skills as a MIB student studying in Russia. Beside entrepreneurship that I already described, it gave me efficiency and self-confidence to work on any project, anywhere in the world. It made me think that everything is possible – or at least not impossible anymore (being French never meant for me that “Impossible does not exist, it is not French” as one day Napoleon said).