Where is MIM Business School Ukraine currently operating and running its programmes from and where are the school’s students working and studying from? “All this time MIM Business School has been operating in Kyiv. In April 2022, less than two months after the start of the war, we resumed our programmes online for students and launched two new pre-MBA groups. Some students enlisted or joined territorial defence units and suspended their studies, but most decided to continue despite the crisis and the challenges of war. “In February of the same year, the debris of a missile damaged our building, but it did not take us long to restore everything. That autumn, we resumed in-person MBA classes and in early 2023, we held in- person graduation ceremonies for our MBA and senior executive MBA classes. These were emotional events that brought our close-knit community closer together and demonstrated our resilience. We felt invincible. “Today, most of our students are in Ukraine, concentrated in the cities of Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Poltava or Odesa. We also have students from Mariupol and other cities that are either occupied or in war zones. They are mostly joining online and continue their studies from their new places of residence. “Even before the pandemic, we had started to implement the HyFlex format so that we could teach students both in the classroom and online. We have all the necessary equipment and create the effect of presence to engage both offline and online students seamlessly in the learning process.” Can you tell us about your most recent intake of MBA students, their two-year programme of study and their ambitions in a time of conflict? “The new MBA programme started with 28 students, with 25 more people joining our senior executive MBA programme. Enrolment coincided with the peak of massive missile attacks on Ukraine’s infrastructure and civilian targets. It was very difficult to plan, especially for two years in advance, but our entrepreneurs and managers were interested in these programmes, they were enquiring about the course and were applying. “The main goal of these participants is to accelerate Ukraine’s economic victory. The business community is working hard in regions free from military actions, paying taxes and volunteering. Moreover, those who have relocated abroad are helping to establish the reputation of Ukraine and Ukrainian business outside the country. These people will become the leaders of
our country’s revival. They understand that they need to be ready for the effective reconstruction of their homeland and that this is the best time to acquire and improve their knowledge, skills and competencies. “We are proud that Taras Chmut, head of respected charity Come Back Alive, joined our 2023 MBA class. This foundation has helped Ukraine’s military for many years and brought its activities to a new level last year. The charity’s founder and Ukraine’s current deputy minister of defence Vitaliy Deynega is also an MBA alumnus of MIM. “Our MBA programme has been updated, with a curriculum that reflects military realities in Ukraine and global macroeconomic changes. Furthermore, to lay the foundation for the restoration of Ukraine’s economy, we have added an international online component that features leading business schools from across the world and their faculty.” Why is it important for your school to continue offering programmes during a time of conflict? “MIM was the first business school in the post-Soviet region to offer an MBA programme. For more than
12 Business Impact • ISSUE 3 • 2023
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