Name: Maria Shkvarunets
CEMS home school: University of Cologne
CEMS host school: Ivey Business School
First NGC project: REBO
Current job title & company: Customer Success Analyst at Everstream Analytics
Can you tell us a little bit about you?
I am originally from Moscow, Russia, but living in Cologne, Germany, for the past 5 years. I am currently working at one tech startup that was developed within DPDHL as a Customer Success Analyst and at the same time volunteering at NGC as a Project Manager. In my spare time, I am doing lots of sports (mostly running and martial arts), reading lots of business and political literature and chilling with friends, usually with a glass of good wine in my hand :)
Can you tell us a fun fact about yourself?
I used to be a professional athlete (in martial arts) and won a couple of World Championships back then :)
How did you first get involved with NGC?
I first joined NGC as a consultant in summer 2018 and was working on a project with a client from Indonesia, helping them refine their indirect sales strategy.
What made you choose to join the NGC board?
I always wanted to contribute to society by being involved in some kind of pro-bono projects where I could use my professional skills and experiences while positively impacting social organizations from different industries
What does your role at NGC entail?
As a Project Manager, I am responsible for planning and executing the entire project according to the initially agreed scope with the client, as well as for coordinating the team of student consultants, assigning to them certain tasks and checking the progress throughout the entire project. Working with other NGC Board members is extremely pleasant since everyone is very motivated to positively contribute to the well-being of the entire organization and to deliver the best possible value to the clients, so to the students.
What do you do for your full-time job?
I am currently working as a Customer Success Analyst at one SaaS startup and helping clients advance their Supply Chain Risk Management (SCRM) practices by adopting our innovative platform into their day-to-day business operations
Is it easy to manage your role at NGC at the same time? Do you have any tips on how to juggle these responsibilities?
Sometimes it indeed gets quite challenging, especially a few weeks before the final deliverables to the client. I usually take some break from my other hobbies and activities during these periods and focus entirely on my job and the NGC project.
What has been one of the best moments at NGC?
The best moment for me is to see happy and satisfied faces as of the clients so of the consultants at the end of the final deliverables. It feels great to realise that the hard work finally paid off and all involved stakeholders gained some value from the project.
Has your role at NGC helped you in your career? And if so, how?
It definitely helps, even if indirectly. I am constantly learning about new business models and getting insights from new industries at the same time improving my project and people management skills, which definitely positively impacts my personal development.
Do you have any tips for students thinking about applying to NCG?
Do not hesitate to apply and please reach out to any of us for more insights about the upcoming projects! Let's together contribute to making this world a bit better ;)