Petr Homolka, Project Manager

Home school: University of Economics, Prague, Czech Republic
Host school: GSOM, St Petersburg, Russia
Original NGC project: Jusoor, Summer 2019

Welcome to the NGC Board, Petr! Can you tell me a little bit about yourself? How did you first get involved with NGC?

Well, in a nutshell, I come from the Czech Republic, I started the CEMS program in the Fall of 2018 in Prague, and I did my exchange in St. Petersburg in the Spring of 2019. On a personal note, I used to play football as a kid, and, at some point, I was a semi-professional, but it is just a hobby now.

Before and during my first year of the CEMS program, I worked with some NGOs, and I knew that I wanted to keep this kind of work in my life, so I was proactively looking for ways to do that. I didn’t find an internship last summer, but I didn’t want to just waste it doing nothing, so I was really glad to have found the opportunity to work on an NGC summer project.

I thought the Jusoor project sounded really intriguing and challenging and was going to be a great fit with my studies and prior work experience since one of the NGOs I used to work in Prague with was helping kids that came from socially disadvantaged family backgrounds, and I would help and tutor them after school. Also, as a true CEMSie, I appreciated the international aspects of my situation – a Czech student, spending his summer in Paris, helping kids from Syria.

Since your experience is still fairly fresh, is there anything, in particular, you would want to highlight about the Jusoor project?

Well, as predicted, the project turned out great. I enjoyed working on this topic, alongside other CEMSies, and delivering value to the client.

The team was put together like a well-fitting puzzle – I learned quickly that all CEMSies are super bright and excel at certain things. Identifying those strengths and leveraging them was the key to maximize our results. I enjoyed the vibes and dynamics within our team, and I felt like I was part of something truly valuable.

I also enjoyed working with the client, on the challenge at hand. Coincidentally Grace Atkinson, the CEO of Jusoor was also in Paris during the project, so we were able to meet up a few times, and I really enjoyed this personal aspect. I learned a ton both from her directly and from working on the project about the political situation and changes in the region, which is also one of my major interests.

Additionally, I felt throughout the project that our work is appreciated and not taken for granted, which kept me motivated. I think whenever you volunteer or work for an NGO, this rewarding feeling is your ultimate engine.

That sounds great! So, if I understand correctly, you are finishing up your studies right now, writing your thesis, getting ready to get your career started. What are your plans?

Exactly. Thanks to COVID-19, my plans are yet to be seen. Originally, I would be in Amsterdam right now, working for Heineken, but my internship was canceled. I was supposed to be a project manager for a sustainability project in Africa, Middle East, and Eastern Europe.

This leaves me more time to work on my thesis. I finally seem to have found the perfect topic for it. One of my friends, who is approximately the same age as me, has been suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome for over a year now, and there is barely any knowledge and awareness about this, and a very limited amount of help from the government or the “system”. Since I am also looking into starting my own NGO here, in Prague, I want to merge these two endeavors, and research and write my thesis about starting an NGO in the Czech Republic for this issue.

Of course, ultimately, I will need to look for a job that will pay the bills, but this is my primary focus for the summer, and we will see what opportunities arise. A lot depends on the pandemic, as well, so I am pretty open in terms of industries and companies.

I see, so you are definitely keeping busy, and you also took on the project manager role at NGC. What are you looking to take away from this, and what are you planning to implement as a new PM?

Even though I do have some experience running a team as I was one of the main directors of the V4 conference in Prague, I would certainly like to learn more about managing and leading people. I am also looking forward to the diverse and challenging work environment – learning all sorts of things from clients and CEMSies alike.

As a new PM, I would love to find ways how to help all the consultants get the same kind of experience I had while working with Jusoor. I am sure that most of them will have so much to offer and I see my role as of someone who will try to keep them motivated and ideally mix the best possible cocktail of their knowledge and skills in order to deliver superb results for our clients.

Thanks for your time Petr, and I wish you the best of luck with your debut Speed Up Education project as our PM!

Maria Shkvarunets, Human Resources Manager

Home school: University of Cologne, Germany
Host school: Ivey Business School, Canada
Original NGC project: Nazava, Summer 2018
Current position: Customer Success Analyst @ DHL Resilience360

Welcome to the board of NGC, Maria! What should we know about your background?

Thanks, very happy to be here! I am originally from Moscow, Russia, but I’ve been living abroad since 2016 when I started my CEMS studies in Cologne. I did my exchange at Ivey Business School, in Canada, and, after graduation, I joined DHL – first, as an intern, and later as an in-house consultant. I ended up in my current customer success analyst role at DHL Resilience360 last December, and I love it!

Speaking of consulting, how did you first get involved with NGC?

I joined NGC as a consultant in the summer of 2018. I was working on the Nazava Water Filters project. This enterprise is based in Indonesia, and its social purpose is to provide people with safe drinking water. I strongly admire social enterprises that aim to improve people's lives around the world, hence, I was very excited to contribute to such a great project.

You may assume that working on a pro bono consulting project during the summer is too much of a hassle but for me, it was the best option as I had more free time to dedicate to it, even while simultaneously doing an internship in Rwanda at one of the local logistics startups.

What I found really cool was the flexibility of the project. The client got interested in my internship and asked me to extend the project scope by developing the business in Rwanda and the neighboring countries, which I gladly did.

I think it is really important to realize for everyone who considers applying that your profile and activities could have hidden synergies with certain clients and projects that could translate into new challenges and development opportunities, so I would strongly recommend everyone to definitely give the application a try.

All in all, working on the Nazava case was a great experience, and the rewarding feeling at the end of the project was definitely worth the effort, that’s why I applied to become a member of the board.

It sounds like you left consulting at DHL and came back to it at NGC now. How come?

Exactly. As many CEMS graduates, I also decided to give corporate consulting a shot but soon realized that I am more passionate about more dynamic environments and decided to switch to a startup, which is called Resilience360, that was initially developed within the innovation division of DPDHL. I also enjoy the wide selection of challenges and the opportunity to work directly with clients and see the positive impact I am creating for them first-hand.

As for NGC, I wanted to start volunteering and giving back to society, but not necessarily in a physical way as I think my skill set is better suited elsewhere. I find the work of social enterprises very inspiring and contributing to their success as an HR manager is a new challenging task for me.

I also really like that NGC is a rather small, flexible, and constantly developing organization. As I already mentioned, I prefer working in smaller, more agile environments as opposed to larger ones. I feel like my voice is better heard and my impact is more palpable when it doesn’t have to cut through thick layers of hierarchies.

Right, so what are your plans and expectations as our new HR manager?

To be honest, I never thought about becoming an HR manager, but after talking to Chiara, whom I studied together in Canada with and whom I am currently replacing in this role, I got very inspired by the new challenges and learning opportunities and decided to give it a shot. At the moment, I am super excited to take on this journey.

By the way, there is another interesting side of NGC that I would like to highlight. You can try yourself in different roles within the organization without committing your whole life to it. You can develop different skills, internalize new knowledge, learn more about yourself, and translate all these gains into different areas of you”. For example, Chiara is now NGC’s new business development manager, and I would like to congratulate her on this new role and wish her lots of success.

Anyway, as I would describe myself as a novice in the realm of HR, I am definitely planning to start with some research – what are the best practices of other organizations, how do others accomplish these tasks in the best way.

What I am especially looking forward to are the insights from the “other side”. As an applicant, I have submitted my CV and cover letters numerous times and I have been a participant in many interviews. Now I get to see and experience what is it like to be on the hiring side.

Reading people is one of the most useful skills in life, and I expect to develop this skill, as well as to do an increasingly better job in my role. My ultimate goal is to put together the best possible teams for our projects. It often comes down to not just the excellency of the applicants but rather their cultural fit – both with NGC and with each other, within their project teams.

I heard from our project managers that you did a really great job putting together the teams for our summer projects. Can you tell us a bit about your process and strategy?

Yes, it was indeed very rewarding to hear that my first assignment to build the teams for our summer projects was successful and that the teams had great kick-off calls. First, I paid particular attention to the structure and the content of candidates’ CVs. Second, prior consulting experience, whether professional or through some academic activities and student clubs, helped me identify the candidates who are truly passionate about consulting. Third, it was important to see why exactly was a candidate interested in a particular project. Finally, when building the teams, I also had to partially rely on my “gut feeling” regarding whether the consultants will fit together and will be able to deliver great results to our clients as a team. I wish all of our fresh consultants great success in their summer assignments.

Even though it is a little bit out of the scope of our main topic, I can’t help but congratulate you on your sports accomplishments. How did you become a World Grappling Champion?

I have been involved in fighting sports such as grappling and jiu-jitsu since I was 8 years old. I got into the Russian national grappling team at the age of 16, and in 2012 I became a World Grappling champion. I was a member of the national team until the end of my Bachelor studies. After moving to Germany, I competed a few times, but now I am only doing it as a hobby.

Alright, so it seems that people should really do their best to be on good terms with you :) Maria, thanks a lot for your time and insights, I really enjoyed our conversation! Do you have anything to add as parting words?

Thanks for the interview, Andrea, I really enjoyed our conversation, as well! As for my final words, I would like to encourage all CEMSies interested in social entrepreneurship, consulting, and volunteering to apply for our projects and experience for themselves all that one can get out of the NGC experience – both on a professional and on a personal level. I am looking forward to receiving your CVs during our next application period in the fall :)

Veronika Logvinova, Head of Project Managers

Home school: WU, Vienna, Austria
Host school: VŠE, Prague, Czech Republic
Original NGC project: La Plataforma, Spring 2017
Current position: Senior Materials Manager @ Hilti Group

Welcome back to NGC, Veronika! Can you tell me a little bit about your background?

Thanks, happy to be back! I am originally from Russia, Saint Petersburg, but I moved abroad 8 years ago. I completed my Bachelor’s degree in Finland, with various international student exchanges, and then my Master’s in international management at WU, Vienna, with an exchange semester in Prague. After graduation, I started working at Hilti, and, to this day, I am very happy with my decision.

You have been working as a consultant, a project manager, an international relations manager, and a business development manager at NGC before – altogether almost 2 years, quite the resume! What made you want to come back as head of project managers?

Well, my story with NGC had a bit of a bumpy start, actually. My application as a consultant was rejected twice, but I was really excited to get in, so I asked for some feedback because I felt a really good fit with the projects I applied for. I was wondering if I could improve my motivation letter or CV before my next application, but I was told that it just came down to some applicants having more relevant experience for those specific projects.

My drive and motivation, however, stuck with the HR manager, Carole, and, as soon as some free-riders needed to be replaced, I was asked to jump in, and pick up the slack for the team, which I was more than happy to do. The project was infectious. I enjoyed working on a new and exciting topic (FinTech in Latin America), with various nationalities, so I took the opportunity to continue as a project manager, where I lead 5 projects throughout the next year. Then, I moved into my next two roles, until I had to take a break due to some personal issues.

This abrupt exit, however, never quite felt like the end of my journey with NGC. I knew that as soon as things settle, I want to continue giving back to society in my spare time, so learning about this new opening came at the perfect moment. I’m really looking forward to further learn and develop in this new role while, hopefully, also utilizing the skills and knowledge I gained from my previous positions.

You have a super interesting-sounding job at Hilti Group in Liechtenstein as a senior materials manager. What exactly does this position entail, how did you end up at Hilti, and what skills did you learn at NGC that you are able to utilize in your current work?

My role is a combination of an operational purchaser and a logistics project manager. It provides a great overlook of all aspects of supply chain management. I used to be an intern at Bosch, and I wanted to continue my career in this industry. As a CEMSie, I heard a lot of positive things about Hilti, and, after two 6-month internships, I stayed on full-time.

Even though mine is not your typical consulting career path many CEMSies choose after graduation, I can still utilize many skills I honed during my NGC involvement. First, communication skills. They are so important, no matter the path you take! Second, chances are, you will also work with people from diverse backgrounds, and, at NGC, you learn how to better handle the nuances of multi-cultural teams. Third, project management skills are a core aspect of my current job. With NGC, I learned how to be flexible in a fast-paced environment, how to prioritize and delegate tasks, and how to deliver the results to various stakeholders.

Thanks a lot for sharing all this with us, Veronika! To wrap it up, as we are currently recruiting for our summer projects, why do you think CEMSies should apply to become NGC consultants?

Sure, anytime! I truly believe that being involved in a social consulting project is a fun and rewarding way to spend your summertime. This is a great opportunity to utilize your knowledge and get connected with other CEMSies, while also contributing to society. If somebody needs a motivational push, I should also mention that this experience will look great on your CV and will open up opportunities to enter the NGC board afterward.