Romanian entrepreneurs bring British EMBA program to Cluj to train new generation of business leaders

A new Executive MBA program will be launched in Cluj-Napoca, in February 2015, as a result of a collaboration between local Babeş-Bolyai University, British University of Hull, and local businesses Banca Transilvania and Electrogrup. The business programme is addressed to entrepreneurs and executives with more than three years of experience. The courses will be delivered by teaching staff from the University of Hull, at Babes-Bolyai University. The curricula, teaching and examinations are those of the University of Hull. The programme also includes one module in the UK at the Hull campus. At the end of their studies, the business school graduates will receive the degree from the British university. This MBA is internationally accredited by AMBA (The Association of MBAs), and by AACSB (The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business). “We anticipate that there will be great interest from many high caliber executives in the region, looking to enhance their education and skills through this programme,” said professor Terry Williams, Dean of Hull University Business School. The cost of this EMBA is EUR 15,000 (EUR 7,500 euro/year for two years), which can be paid in instalments. Banca Transilvania offers financing solutions to cover for these costs. Banca Transilvania and Electrogrup, the main supporters of this EMBA program, are two of the largest entrepreneurial projects started in Cluj-Napoca. Banca Transilvania, which was founded 20 years ago by Horia Ciorcila and a group of investors from Cluj, has become the third largest bank in Romania. Electrogrup is one of the largest general contractors of energy and telecom infrastructure projects in Romania, with EUR 41 million turnover in 2013. The company is controlled by Romanian entrepreneurs Teofil and Simion Muresan. None of them had an MBA when they started their businesses, but they now need highly trained people to help grow these businesses in an increasingly demanding business environment, which is one of the motivations for supporting this initiative. “I am glad that this partnership places Cluj in the select community of cities that have international business schools. It is yet another project by means of which Banca Transilvania, contributes to the development and training of leaders for a new business world, ever more demanding and sophisticated,” said Horia Ciorcilă, chairman of the administrative board of Banca Transilvania. “Education is essential to the prosperity of Romanians. We believe that the public-private partnership is very important if we want to provide quality services in the field of managerial education,” said Teofil Muresan, CEO Electrogrup, who recently graduated a MBA program at London Business School. Andrei Chirileasa, andrei@romania-insider.com