As MBA students increasingly value making a social impact over financial gain, the Danish capital stands out as a shining bastion of social responsibility, sustainability and the circular economy. Its goal: to be carbon-neutral by 2025.
“I want to work in a place where my work will have an impact,” says Georgianna Carlson, a half Swedish, half Filipino MBA student at Copenhagen Business School and member of Net Impact, a global non-profit student organization, which uses business skills to foster positive social and environmental change.
“Copenhagen was the best place to start,” she continues. “In other countries, [social responsibility] is sort of talked about like it’s there, but it’s not a main focus. Here, it really is.”
The Copenhagen MBA’s central focus is on responsible management and sustainability. And new generations of well-intentioned international MBA students arrive in Copenhagen year after year.
With an emphasis on flexibility and work-life balance, the Danish capital is particularly appealing for young professionals looking to have children.
And it’s been consistently ranked by the World Bank as the easiest place to do business in Europe, making the city an equally attractive location for aspiring entrepreneurs.
“The start-up scene is really starting to pick up,” says Charles Burns, who swapped strategic marketing consulting in London to pursue a career in Copenhagen.
“There is a strong, supportive community of entrepreneurs here, [who are] willing to chat and mentor [you],” he says.
Denmark came fourth in 2015’s global entrepreneurship index and Copenhagen is at the core of the country’s thriving tech scene, which has given birth to global success stories like online takeaway service Just Eat. Copenhagen MBA alumni have also ventured onto the start-up scene, one example being the multilingual web platform VoiceBoxer.
For MBA students looking to kick-start careers in Copenhagen, the city’s leading business school is the perfect launch-pad. In 2014, 80% of full-time students on the Copenhagen MBA found roles in Denmark after graduation.
“The school provides a lot of fantastic opportunities to network and meet really influential business leaders,” explains Georgianna, who relocated from New Zealand for her MBA, and who also lived in London.
“Copenhagen is the best of both worlds,” she says. “You still have a big city feel with a lot of things going on, but it’s a clean city and you can walk or bike everywhere.”
Charles agrees: “The lack of traffic when compared to other cities is what really stands out. Bicycles are everywhere and the change is super noticeable: less noise and less pollution.”
One of the world’s greenest and most liveable cities is also home to a thriving social scene, with attractions including Tivoli, a popular 19th century amusement park.
“The city has a huge range of bars, many of them with live music,” says Charles. “They close late, which means you can have many a long chat while sheltering from the icy winter!”
Copenhagen Business School’s MBA program closes its second application round on 11 April and is hosting an open day for aspiring MBA students on 13 April..
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