You’ve worked across data analysis, market research, digital marketing, sales, and customer service. What motivated you to take the next step and pursue an MBA that specializes in Digital Transformation at this point in your career?
I have worked across different markets, industries, cultures, and functions, from data analysis and market research to digital marketing, sales, and customer service. After many years of hands-on experience, I reached a point in my career where I felt ready for the next step: to build on what I had learned, strengthen my academic foundation, and open up new career opportunities.
Digital transformation felt like a natural direction because technology and data had already been a common thread throughout different stages of my career. I had seen how quickly digitalization was changing the way companies operate, interact with customers, and make decisions, and I wanted to understand these developments at a deeper and more strategic level. Choosing an MBA rather than a purely technical program was also very intentional. I wanted to complement my existing experience with a broader business education and prepare myself for roles with greater strategic responsibility. There was also a personal dimension to this decision.
For me, starting the MBA was about challenging myself and continuing to grow, both professionally and personally. I also strongly believe in the opportunities that education can create, and I hope that my own journey can encourage other women, particularly women with international backgrounds and working mothers, to continue pursuing their ambitions even when the path is not always straightforward.
Looking back, how have your expectations changed since starting the program? What has surprised you or broadened your original focus on digital transformation and data science?
When I started the Goethe MBA, I had a relatively clear idea of what I expected: to deepen my expertise in digital transformation and data science, and to let that define my next professional step. What I did not expect was how much other areas of the program would shape me. One was the human side of transformation. Through modules on leadership and organizational behavior, I started reflecting on my own leadership style, identifying the strengths I already bring, and the areas I still want to develop. That reflection made the experience far more personal than I had anticipated, and it shifted my focus from "how do organizations transform" to “what kind of leader do I want to be within that transformation.”
Sustainability was another shift. It was not central to my plans when I started, but it has become increasingly important to me‚ not as a separate topic, but as something closely associated with digital transformation and innovation. Entrepreneurship was a genuine surprise. I did not begin the MBA thinking about building my own business idea, but a concept took shape during our study trip to Tallinn. That experience opened up a path I had not seriously considered before. Looking at it now, the MBA broadened my professional interests well beyond where I started, and it also changed how I understand myself as a leader.
How has your understanding of "successful" digital transformation changed during the MBA compared with before?
Before the MBA, I associated successful digital transformation mostly with technology, data, and efficiency. That view broadened considerably during the program, and our study trips to Tallinn and Berlin were central to that shift. In Tallinn, we saw a country that has built both a digital society and a strong startup ecosystem, from the e-Estonia Briefing Centre and X-Road, the secure data exchange platform connecting public and private databases, to the ecosystem that produced companies such as Skype, Bolt and Wise. What struck me was that Estonia's story is not only about the technology itself, but about trust, resilience, transparency, and the courage to experiment, even without a blueprint to follow. During our final startup session, one speaker put it simply: "We Estonians are driven by discontent." Innovation, in that view, starts with dissatisfaction, not accepting inefficiency, complexity, or “this is how it has always been done.”
Berlin reinforced this from a different angle. Across the startups, corporates, and policymakers we met, a recurring theme was that adaptation is rarely blocked by technology; it is blocked by mental, cultural, and structural barriers: fear of the unknown, and a tendency to reward activity over impact. Together, these experiences changed how I define successful digital transformation. Technology is an enabler, but it is not sufficient on its own. What matters as much is whether an organization creates the right conditions: trust, the willingness to challenge existing ways of working, and space to experiment.
You told us that sustainability has become increasingly relevant to you. How has the MBA shaped your view of the link between digital transformation, innovation, and sustainability?
The MBA changed how I think about the relationship between digital transformation, innovation, and sustainability. I now see them as interconnected rather than separate business topics. Digital transformation provides the tools and data to understand problems differently, increase transparency, and measure impact. Innovation turns that into new solutions, processes, and business models. In Berlin, for example, we heard how some industries, cement production being one, cannot decarbonize through renewable energy alone, because much of the CO2 comes from the chemical process itself, making carbon capture and storage a necessity rather than a choice. It was a clear message that doing things sustainably is not always simple or straightforward. Sometimes, to be sustainable, we need to rethink how we do things instead of just using better tools.
Concepts we explored during the MBA, such as the circular economy, Doughnut Economics, and regenerative business, pushed my thinking further, from reducing negative impact toward actively creating positive change. Visiting a biotech startup in Tallinn developing sustainable alternatives to palm oil, coconut oil, and animal fats made this tangible: it showed me what it actually looks like when a business builds sustainability into its core technology rather than treating it as an add-on. That is where social impact has become the biggest shift in my thinking: I am now much more interested in how digital transformation and innovation can create business value while also addressing environmental and social challenges, rather than treating sustainability as a separate consideration.
You recently revisited your original MBA application and scholarship essays. What stood out to you when comparing your initial motivations with where you are today?
Being halfway through the MBA, I was struck by how much of my application and scholarship essays still resonate with me today, though often in ways I did not foresee at the time. When I applied, I was focused on taking the next professional step, and I saw digital transformation and data science as the main direction for my career. At the same time, I wrote strongly about inclusion, empowering women, and using technology to create opportunities and contribute positively to society.
The most significant change is my openness. The MBA has sparked my interest in subjects I had not considered before. It has also encouraged me to be more willing to explore different career paths. Instead of one specific destination, I am now more interested in finding where my experience, my interests, and my desire to make a meaningful contribution come together.
Looking ahead, where do you feel the MBA is taking you? What kinds of problems or opportunities are you now most interested in exploring?
I am particularly interested in opportunities at the intersection of digital transformation, sustainability, and social impact, exploring how business, technology, and innovation can address environmental and social challenges while also creating business value. I am already acting on this. Next semester, I have chosen Biodiversity Business and ESG Reporting as electives to deepen my understanding of sustainability from both a strategic and practical perspective.
The MBA also opened my interest in entrepreneurship. I did not start the program thinking about building my own business, but an idea took shape during our trip to Tallinn that I am continuing to explore. As I move into the final stage of the MBA, I want to deepen these interests and connect them with the experience I already bring from different business functions. I am open to where that combination leads, but I now have a much clearer sense of the challenges I want to work on and the impact I want to create.