PwC Mini MBA Interview

Miro Smolovic

PwC Mini MBA Trainer

Who can benefit from attending the Mini MBA programme with PwC and how?


This programme is designed for all people who are already making management decisions and can influence business.

Our experience by now has been very positive, even with CEOs, who said that the programme helped them to update their knowledge and to get in touch with more operational levels of management.

On the other side, we have many managers with technical background who said that the programme helped them understand broader aspects of business and helped them think more strategically.

It is also a great solution for key talents on the succession bench for a more senior level of leadership.

 

Please give some examples of how the Mini MBA impacted the lives of your participants:

The feedback from our alumni said that completing the Mini MBA had completely changed their perspective over the business.

We have examples of people who successfully transformed their own businesses, people who reported important changes in their career due to new skills they acquired and even several Mini MBA students who continued their education on world renowned universities inspired by what they learned during our Mini MBA.

What is the difference between a Mini MBA and a regular one?

The Mini MBA has all the ingredients of a traditional MBA however, it does not replace a regular one, in any way. It is rather an intense corporate training programme (4-5 months) focused on developing business acumen and an executive mentality.

The PwC Mini MBA is different because:

  • it is delivered by active practitioners (our tutors actually practice the knowledge and skills they teach during the Mini MBA)
  • it can be completed faster than a traditional MBA programme offered by a business school 
  • it has a unique “chartered flow ” approach in understanding how organizations operate; that helps professionals apply almost immediately in their workplace.


The ‘wrap-up’ session at the end of the programme is also considered a differentiator, as we put the pieces of the puzzle together.


This significantly impacts the quality of the final case study assessment which builds the participants confidence to immediately apply in their own business environment what they learned.

Dr. Dino Kiritsis

PwC Mini MBA Programme Founder

PwC Tutors: what makes them special?


I feel this is one of our competitive advantages.

There is a ‘core’ team that travels extensively in a number of countries that delivers their specific knowledge areas and a number of local specialists that cover 1 – 2 modules usually that require a ‘Glocal” (Global + Local) approach.

We all know each other well, we have been working together for close to a decade now and this also helps with updating the content, sharing experiences, avoiding overlaps and also one trainer leading and stimulating other areas before they are delivered.

Dr. Dino Kiritsis

PwC Mini MBA Programme Founder

Miro Smolovic

PMP, PwC Academy Leader in Serbia and a professional Senior Manager with over 20 years of experience in providing services within corporate, private and non-governmental sectors. In the past he was working in the emerging markets of Central and Eastern Europe where he has gained a reputation for the quality of his management, organization and leadership of international, interdisciplinary project teams on both private sector and donor funded development projects. His current focus is on business development and helping clients in various aspects of people development. He worked with clients in various industry sectors including banking, production, FMCG, public sector etc.

He delivered large number of project management and other management skills training in central and Eastern Europe and EU countries (Serbia, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Croatia, Romania, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Albania and other countries in the region). Miro’s major clients include Banca Intesa, Tarkett, Nelt, Delhaize, Coca Cola, Lafarge, Schneider and many others.

He graduated from City University of Seattle and he is certified PMP (Project Management Professional). Miro is certified trainer for PMP PREP by RMC and only certified trainer for Daniel H. Pink’s Drive (The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us) in Central and Eastern Europe. Miro is also certified SDI trainer.


Lazar Džamić

Lecturer in Digital Marketing at the Faculty for Media and Communications in Belgrade (FMK) and one of the foremost brand and marketing strategists in the region, with more than 20 years of strategic marketing experience in one of the most competitive markets in the world. He is a former Head of Brand Planning in Google's creative think tank ZOO in London, where he created the strategy team and introduced to the industry two of the world’s first Creative Data Scientists. His mission at Google was to ‘turn light into heat’: a vast amount of Google data into surprising and deep insights for creating great brand stories. Prior to Google, he also served as a Strategy Director in several London creative agencies and was one of the first digital strategists in the United Kingdom. He worked on campaigns and programmes for some of the UK’s most loved brands such as Tesco, John Lewis, Waitrose, Virgin Holidays, Nando’s etc.

After his return from London, Lazar is a much soughtafter trainer for digital marketing transformation, working with some of the biggest local and regional clients: Telenor, Mercator, Adidas, Erste Bank and others. He is also a member of the Serbian Prime Minister’s Creative Council, advising on aspects of developing Serbia’s creative sectors. He is the creative industries consultant for The European Bank for Development and Reconstruction, an exjournalist, contributor to The Guardian and a best-selling author in Serbia. He is a regular speaker at global and regional conferences on topics of digital marketing and brand storytelling.

Tim Kemp

Consultant, facilitator, researcher and writer with over 30 years experience. He has been working with PwC Academies in Eastern Europe, delivering Masterclasses in HR strategy, People Management and Leadership. He works as an advisor and leadership coach to C-Suite Executives in a variety of global companies. He trained over 500 trainers and facilitators in over two dozen organisations. Tim is also a Programme Director with Corporate Learning Solutions, one of Europe's most innovative people development consultancies, and a Senior Consultant with Leading Women, one of the world's premier consulting firms for companies committed to closing the leadership gender gap and a and achieving their goals for women's advancement.

He is the creator of 'The Edge', a coaching-based management programme that has been designed to accelerate the effectiveness of new managers and team leaders. Tim is a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute, a registered and approved Growth Coach for GrowthAccelerator, helping ambitious businesses achieve rapid and sustainable growth by providing tailored expert advice, and a Visiting Fellow at Bristol Business School’.



Mirela Paunescu

PhD, MBA (graduated in the US with High Distinction) and ACCA, has over 20 years of experience in training professionals, may they be CPAs or managers. Among the topics she covers are IFRS, Audit and Taxation. Mirela is also an experienced practitioner being a partner in a consulting firm. 

Mirela is an accredited trainer with teaching experience both in classroom and on-line courses in the field of auditing projects funded by European funds and has a tutoring experience for POSDRU beneficiaries, being an accredited auditor for programs funded by European funds issued by CAFR on the basis of the protocol concluded with the Ministry of European Funds).

Her professional experience includes auditing European funds, internal auditing, taxation, transposing European legislation, and drafting policy guides and manuals on various topics and areas of work.

Mirela is a PhD Associate Professor at the Academy of Economic Studies, CAFR lecturer and ACCA lecturer, having published numerous books and articles in various specialized magazines. Academic studies include a master's degree in accounting and auditing at the Academy of Economic Studies and one in Tax Law at Bucharest University.

Who developed the course content and how often is it updated?

Actually, I came up with the concept more than 15 years ago and sketched out the first version of a Mini MBA back then.

After a number of modifications and joint efforts from the PwC team in Serbia some years later, the team was able to fine-tune a successful, as it turned out, version that is constantly updated.

Given the dramatic pace of change, we actually re-visit the content every year, even though each team member is allowed to fine-tune along the way after approval from myself and Miro Smolovic.

Dr. Dino Kiritsis

PwC Mini MBA Programme Founder

What requirements do participants need to meet?


Ideally, this programme is designed for people who already have business experience. This is important as many cases and theoretical models should be mapped to real life examples.

Basically all levels of management and people who are being prepared to become managers are welcome to the programme. 

However, our Mini MBA is also open to people who haven't completed their bachelor's degree.

Whether still in University and hungry for a more practical understanding of how key business decisions are made or a mature professional wanting to keep up to date and refresh your perspective, we are happy to shake hands and welcome you on this journey!

And if you are quick, you may still benefit from our Early Bird discount!

Contact us

Denisa Panaite Casu

PwC's Academy Manager, PwC Romania

Tel: +40 720 028 359

Ana M. Marin

PwC's Academy Communication, PwC Romania

Tel: +40 738 886 404

Nela Unal

Senior Client Relationship, PwC Romania

Tel: +40 720 028 270

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