Daniel Kroonen
Here at the MaastrichtMBA, we love our alumni and enjoy staying in touch! Alumni Daniel Kroonen says that the MaastrichtMBA inspired him to see all the possibilities within himself. Read more to see what he is doing with all of that potential!
FAST FACTS
- Name: Daniel Kroonen
- Started: February 2015
- Graduated: December 2017
- Nationality: Dutch
- Company: VodafoneZiggo and Sogeti
- Function: Manager Test Center of Excellence and Delivery Manager
WHY DID HE CHOOSE TO GET AN MBA?
For Daan, the time to study belonged in the past, or so he thought. He’d already finished two HBO bachelor programmes and was focused on his job. If he was ever going to make time for studying again, it had to be an education he could infuse in his work as a project manager. “My father has an MBA degree and it challenged me to consider my own options of combining work and study. So I went looking and found the MaastrichtMBA programme which appealed to me at once. Its modular structure and diversity in topics, the leadership trajectory, it all felt good.”
WHAT INSPIRED HIM THE MOST?
The most inspiring moment for Daan occurred in the programme was the Leadership trajectory at the Orshof location. “I often think about it, in my current work position, because a main thread during that week was to reach a certain flow with an entire team. I always work with other people, and hardly alone, so I can apply what I experienced and learned every day now.”
WHAT DID HE FIND MOST CHALLENGING?
A major challenge was to find the time and focus to work on his thesis. “It’s an entirely different level of writing a thesis as a Bachelor student, so it took some effort to find the right angle and see it through, but I eventually succeeded.”
WEAS HE INSPIRED TO MAKE CHANGE?
Since he started the programme, Daan changed jobs twice. Being in the programme made him aware of his own options and capabilities, both as a professional and a human being. It gave him inspiration to go out there and find a job position more suitable for his own sense of emerging entrepreneurship and flow of ideas and initiative. You could say he grew out of his old job, and into new challenges and possibilities. “So much happens as soon as you start the MaastrichtMBA programme,” Daan reminisces, “it was very inspiring and made me contemplate everything in a positive way.”
WHAT IMPACT DID THE MBA HAVE ON YOUR PERSONAL LIFE?
Studying next to a full-time job and a personal life can be quite the challenge as well. For Daan and his partner Gitta, the past years were tough sometimes, especially in the beginning. “We were still dating then and not living together, so very often I wasn’t available in the weekends, because I had to study or work on my thesis. We didn’t get to spend a lot of time together, but we knew it was necessary for me to complete my MBA. We now live together, so it all worked out.”
WOULD YOU RECOMMEND THE MAASTRICHTMBA?
“I can recommend anyone wanting to grow in their professional life to consider following the MaastrichtMBA programme. It has enriched me as a human being and as a professional. For example, I now know how to direct my energy better and to make it beneficial to the team spirit at work. My employer was very pleased with me when I implemented what I learned at work immediately after the module, so the enthusiasm for being in the programme is transferred to the workplace as well!”