From Job Title To Value Creation: How The CBS MBA Helped One Graduate Reimagine Career Growth
Author: Fatih Öztürk, Copenhagen Business School
When Fatih Öztürk moved from Türkiye to Denmark, he expected the transition to bring new professional opportunities. He did not expect it to change how he thought about career success.
Today, Fatih Öztürk is happily focused on creating “something valuable” in his role at LEGO, one of Denmark’s most iconic companies. However, before enrolling in the Full-Time MBA at Copenhagen Business School (CBS), his career path looked very different, and much more like a direct scramble to the top of a hill.
Having spent nearly a decade building his career in commercial roles at P&G, Nestlé, and most recently managing product categories and teams at Amazon in Türkiye, he had a clear sense of where he was heading next.
“If I had stayed in Türkiye, I felt I was on a very clear upward career trajectory,” Fatih recalls. “When I applied for the MBA, I expected it would help me continue that progression in Denmark. During my admissions interview, however, I was told that career paths in Denmark often look quite different from those in many other countries. That conversation stayed with me and, over time, I came to understand exactly what she meant.”
TAKE YOUR CHANCE
As many ambitious professionals focused on moving into increasingly senior leadership roles, an MBA had long been part of Fatih’s strategy.
“An MBA was always a consideration,” he says. “But there was no specific plan for a school or a country in the beginning.”
The opportunity to turn that ambition into reality arose when his wife received a job offer in Denmark. Moving abroad had always been something they wanted to experience, and after relocating, Fatih continued to work remotely while the couple acclimatised to their new life.
“The first period after relocating was about settling into life in Denmark and understanding whether we could see our long-term future here,” he says. “Then we decided that yes, this is a good country and we could live here. So I decided to pursue my MBA.”
RIGHT PROGRAMME
For Fatih, CBS quickly emerged as the natural choice. One factor stood out immediately: “It was a one-year programme,” he explains. “That was one of the strongest factors in my decision. At that stage of my career, I was looking for an efficient way to gain new perspectives, build a network, and continue my professional journey without being away from the business world for too long.”
The school’s reputation across Denmark and the Nordic region also appealed to him, as did the opportunity to build a professional network and deepen his understanding of the Danish business environment.
“Because I wanted to pursue my career here in Denmark, I needed to build a network and gain some understanding of the business world here,” he says. “If you are an engineer, you can be an engineer anywhere in the world, maybe, and you can do the same thing. But if it’s a commercial role, you need to understand the market dynamics.”
UNEXPECTED IMPACT
Like many MBA candidates entering the programme in 2024, Fatih expected emerging technologies to play a major role in his learning. He chose a concentration in digitalisation and AI, hoping to build on the foundation laid during his undergraduate studies in Management Information Systems.
Instead, another topic left the strongest impression. Whether studying accounting, marketing, strategy, or case studies, sustainability considerations were consistently “eye-opening” in every discussion.
“Before the MBA, I thought I had a good understanding of sustainability,” he says. “The programme helped me realise how much deeper and more complex the topic actually is.”
One course in particular – Managing Sustainable Corporations – proved especially influential, helping him develop a more sophisticated understanding of how businesses create long-term value. That shift in perspective would become increasingly relevant after graduation.
A DEEP UNDERSTANDING OF CULTURE
Today, Fatih works for a company whose values and culture differ significantly from those of the organisations where he previously worked.
“Now I work at LEGO, one of the most Danish companies,” he says. “I can see the difference between it and all the companies I worked with before. This is a bit of a personal nuance, but at my previous companies, rotation was so popular and so normal. It was not so common to see people working at the same company for more than ten years, for example. Here, we celebrate 55-year anniversaries for some employees. It is mind-blowing to me. But I can see those differences and understand why they exist. Every day, my MBA studies help me better understand and thrive in this new environment.”
Yet perhaps the most significant change was not professional at all.
A CHANGED VIEW OF SUCCESS
Before starting the Full-Time MBA, Fatih held a relatively traditional view of career progression. Success meant moving steadily up the organisational hierarchy, accumulating greater responsibilities and more senior titles along the way.
The ambition has not disappeared, but his definition of success has evolved.
During the programme, conversations with classmates, alumni, and faculty exposed him to a different perspective, shaped by Danish attitudes to work, leadership, and quality of life.
“Before, I was planning a very straightforward career path,” he says. “Now I focus more on creating value for LEGO and for myself. I’m more patient. My focus is not just climbing to the top of the tree as quickly as possible. And actually, this is something that only Denmark and maybe a few other countries can offer you. Here, there is less emphasis on titles and hierarchy, and more emphasis on the contribution you make. Because of that, you can focus more on creating value, developing yourself, and enjoying the journey rather than constantly thinking about the next step.”
NEW SKILLS, NEW NETWORK, NEW PERSPECTIVE
Looking back, Fatih sees the CBS FT MBA as much more than a qualification or a career accelerator. It helped him build a professional network, understand a new business culture, and secure a role in Denmark. Shortly after completing the MBA, he joined LEGO, where he now contributes to one of the country’s most iconic companies. But perhaps most importantly, it challenged some of his assumptions about leadership and success.
It gave him a new perspective on what meaningful career growth might look like.
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