My name is Nicolas Berczely, and I was born 33 years ago in the sunny city of Buenos Aires. I’m the fifth of 6 children, and we all attended a German school. After high school I studied Industrial Engineering, which provided me with the required knowledge to work in very different industries, and I’ve always based the decision for my next career step on the search for a new challenge and knowledge. This is how I now have working experience in finance, business development, operations, sales and marketing; both in multinational companies and also SME; and why I decided to do this MBA at IMD.
Outside of work, I’ve always been an active person. I played inline hockey for the Argentinian national team and like to play tennis and train at the gym. My friends also play an important role in my life. I enjoy every opportunity to meet them, especially if it takes place around a grill, where we can cook a famous Argentinian asado!
The biggest learning in my life came when I was working in the UK and decided to move back to Argentina, mainly with the idea of going back to my “old life”. Although my experience in London took little more than one year, when I returned to Argentina I didn’t find what I was expecting: My friends were no longer meeting that often, some of them were getting married, others having children, and I didn’t feel comfortable at my parents’ house after having lived on my own. That’s when I realized that every moment in life is unique and can’t be repeated. With this in mind, I always try to make the most of the present and to embrace every new experience I’m faced with.
I’ve been asked several times at IMD why I have 3 flags on my name sign in the auditorium. In fact, I once had a funny situation about my multiple citizenships: While I was doing a 1-semester university exchange in Germany, I decided to fly to London for a weekend. At the border control, I presented my Spanish passport and the officer asked me where my surnames (Spaniards usually include both father and mother surnames) come from. My answer was: Hungary and Italy. Then he turned to his colleague and told him: Look at this guy… Spanish passport, Hungarian and Italian surnames, born in Argentina, currently living in Germany and flying to the UK!
I leave you with a picture that was taken on my IMD admission assessment day, on June 27th 2017. That day, I would have never imagined the amazing experiences (and counting!) and people I would encounter just a couple of months later…
Nicolas
