Justinas Mišeikis

“Social introvert who can’t stop learning, traveling and exploring”

Program: EMBA

Hometown: Vilnius, Lithuania

Fun Fact About Yourself: I started saving for my first car since I was 6 years old. I ended up buying one when I was 30! I guess public transport in Europe is just too good.

Undergraduate School and Major: BSc Robotics at University of Reading; MSc Robotics, Systems and Control at ETH Zurich; PhD in Bio-Inspired Robotics at University of Oslo

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Strategy and Partnerships Manager at Sony Research / Sony AI

What were some of the key motivating factors behind pursing your MBA, and why did this seem like the right time for you?

I’m a tech guy coming from startup world who ended up in managerial position in a large corporation. Despite a very successful start, I’m keen on improving my understanding of the business world much better and well rounded, which motivated me to join EMBA program. The goal is to connect good technical knowledge with good business insights to help bring world changing products that will benefit all of us!

When you think of your school, what is the first word that comes to mind and why?

Novelty! What I enjoy a lot is that a new approach of online learning was taken when preparing Qunatic EMBA courses, and you can really feel it. It’s very example driven education that can be done anywhere and anytime.

What are one or two key aspects of this MBA program that stood out among the others, and why were they so important to you?

Flexibility and online-first approach. The goal was to target EMBA program that allows me to still work full-time, and we recently welcomed a cute baby into our family. Juggling all this is definitely a huge challenge and a lot of flexibility is needed, which Quantic EMBA provides. My work also requires significant travel, many of which are long-haul flights. And surprisingly enough, Quantic actually has a good platform which is also available offline on the phone, so I’m able to do my classes while on the flight. Absolute gamechanger!

What course were you/are you most interested in taking coming into the program and why?

Out of mandatory courses, I really look forward to the Strategy course. I think it will play a key role in my daily job and allow me to improve fast. Also there are elective modules focusing on corporate strategy and strategic leadership. Those courses will supplement the mandatory part really well knowing how many cogs and systems is there in a corporation, and how to navigate it in an effective manner. Also, Entrepreneurial Finance module should be very interesting given my personal goals of improving in regards of investments, especially with focus on early-stage startups.

What club, activity, or experience at the school have you most enjoyed so far, and why?

Given it’s still a start, sadly I didn’t have a chance to join any internal conference or bigger gathering. But I met couple of students in-person already, and it was absolutely great to get to know them better. Everyone has very different background, goals and worldview. There were numerous online seminars organized as well, often by former students, which can be very informative and motivating.

What do you consider the biggest accomplishment in your career so far?

Being able to develop and bring products to people which significantly improve their lives and wellbeing. I worked in couple of startups focusing on medical robotics, and it was quite lifechanging to see these projects come to fruition and help them. Now at Sony, the impact is likely to be even more significant!

What is one thing you have recently read, watched, or listened to that you would highly recommend to other prospective MBAs? Why?

Steve Jobs’ 2005 Stanford Commencement Address. Despite being back from 2005, it’s just as relevant today as it was back then. It’s crucial to understand that you have to have the drive and be a bit crazy to pursue your goals. Just doing MBA program for the sake of doing it might not benefit you so much if you cannot find the drive you need!

Do the thing you love doing. Keep looking, don’t settle! Stay hungry, stay foolish!

What are two things you have learned at your school that have surprised you so far – one academic and one non-academic?

In academic setting, I enjoyed economics module which really opened my eyes in some of the government decisions and approaches that seemed odd to me beforehand. Generally, I’m not a fan of discussing and criticising government decisions, but it was great to understand that government spending during the crisis is actually an economic tool to stabilise the economy.

In non-academic setting, among the initial introductions and networking with other students, it was great to learn that most of students really struggle with similar problems all around the world, but can solve them in quite different ways. Solutions we have in Europe might not be suitable for the same problems in Africa. That’s why it’s great to spread the education to local populations around the world and enable them to find their own solutions that meet the needs for local communities and match the culture.

What advice would you give to help prospective MBA gain admission into the MBA program?

First of all, think if you really need MBA/EMBA program now, or maybe it’s good to proceed with your career, gain some more hands on experience and then come back later for EMBA even stronger! I don’t see big need to rush here. But if you decide to pursue it, definitely organise your thoughts and notes about your past career, career goals and build a vision on where you want to be. And really think about where YOU want to be, and not which path others (or society) expect you to take! This exercise will definitely help you identify knowledge gaps that you might want to fill during the MBA/EMBA program.