Morten Steen Jacobsen
morten@byjacobsen.com

Client Manager, Emerging Markets at Oracle Corp. U.S.

Studied MSc in Computer Science & Business Administration (2005)

Little did I know when I entered Copenhagen Business School that I was charting the course of so much more than a career. Ten years later, I find myself working at Oracle’s headquarters in California and living in the city of San Francisco with my American wife, some 9,000 kilometers from my native Copenhagen.

All of this is the direct result of CBS’ student exchange program. My CBS coursework was very internationally-focused, and naturally I became interested in continuing my studies at the crossroads of IT and business: the U.S. I then applied for a semester abroad, securing a spot at University of Maryland and taking four MBA classes based out of Washington, D.C. Case studies typical of U.S. MBA programs ended up complementing the more theoretical curriculum of CBS.

This academically formative experience was compounded by some influential developments in my personal life. The woman who I would end up marrying lived in D.C. She took me on a trip to her hometown in California, a place I was able to envision as a future home.

Upon returning to Denmark, I began to work with another CBS student on my Masters thesis about offshore IT-outsourcing. Our research led us to a field study in Bangalore, India, where we met with both local companies as well as global IT giants like IBM. After graduating from CBS, I was offered a job with IBM working on the account that handles all of the business the A.P. Moller-Maersk. Later I transitioned into a sales role where I managed IBM's business with several local government accounts. This IBM position easily translated into my current job as Client Manager for Emerging Markets at Oracle, the world’s largest database and middleware company. For some U.S companies, a background check is mandatory as part of the on- boarding of new employees and CBS Alumni was very helpful in verifying my exam papers.

My degree from CBS as well as its exchange program prepared me well for my current position, both on the business and the technical levels. More than that, it is astounding to look back and realize that my current life is all the result of my decision to enter CBS.