Build­ing a stra­tegic fu­ture: chart­ing a new dir­ec­tion in lead­er­ship

An evolving career

Daniel Tewfik has spent much of his professional life embracing change. An information scientist by training, the 37-year-old has built a career that has taken him through financial institutions, breweries, government organisations and media companies across his native North America and beyond. 

Eight years ago, he moved to Copenhagen after meeting his Danish wife, and found himself adapting not only to a new country, but also to a different business culture. “As an immigrant, it's always an interesting dynamic learning the industries here and how they're very similar and very different from what you might be accustomed to,” he says.

At the same time, he recognised that, while he had built significant expertise throughout his career, progressing into a more senior leadership position would require a broader set of capabilities. “Even though I had a lot of experience, I didn’t have that master’s on my CV,” he explains. “I was interested in challenging myself through education, and I was also interested in achieving more sustainability in my career here in Denmark.”

Challenge over comfort

As he explored different postgrad options, Daniel looked at a variety of programmes, and the CBS Executive MBA stood out because it offered both academic rigour and practical relevance, while allowing him to continue working full-time.

“The EMBA was interesting to me because it provided me what I was looking for and the challenge I was looking for at the level I was looking for. Also, I was really interested in broadening my education through travel,” he says.

Developing a strategic mindset

Although Daniel entered the programme with solid professional experience, he knew that his long-term ambition was to move beyond delivery and execution. “I was interested in getting into more of a strategic leadership level,” he says.

The programme helped him make that transition by giving him new ways to interpret and analyse what was happening around him. Helping him to develop a broader perspective on leadership and decision-making, and to view challenges through a more strategic lens.

Thriving in complexity

Looking back, Daniel sees that shift in perspective as one of the programme's most valuable outcomes. As organisations face rapid technological change, economic uncertainty and evolving stakeholder expectations, leaders are increasingly required to make decisions in complex environments. The EMBA gave him greater confidence to engage with those challenges and contribute at a higher level.

Building resilience in a changing world

One of the programme’s most lasting lessons came from its emphasis on navigating complexity and adapting to change – which Daniel faced during his COVID-era studies. He recalls Professor Andreas Rasche returning to speak with alumni several years after graduation:

“Everything I taught you three years ago is no longer relevant,” Daniel remembers him saying.

It was a comment that perfectly captured the reality of modern leadership. Markets shift, technologies evolve and global priorities change. The most effective leaders are not those who stick to old assumptions, but those who continually reassess their thinking and adapt to new circumstances.

“That sort of honesty and insight was so helpful,” he says. “It gave us a new challenge and a new opportunity to grow.”

Learning from leaders

The chance to learn alongside experienced professionals was another defining aspect of the programme.

Having spent several years building a professional network in Denmark, Daniel was eager to connect with leaders from outside his own industry. The cohort brought together professionals from a wide range of sectors, each bringing different experiences, challenges and perspectives to the classroom. The conversations he had became an important part of the learning process, helping him broaden his perspective and see business challenges through new lenses.

“My expectation was that I would be meeting people from all different kinds of industries and backgrounds, and I got exactly that,” he says. “A variety of experiences and outlooks.”

Integrated Strategy Project

One of the most valuable opportunities to put theory into practice came through the Integrated Strategy Project (ISP), where participants apply their learning to a real-world business challenge. Daniel chose a project that reflected both his entrepreneurial interests and his desire to tackle something practical.

Alongside his own career, he had been helping his brother develop a restaurant business in Philadelphia. He used the project to explore how such a small, ambitious restaurant could scale successfully while maintaining its identity and long-term viability.

“Being able to pressure test ideas from both an academic and a real-world perspective was extremely valuable,” he says.

The project challenged him to combine strategic thinking, financial analysis and leadership considerations while benefiting from the insights of classmates and faculty. Since then, the restaurant has gone on to earn Michelin recognition, making the experience an especially memorable part of his EMBA journey.

The CBS EMBA experience also strengthened Daniel’s interest in sustainability. What began as a keen interest developed into a much deeper professional commitment during the programme, influencing both the organisations he wanted to work with and the impact he hoped to create through his career.

“Whatever form sustainability will take in the future, whether it's ESG or it's going to be called something else, it’s something that I'm really still passionate about and want to continue pursuing.”

A Leadershift towards LEGO

Since completing the EMBA, Daniel has continued to build on the strategic capabilities he developed at CBS. Seeking opportunities where he could contribute at a broader organisational level, he pursued new roles and eventually joined the LEGO Group in a transformation position focused on product-related initiatives.

He believes the EMBA played an important role in helping him identify the direction he wanted to pursue and the type of leader he wanted to become. “It’s given me things to know what to look for,” he says.

Before starting the programme, the possibilities ahead of him felt almost limitless. Afterwards, his ambitions became more focused and intentional. “Instead of 90 degrees of different directions I could go in, maybe I’m down to 10 degrees of focus because I know where I want to end up.”