Dr Magdalena Cholakova

What is your favourite thing about working at RSM?

“RSM has a unique entrepreneurial culture. It supports you in crafting your own profile, and in contributing to the School and our broader community in ways that you can define yourself. I can work on projects that can have an impact, for example by conducting research on early stage companies and focusing on ways to help them better validate their ideas, as well as by studying what supports them later in their growth stages with raising finance and managing the complexity that growth inevitably brings along.

How do you feel about the people around you?

“It’s important to me that my work allows me to be in a supportive and collegial environment. I’m a team player and having such a positive community around me helps me thrive. And not to forget – as our job is to blend research and teaching – there’s a very bright and talented community of students on campus, with whom it is a pleasure to engage. We are also making important steps towards integrating our School’s mission in our research and teaching, and I believe this can really amplify the positive effect of our work and enhance its innovation and social potential.”

Where did you work before and how does it compare to RSM?

“I completed my PhD degree at Bocconi University in Milan. The two business schools and the cities and lifestyle that come with them could not feel more different at the beginning. Yet, I now really love my experiences as a Rotterdammer, and that’s why my husband and I have chosen to make it our home.”

What are your hobbies outside of RSM?

“I’m passionate about running and I actually completed my first marathon, in Athens, just when I started at RSM. I’m also keen on dancing, particularly ballroom but also rock ’n’ roll or Charleston, and I used to compensate for my lack of drawing skills by engaging in amateur photography. We are also avid nature lovers, and would cherish any opportunity to travel and spend time discovering beautiful places around the globe.”