Prof. George Vredeveld "Young people need to know that if they want to be successful business leaders and entrepreneurs, they should be able to work as a team."
Prof. Vredeveld, this is yet another of your visits to Varna Free University. Can you tell how it has changed since your first visit? My first visit to Varna was in 1990, I think I met with a group of people who had the vision to found the first private university in Bulgaria. A year later, when the university was established, I was able to visit it. In the beginning there were about 200 students. So many things have changed since then.
What is the most important thing for a young person to succeed as a business leader and entrepreneur?
Young people should know that if they want to be successful business leaders and entrepreneurs they should be able to work as a team and to encourage their colleagues to plan their career development and set higher goals.
To what extent leadership is influenced by the economic situation? When the economic situation is not good, it leads to more and more serious problems in the working environment. At such times, leadership becomes even more important because it is necessary to adjust to the new environment and to overcome new obstacles.
Are there many leaders among the master class attendees?
We have a very active group that asks the right questions. I am very pleased with the results, which the participants in the master class showed, and I think they are all potential leaders.
How did you select the lecturers for the master class?
One of the lecturers in the master class is Professor Richard MacDonald. This is his third visit here. Together we have worked a lot; he is a very good lecturer. When discussing the idea of a master class at Varna Free University, I offered him to participate and he gladly accepted. Our other speaker, Jean Lauterbachhas an in-depth knowledge of business. She works as a business advisor. She has rich experience in her daily contacts with business leaders from around the world. So I thought that she could greatly contribute to the master class.
What is your next project with Varna Free University?
It is almost certain that we will have a lot of future joint projects with Varna Free University. We are still in the planning phase, but when we are ready, we will make the information public.
