Natalia Ionova, head of human resources at Russian steelmaker Evraz, used the recession of 2008 to focus and unify the training of mine managers in their facilities worldwide. With Moscow School of Management Skolkovo, she developed an executive education programme, vital for giving managers an understanding of the company as a whole.
“The people on the courses know the company from the inside, so they can share experiences, and the programmes give them the tools to develop ideas and implement innovative solutions,” says Ionova. “It’s better than hiring MBA graduates from outside.”