Post by Sherine E. Nehad

Growth rarely happens when things feel comfortable. A little over a year ago, I made a decision that felt both exciting and unsettling: I stepped away from my corporate role at Shell to return to the classroom. After over two decades in fast-moving environments, I felt the need to pause, zoom out, and ask bigger questions about the role I wanted to play in business and society. Wearing the “student hat” wasn’t an easy one at first, I have to say! 🎓 Today, I’ve graduated Cum Laude (Honours) with an MSc in Corporate Communication from Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University and the experience has been far more transformational than I expected. What started as an academic pursuit became something much more personal. It challenged how I think, how I argue, and how I show up. It forced me to slow down, question assumptions I didn’t even realize I held, and defend ideas with more rigor than ever before. Somewhere between research papers and my thesis defence, my perspective shifted. I don’t see communications as a strategic support function anymore. I see it as a driving force — shaping reputation, influencing policy, and helping organizations earn legitimacy in increasingly complex environments. This year stretched me. It required discipline, humility, more resilience than I expected (and more late nights than I’ll admit! :) ). But it also reaffirmed something I care deeply about: responsible business and responsible communication are inseparable. I’m incredibly grateful to the faculty who challenged and inspired us everyday — Cees Van Riel, Florian Madertoner, Guido Berens , Paul Argenti, Rita Men, Joep Cornelissen, and Oriol Iglesias, among many others — and to the classmates who became lifelong friends 😍 Family and friends: I’m very thankful for your support and encouragement. You know who you are 😃 Grateful for the leap. Proud of the growth. And excited for what comes next. Proud to be part of the RSM Alumni community. Susanna Marco Ahong Gu 谷国凤 Olivia Xinyuan Zhang Merve Eser Tokdemir Marijke Baumann #RSM #ErasmusUniversity #CorporateAffairs #PublicAffairs #Sustainability #CorporateCommunications #Leadership #ProfessionalGrowth