An inspiring journey from the Franklin campus to a top executive career.
To many it comes as no surprise that life after university is nowhere close to what any student would imagine, but choosing the right university to trigger your curiosity and determination, while sparking your true interests and passions, can be an encouraging start towards a bright future. Eduard Ginzburg ’99 has definitely had his great share of incredible post-academic experiences, and can boast a story of success and prestige.
Originally from Riga, Latvia, Eduard fondly remembers Franklins as “A very insightful university, with special professors who I learned a lot from.” During his year on the Lugano campus, he majored in International Management and had a liking towards Business Ethics & Italian language studies. It was at Franklin that Eduard started developing a genuine interest in IT and computerized information. The late 90s were memorable as the hype phase of the Internet market development, with the emerging of the World Wide Web and the appearance of a first wave a start-ups. Not surprisingly, as a tech-savvy enthusiast and alongside a Franklin classmate, Eduard started exploring and researching the world of software development, which after graduation became his prominent business project. In the field of software development, Eduard contributed to the rise of the MacAMP mp3 player technology, specializing in the hi-tech industry and building his early career on promoting the future and distribution of digital audio.
“No matter in what field, you must embrace the change and find your place. It matters what life expects from you, not the other way around.”
As bigger and more competitive players such as Apple started entering the digital market, Eduard sought to reinvent himself. With an entrepreneurial spirit, strategic mindset and strong perseverance, he found his next challenge in the banking sector, first in Vaduz and following in Zurich. As a native Russian speaker, Eduard focused on attracting customers from Russia & CIS countries, leveraging on his knowledge of regional customs and traditions. With the creation of numerous business relationships and successfully building his network, Eduard skillfully contributed to the development of the Russian business for ABN AMRO, Credit Suisse and UBS in the field of Wealth Management. But he didn’t stop there, Eduard’s ambition and expertise led him to grow and make an impressive career, all the way up to Executive Director and Desk Head of Russia / CIS for UBS.
Eduard credits his accomplishments especially to his well-developed people skills: “You need to be a people person, connect with them and genuinely care for them to be successful. It is important to build trust with colleagues and friends.”
Aiming towards the rocky path, dreaming big and learning the power of reinventing oneself is what Eduard stresses particularly to become a fulfilled individual. He points out that a rewarding personal and professional life can only be achieved through flexibility and a positive, quick and agile attitude. As one of Eduard’s role models, neurologist, psychiatrist and author of “The meaning of life”, Viktor E. Frankl would put it: “Man does not simply exist but always decides what his existence will be, what he will become the next moment. By the same token, every human being has the freedom to change at any instant.”