Michal Handzlik is a Bank Director at PKO Bank Poland who attended the Advanced Corporate Finance program at London Business School. He found the program extremely valuable for exchanging knowledge with professionals from various industries and countries. The program helped him relate technical models to real business applications and increased his confidence in valuation negotiations. Since completing the program, Michal has built new valuation tools for his bank and recommends the Advanced Corporate Finance program to others looking to enhance their thinking and learn more about valuation.

1. Advanced Corporate Finance
Participant profile
Name: Michal Handzlik
Job title: Bank Director
Organisation: PKO Bank, Poland (PKOBP)
Nationality: Polish
Career: Michal has worked in a variety of posts in the Polish
banking sector, becoming a branch director in 1998, director
of payment system products in 1999 and then a controlling
director for PKOBP. After a five year period in retail banking
as Managing Director of BPH, he returned to PKOBP where
he is now Bank Director.
“I found it amazing to be able whether investments should be continued. What I learnt
from the programme was how to relate the models to actual
to chat with people from all business, structured and positioned within context. It was also
over the world – from different good to return to studying so long after university!
Corporate finance is a science in a sense, so I was quite
industries, with different surprised that our lecturer’s presentation style was so good,
experiences, all exchanging and included lots of anecdotes. If I had the chance to go back
on this course, or even one more advanced, I’d go back just
their business knowledge.” for the lecturer.
I was looking for a challenging programme, aimed at This programme was not directly connected to my personal
participants who already have appropriate finance knowledge career; but in terms of my knowledge of valuation, I feel
and qualifications. London Business School offered much extremely comfortable now as we look to expand our activities
better programmes than any other schools that I researched, at PKOBP. In areas like valuation, the technical language
and this course was the only one that fulfilled my agenda. is very important, so it’s increased my confidence during
The Advanced Corporate Finance programme allowed me to negotiations.
exchange knowledge, find worldwide specialists working in Since my return to the office last November, I have built
different areas, and meet not just Directors, but Analysts and new valuation tools which will be useful for the company,
Asset Managers practising in many different countries. colleagues and myself to analyse new investments.
There were participants from 18 countries and I found it If you are looking for a great learning experience and want
amazing to be able to chat and exchange business knowledge to enhance your thinking; and if you need to learn more
with people from all over the world, from different industries about valuation then go on this course. If I choose another
and with different experiences - not just during lectures but programme to attend in the future, the first place I’ll look is
also during group work. London Business School.
The strategic part of my job involves looking at M&A
transactions, considering where to invest, and assessing