Alumni views
Business Information Systems (MSc)
Name: Anne Bakx
Current position: Head of Corporate information management
‘I completed the Business Information Systems programme at the University of Amsterdam in 1998. I then approached various companies, and an IT management traineeship at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol turned out to be the most interesting option.'
'I've been working at Schiphol for eight years now and have been head of Corporate Information Management for five years. My job is to manage a group of information managers and other staff. They translate the business into IT terms, and vice versa, and focus on management, advice and planning. They need to be able to explain to people at different levels of the organisation why something is necessary, or why it's not. That's why it is important for an information manager to have advisory and communication skills on top of a specific expertise.'
‘Information Studies still benefits me in many ways. It provides a kind of foundation to work from. I see it in my team too. You gain a broad foundation of business and IT knowledge, not at a micro level but at a universal level.'
‘In the course of my work I notice how "business people" use completely different language to "technical people". In those situations, it's really useful to have learnt both of those languages. I've seen how people who don't have the same grasp of both languages find it difficult to communicate with both groups. It also has a bearing on how you're perceived within the company. It's important to be someone who knows what they're talking about.'
‘What I like about my job here is that my education has enabled me to be influential within a company. IT architecture is one example. Initially, businesses had little idea of what that meant. In that respect, information management is still an under-developed field. By translating it to the context at Schiphol in a way that made it a relevant and attractive idea, it's now high on the IT agenda. And the effects of working within IT architecture are evident. Schiphol has become more flexible in IT terms, and costs are more easily manipulated. It's fun to now see other people explaining why the IT architecture is so important.'
‘When I was introducing IT architecture, I was often in touch with my former thesis supervisor at the University of Amsterdam. We've been looking into the possibility of doing business together. I think it would be fun, and if the timing works out, we'll see if a visiting lecture might be possible, or if there might be places here for students. For instance, two students are currently doing a small research project at Schiphol about Service Oriented Architecture. It means I'm being briefed about what's going on at the University, and from the University's point of view it's good to have a relationship with Schiphol.'
‘I found the University of Amsterdam to be an excellent institution. It offers a great environment with lots of academic freedom and opportunities to try new things. Given developments in the market, I think the Master's degree programme provides good preparation for the sector. IT is here to stay, and its importance is only going to increase. There is a great demand for people who can work at the interface of business and IT.'