Vytautas Magnus University

Vytas E. Gruodis

Garbės daktaras / Honorary Doctor (Suteiktas vardas 2009-03-25)

Vytas E. Gruodis was a well-known international business expert who, after returning to his homeland in 1993, thanks to his over 30 years of accumulated experience in leadership positions at multinational companies, contributed significantly to the establishment of various institutions in Lithuania, including taking the lead in some of them. These included the Open Lithuania Foundation, the Lithuanian Investment Agency, the Lithuanian Development Agency (LEDA), and the Baltic Management Institute (BMI). At various times, he also served as a member of the advisory boards of Vytautas Magnus University and LCC International University. His experience helped Lithuania to integrate and compete in the increasingly globalised business world. In 2002, he was awarded the Medal of the Order of the Grand Duke of Lithuania Gediminas for his merits to Lithuania. In 2009, he received an honorary doctorate from Vytautas Magnus University (VMU).

Vytas E. Gruodis was born on 3 November 1930 in Lithuania. During the Second World War, he left his homeland and spent most of his life in Canada, also living in Austria, Argentina, Switzerland, and Italy. In Canada, Gruodis pursued his studies at Carleton University in Ottawa. He also completed professional development programmes at various institutions, including Harvard Business School and the American Management Association.

Prior to returning to Lithuania, Gruodis worked for more than 30 years as a senior executive in a variety of companies in the consumer goods and industrial goods sectors:

  • 1961–1966: President of FERRANIA CANADA LTD (part of the FIAT Group)
  • 1966–1967: Head of the Photographic Products Division at 3M CANADA LTD (Toronto, Canada)
  • 1968–1971: Management Consultant at V.E. GRUODIS & ASSOCIATES LTD (Toronto, Canada)
  • 1972–1978: Vice President of Marketing at DESMARAIS & FRERE LTD (Montreal, Canada)
  • 1979–1980: Director of MONTEDISION TRADING CO. (Geneva, Switzerland)
  • 1981–1982: Executive Vice President and Company Leader at EXOTECH INC. (Montreal, Canada)
  • 1983–1985: President of VICARDA TRADING INTERNATIONAL INC. (Montreal, Canada)
  • 1985–1990: Vice President at COLUMBIA FRAME INC. (Montreal, Canada)
  • 1991–1992: Vice President at DESMARAIS & FRERE LTD. (Montreal, Canada).

After returning to Lithuania, Gruodis served as the Executive Director of the Open Lithuania Foundation from 1993 to 1997. He was the founder and Chairman of the Lithuanian Investment Agency, which later became the Lithuanian Development Agency (LDA), serving as its Director General from 1997 to 2002. In 1998, LDA, a government agency committed to promoting and attracting foreign direct investment to Lithuania and increasing exports of Lithuanian goods and services, was one of the founding organisations of the Baltic Management Institute (BMI). Gruodis became Chairman of the BMI Board and was appointed Director General of the Institute in 2002. He balanced this role with his duties on the VMU Council from 2001 to 2005. After his term ended in 2006, he continued to serve as a member of the BMI Board.

Vytas E. Gruodis was an important driving force behind the establishment and development of BMI, of which Vytautas Magnus University is a co-founder and academic partner. BMI has contributed significantly to the development of VMU’s relations with major European universities and to the strengthening of the University’s status in Lithuania.

The connections Gruodis developed while working at the Open Lithuania Foundation and the LDA enabled the creation of the BMI International Consortium, which consisted of HEC School of Management in France, Copenhagen Business School (CBS) in Denmark, Louvain School of Management (IAG-LSM) in Belgium, NHH School of Economics and Business Administration in Norway, and Vytautas Magnus University in Lithuania. Having worked together since 1999 in academic partnership, these 5 institutions have jointly developed and run the BMI EMBA programme. Students who complete this programme are awarded a Master’s degree in Business Management from VMU and an EMBA certificate signed by the Rectors of all 5 partner business schools. The list of BMI EMBA graduates and students, which now stands at over 400, includes many of the most successful and well-known executives of Lithuania’s most prominent multinational companies. Thousands of other business leaders have participated in short-term training seminars organised by BMI.

The establishment and successful operation of BMI have greatly benefited Vytautas Magnus University. Firstly, through close academic cooperation, it has connected VMU with some of the best universities in Western Europe. According to the Financial Times rankings, HEC School of Management in Paris is the best institution in this category in Europe. CBS, IAG-LSM, and NHH also have high rankings and impeccable reputations. VMU representatives work on the BMI Board and the BMI International Academic Council alongside representatives of these universities. Following the formation of the Consortium, 10 VMU faculty representatives were sent to other universities in the Consortium to deepen their specialisation and to create an international network of teaching contacts. BMI has not only contributed to making Vytautas Magnus University better known abroad but has also improved its status within the country. This is especially true for VMU’s Faculty of Economics and Management. Hundreds of executives of top companies in Lithuania now hold a Master’s degree in Business Management from VMU, thanks to the EMBA programme run by BMI. None of this would have been possible without Gruodis’ tremendous efforts.

Based on information from the Baltic Management Institute.