"The Business School (formerly Cass) was one of the main universities in the UK that had a master’s specialising in supply chain management, and who would not love to study in London?"
Course: MSc Digital Supply Chain Management (Global Supply Chain Management at time of study)
Country of origin: USA
Year of graduation: January 2020
Why did you become interested in studying supply chain management?
I had a previous master’s degree in Industrial Engineering which I graduated from in 2011, but for over 7 years my career had always been centered around supply chain so I promised myself to get an MBA that will focus on supply chain to ensure my real-life experience matched the classroom experience. I started trying to pursue this dream in 2014 and had so many obstacles that did not allow me to take the leap and later I realised that most MBA programs had no supply chain route, so I decided to then pursue another master’s degree specifically in supply chain management.
The Business School (formerly Cass) was one of the main universities in the UK that had a master’s specialising in supply chain management, and who would not love to study in London? Especially after doing my two previous degrees in Stillwater, Oklahoma USA. I was excited about the opportunity to live and study in London and explore Europe.
My favourite class was the Supply Chain module with Dr Son Byung-Gak and the Supply Chain Analytics module with Dr Dimitris Paraskevopoulos. Both classes had in-class activities that made the class memorable and very interactive and you even remember the situations while writing the exams.
I was one of the class representatives and course representatives for the MSc DigitalSupply Chain Management. That also helped me bring the needs of my fellow students to the University officials and explore how best to ensure their experience at the Business School is memorable, unique, and unforgettable.
Our class also got the chance to represent the Business School at the CILT competition for the first time where we came 3rd. Very exciting and we were only able to achieve that by using everyone’s individual strength at every aspect of the games. It was so much fun! I absolutely enjoyed working and hanging out with my cohort, it was never a dull moment.
I am now working as a Supply Chain Manager for Amazon Fresh. As the Supply Chain Manager, you are the bridge between retail, the vendors and the FC’s. I also get to work on projects to deliver new reports which will help the business overall. A career in supply chain means there is never a dull moment and you are left to work with different issues every day. Dr Son Byung-Gak, my supply chain professor at the business school, always said supply chain is all about managing uncertainty and looking for a win-win situation amongst retail, vendors, and the FC.
How did you get into your role?
The career fair happened a week after we resumed classes. They were very helpful in helping me revamp my CV and always ready to help students and take advantage of their network of different companies. When conducting a job search, don’t limit yourself to one country like I did in the beginning when it comes to applying for roles. I remember Dr Dimitris Paraskevopoulos, the course director, repeatedly telling me to broaden my search and I finally took his advice.
After many applications and phone screenings, I finally got to the final panel interview. This interview process was different from the others I have participated in as it did not even centre around my 71/2 work experience but around my thesis for Unilever that I did while at the Business School. I strongly believe that my time studying at the Business School and my thesis is what got me to the panel interview at Amazon. The rest, as they say, is history. I had been applying to multiple roles at Amazon since May of 2019. I finally got an offer December 2020. My advice to folks, be resilient and never give up on your dreams.
What advice would you give to future students looking to study this course?
Be an active participant in the modules. Don’t wait till the last minute to start studying for your exams. Most importantly have fun and enjoy your time here at the Business school. It goes by real quick!
