Cinthia Montagner
- Programme: Executive MBA, 2020
- Nationality: Brazilian
- Pre-MBA: Project Manager for Operations, Gett, London, UK
- Post-MBA: Project Manager for Trust and Safety, Meta, London, UK
- Current industry: IT/Telecoms
- Transition: Function
“The Executive MBA was a dream that I achieved and I’d do it all over again.”
I wanted a wider understanding of business – and more executive presence.
My undergraduate degree is in advertising, but I’ve largely worked in tech companies. Before the MBA I spent seven years at a taxi-booking app as a project manager in operations, working on product features, customer support efficiencies and post-M&A integration projects.
I love learning and had completed a Master’s in Innovation Management, which had opened doors in my career. But I always wanted to do an MBA because of the breadth it gives you. So, after being with the company for some time and looking for a new challenge, I started to think seriously about an Executive MBA.
I went to an information session at Bayes Business School and it just completely resonated with me.
I wanted a physical learning experience (not remote) in London and I couldn’t afford to give up my job, so evening classes at Bayes appealed. I was considering a few places, but the information session was the deciding factor.
The presentation, delivered by a successful woman leader in business, was inspiring. Her talk about the ‘explorer mindset’ at Bayes and themes of going on a personal journey of discovery and self-development chimed with my own story of exploration, of coming to the UK and learning. I knew then it was what I wanted.
The Women in Business finance award was a godsend.
Bayes has a range of scholarships and I was lucky enough to be offered the Women in Business award. It’s great to see Bayes funding gender diversity and encouraging more women into senior leadership and business. I’ve had a lot of male mentors, but we need more women at higher levels.
There is a very collaborative environment at Bayes
It was quite daunting at first, meeting all these people from different backgrounds, but you quickly realise everyone’s on a different journey and has something unique to bring to the group. There was a lot of studying together, picking up different ideas and perspectives which was incredibly valuable.
The programme is very hard work, with a lot of reading and coursework, and you have to apply yourself if you want to do well. I particularly liked the fact that there’s a lot of reflection – looking at how you can apply what you learn in a practical context.
My favourite modules were all the strategy-related ones, so that’s what I grouped my electives around. Corporate Strategy gave me that really clear breakdown of business models and how a business can differentiate itself. Even though I haven’t run my own company, the Entrepreneurship module had so much that related to my own role in terms of project and product management. Decision Making was also fantastic at explaining how we make decisions and how they can be optimised.
I spent a week working with a company in Colombia. It brings out the best in you.
Throughout the MBA there are opportunities to work on business problems for organisations. I consulted for a training company in Colombia. It’s an amazing experience to go there, to work as a team, build the client’s trust and help solve a business challenge. You’re on the spot and the situation forces you to go through the frameworks and processes you’ve learned in the classroom.
The programme inspired me to get a new job.
I worked a lot with the Careers and Professional Development Team, who helped me focus on my goals and realise I needed to stretch myself. The Achieving Your Potential weekend they run was particularly useful, featuring lots of sessions all geared towards self-growth.
I learned so much that I use every day.
I now work for Meta as Project Manager for Trust and Safety. The MBA gave me a lot of business maturity and a greater understanding of how companies work, of stakeholder demands and of team dynamics. It’s also given me greater clarity and better processes for solving problems.
The Executive MBA was a dream that I achieved and I’d do it all over again.