The skills I learnt from the MBA are ones that I know that I will be able to transfer to different job roles that I will have in the future. That, alongside the engagement process I have made with such a diverse cohort, made the Full-time MBA incredibly beneficial to my career.
What was your situation before you joined the MBA and why did you choose to study at Bayes Business School?
Before joining the MBA I was a sales department manager at Huawei Technologies Ltd. Although I had over nine years’ of experience consulting around the globe, I wanted to improve my academic knowledge and move away from the technical side of business to a more strategic role.
I chose Bayes Business School primarily for its location in the heart of the city. Being in London was very important to me as it gave me opportunities that no other city could offer.
The Bayes alumni was so internationally diverse it enabled me to expand my connections and gave me opportunities personally and for my business. Bayes also offered me the Asia Pacific Award, which took some of the financial burden away from the MBA and was a factor in accepting the offer I had received.
As it turned out, the MBA helped me to find the knowledge gaps that I had as an entrepreneur. There was a good balance between the academic and practical teaching whilst it also challenged me to learn about strategy and leadership, in addition to the technical knowledge that I already had.
As a result, partly through personal circumstances, but also because of the skills that the MBA had taught me, I decided to step away from the business I founded during the MBA and focus on securing an executive role.
How did the Postgraduate Careers and Development team support you whilst at Bayes?
I could not have secured the position I am in today without the help of the Careers and Professional Development team. They emphasised the importance of networking and this is something that really paid off for me. All of the job offers I received upon graduating were all received through the connections I made whilst at Bayes so this advice was incredibly valuable.
The collaborative nature of the Careers team meant that I worked with the coaches to develop my CV and cover letters as well as participate in mock interviews. The career coaches were incredibly supportive during the job application process.
The workshops they provided, in particular negotiation and presentation skills were probably what I benefited the most from. They taught us that one of the most important parts of leadership is about listening and the power of silence. This is something that has stuck with me and I will continue to use in my current role and for the future.
Can you tell us a bit about your role at Microsoft and how the Full-time MBA has impacted your career?
My current role revolves around business strategy and I work closely with Microsoft’s regional Chief Strategy Officer, Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Operating Officer. The sectors I am responsible for include gaming and internet, which are very one of the most interesting areas at this moment in time; I also deal with Innovation, which includes NFT and the Metaverse.
A lot of skills I developed throughout my time on the MBA I still use today. In particular, the ability to deal with pressure and analytical skills to deal with complex strategic topics in my Business Mastery Project with guidance from Dr Dimitris Paraskevopoulos. As an industry lead, I deal with end-to-end aspects of a global business from marketing to sales and also working with external partners. Managing this pressure alongside personal life can be a challenge but I often implement the techniques we covered in the MBA.
The skills I learnt from the MBA are ones that I know that I will be able to transfer to different job roles that I will have in the future. That, alongside the engagement process I have made with such a diverse cohort, made the Full-time MBA incredibly beneficial to my career.