In February, we welcomed the newest additions to our Executive MBA programme at Imperial College Business School. These ambitious individuals have commenced their transformative 22-month journey, dedicated to honing their leadership skills and broadening their global business acumen.
Our Executive MBA offers a combination of on-campus teaching and online learning tools, ensuring our incoming cohort gains proficiency in fundamental business principles while tailoring their studies to their specific areas of expertise. Additionally, they will partake in international residencies, ‘Technology and innovation in the US’ and ‘Doing business with China’. These residencies further enrich their understanding of global business dynamics.
Discover more about our dynamic new class and gain insight directly from the students themselves as they share their motivations for pursuing the Executive MBA at Imperial College Business School.
What does the new class look like?
The Executive MBA programme at the Business School has long thrived on its diversity, fostering vibrant class discussions and facilitating the establishment of a global network. This year's cohort of 45 students upholds this tradition, with 31% of the group being female and representing 20 different nationalities.
The group also encompasses diverse industry expertise, hailing from sectors such as banking/finance, IT/tech and energy. Students bring extensive professional backgrounds to the table, averaging 15 years of work experience. This wealth of experience promises rich knowledge exchange and mutual learning opportunities within the classroom.
Dr Suluman Anwar
Nationality: British
Company and role: Serio Dental, CEO and Founder
Education: King’s College London Dental Institute – Bachelor of Dental Surgery, Masters in Clinical Dentistry (Periodontics)
Can you share a brief overview of your professional background and the industries you've worked in?
My professional journey in dentistry has been diverse and enriching, focusing on periodontology while spanning clinical practice, management, and education. As a specialist periodontist, I've offered advanced care and training in prestigious practices, including my own venture, Serio Dental in London. My administrative duties included daily operations, strategic planning, and developing dental products. This blend of clinical expertise and leadership roles has deepened my understanding of healthcare complexities, fuelling my commitment to excellence and innovation.
What motivated you to pursue an MBA, and what are your career goals after completing the programme?
My passion for dentistry and the potential of AI to revolutionise patient care drives me. Seeing AI advancements in disease diagnosis and treatment inspires me to leverage these technologies. Recognising the need for business acumen to integrate AI effectively, I seek an MBA to lead AI innovation in dentistry. Post-MBA, I aim to pioneer AI integration in dental healthcare, improving care quality and accessibility. I envision AI-driven diagnostic tools and collaborative efforts to advance dentistry. My goal is to bridge technology and healthcare, maximising AI benefits in patient outcomes and practice efficiency.
What do you hope to learn or achieve during your time in the MBA programme?
During the MBA, I aim to deepen my understanding of business strategy, finance, and marketing, focusing on their application in healthcare. I seek to navigate healthcare management complexities and enhance leadership skills to drive innovation. Additionally, I aim to explore integrating AI into business models to optimise healthcare delivery and improve patient experiences. Building a professional network is crucial for collaboration in dentistry and AI. Ultimately, I aim to emerge as a visionary leader ready to integrate AI into dental healthcare, realising technologically advanced, patient-centered practices.
What aspects of the programme are you most looking forward to?
I'm particularly excited about the MBA programme's focus on seamlessly integrating business theory with healthcare practice, emphasising strategic management, innovation, and leadership tailored to the healthcare sector. This includes looking forward to modules that directly apply to the dental industry, collaborative projects, and case studies that highlight best practices and current trends in healthcare. Networking with a diverse group of professionals will broaden my perspective and foster opportunities for collaboration. Leadership development, essential for effective healthcare management and patient care, will equip me to inspire and guide teams towards achieving common goals. These components are crucial for realising my vision of advancing dental healthcare practices through innovative strategies and technologies.
Lindsay Thompson
Nationality: American
Company and role: SS&C, Senior Director, Head of APAC & EMEA Client Success
Education: Economics & Environmental Studies at Bates College
Can you share a brief overview of your professional background?
Currently, I'm the Senior Director and Head of EMEA & APAC Client Success at SS&C, overseeing 500+ buy-side clients and +$400M in annual revenue. I manage 15 Client Success Managers across EMEA & APAC, covering SS&C's investment, accounting, and trading platforms. SS&C is a global financial technology and services company with 27K+ employees, operating in 44 countries, and serving 20K+ clients. With over 11 years of experience in financial technology, I specialise in leading cross-functional teams for hedge funds, asset managers, and wealth managers. Previously, I led the EMEA Support team during a client service model restructuring, overseeing 30 individuals. Additionally, I head SS&C's Women's Network and Culture Committee and mentor through the Girls Network Mentor Programme.
How does it feel to have received the Inspiring Women Scholarship?
I am honoured to have received the Inspiring Women Scholarship from Imperial Business School. It is a privilege to represent Imperial as an Ambassador for Women in Leadership, where I aim to promote women's participation in MBA education and advocate for gender equality within and beyond the university.
As a leader, my objective is to cultivate an environment that values diversity, inclusivity, and collaboration.
What motivated you to pursue an Executive MBA?
Obtaining an Executive MBA at Imperial College Business School is a strategic step towards achieving my goal of becoming a C-Level leader at a financial technology company. I want to gain more confidence and credibility to move towards a C-Level position. I’m not exposed to all areas of the business in my current role, so with an Executive MBA I’ll be able to develop skills further around accounting, financial planning and managing profit and loss.
What are your Executive MBA goals?
I aspire to help build and grow a company and shape its strategic direction:
- Establishing clear company goals to drive innovation, collaboration, and success.
- Fostering a team-oriented, diverse, and inclusive environment to enhance productivity, satisfaction, and overall team success.
- Mentoring young female professionals to empower women in the industry and help them achieve their potential.
- Pursuing personal fulfilment and happiness alongside professional success by prioritising well-being in my company selection.
Kenny Shaba
Nationality: British, Nigerian
Company and role: Anglo American, Manager Data Science
Education: BEng Chemical Engineering (LSBU), MSc Data Science (Birkbeck University of London)
Can you share a brief overview of your professional background and the industries you've worked in?
My career spans diverse industries, from FMCG to Process Engineering and Consulting in high hazard facilities. I've contributed to skincare product development at Procter & Gamble, overseen Gas Dehydration Systems at Cameron, and specialised in safe design consulting at Det Norske Veritas. I currently work at at Anglo American (mining); I lead data science initiatives, blending engineering and consulting expertise.
What motivated you to pursue an Executive MBA, and what are your career goals after completing the programme?
My purpose is to contribute positively to addressing humanity's most pressing challenges, both now and for future generations, in an ethical, sustainable, and impactful manner. As a seasoned product manager and data scientist, I find fulfilment in leveraging my strengths and passion for problem-solving on a daily basis.
Looking ahead, I aspire to evolve my leadership practice to tackle more complex and challenging problems that transcend individual enterprises or industries. I envision leading initiatives that drive meaningful change and have a lasting impact on society.
What do you hope to learn or achieve during your time in the EMBA programme?
My goal with an Executive MBA is to enhance leadership skills, focusing on strategic decision-making, team management, and fostering innovation. Through the programme, I'll gain insights into various leadership frameworks and practical strategies for business challenges. I aim to deepen my understanding of business operations, including finance, marketing, operations, and strategy. The experiential learning and case studies will sharpen my analytical skills and strategic mindset. I see the Executive MBA journey at Imperial College Business School as transformative for personal growth and self-awareness.
What aspects of the programme are you most looking forward to?
The following areas of the programme stand out for me:
Leadership Development: I'm eager for the Executive Leadership Journey and Organisational Behaviour modules, offering a robust framework for enhancing leadership skills like strategic thinking and decision-making. I'm excited about Executive Coaching for personalised mentorship.
Networking: I'll actively engage with peers and industry professionals to build meaningful relationships, leveraging diverse perspectives to enrich my learning and career.
Global Perspectives: International residencies in the US and China will broaden my understanding of global business practices, enhancing cultural intelligence for strategic decision-making.
Specialised Knowledge: I'm interested in elective courses focusing on innovation and entrepreneurship, aligning with my passion for problem-solving.
Annita Konstantini
Nationality: Greek
Company and role: Edelman, Senior Vice President
Education: Sociology, Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences
Can you share a brief overview of your professional background and the industries you've worked in?
I bring over 12 years of experience in marketing, specialising in Digital Marketing, Social Media, Paid Media, and Analytics. With a proven track record in team leadership and strategy development, I have successfully led and implemented award-winning marketing campaigns across various industries including Tech, FMCG, Healthcare and Finance, both in B2B and B2C settings. My approach is data-driven, focusing on crafting innovative strategies and ensuring measurable results. I am passionate about driving brand growth through strategic foresight and continuous innovation.
What motivated you to pursue an MBA, and what are your career goals after completing the programme?
I've always valued continuous learning, which led me to pursue an MBA. Imperial's Executive MBA offers a unique opportunity to further develop my strengths as a leader and gain insights into the evolving business landscape. My goal post-programme is to apply these learnings to drive positive impact for both businesses and society, recognising their interconnectedness.
What do you hope to learn or achieve during your time in the MBA programme?
I aim to broaden my understanding of the business landscape, diversify my skill set, and gain new perspectives. I'm particularly excited about learning from the experiences of my classmates, the professors and expanding my professional network. I am approaching this programme with an open mindset and I'm ready to embrace new opportunities and see where this chapter takes me.
Oscar Criado Domenech
Education: Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC) – Civil Engineering / Imperial College London (ICL) – MSc in Transport and Business Management
Company and role: Imperial College London, Managing Associate
Why did you choose to study the Executive MBA at Imperial College Business School?
I have been thinking of studying an MBA for a long time and it was recently when I felt that I was at the right point of my career in which an MBA would help boost my professional development in a meaningful direction. I work at Imperial College London, and therefore the proximity and familiarity with Imperial College Business School made it a natural choice. Also, it was important to me to choose a school with a high international reputation, tight links with technology and science through the rest of Imperial College London and significant exposure to an international and diverse cohort.
How do you plan to manage your full-time role alongside your MBA studies?
The balance of my MBA studies with not only my full-time job but also my family responsibilities is one of the biggest challenges I am facing. Time management and planning, and communication are central in my approach to find this balance and I will be extra alert to ensure that these three elements (study, work, and family) coexist in certain harmony. I am constantly looking well ahead at what is going to happen in the MBA, at work and at home, so that I can have the timely opportunities to discuss openly with my tutors, my managers, and my family any adjustments I may need to make.
How have you found using Imperial’s online learning platform, The Hub?
I already had experience with Imperial’s online learning platform when I did a short online course on data analytics at Imperial College Business School. Both then and now for the MBA, I am finding the platform user friendly and intuitive. I especially like that I can find everything for each module in one single place, including the study material, the lecture material, exams, additional reading, contacts with lecturers, etc. Also, I like the varied types of learning material I go through online when preparing for lectures (e.g. videos, papers, case studies, activities, quizzes, polls, etc.). I think the Executive MBA has a well-balanced combination of online learning and in-person sessions, and I like that the online material allows for so much flexibility in terms of when and how fast I study.
What are your long-term career goals and how do you believe the MBA will support them?
I aim to develop my leadership skills to a next level, so that I can lead high-performing teams and develop business in the future. I am looking to learn multiple skills in the MBA, in areas such as marketing, team management, strategy, etc., but also to develop a much deeper understanding of who I am as a person and as a professional through interaction with my cohort peers, the faculty members and coaching. After finishing the MBA, I am sure I will be able to say that it was a life-changing experience.
Jessica Lopez
Nationality: Canadian/Ecuadorian
Education: University of Calgary, MSc in Chemical Engineering / Universidad San Francisco de Quito, BSc in Chemical Engineering
Company and role: Whitefox Technologies, Product Engineering Manager
Can you share a brief overview of your professional background and the industries you've worked in?
I began working at Whitefox as I started my master's programme, working on membrane technology development. I have worked my way through every scale of the technology from hands-on performance characterisation to pilot scale test plan design and construction, demonstration-scale project management, full commercial scale project coordination, assembling and leading customer support team. I have come full circle and come back to development and manage the product engineering development.
Membrane technology is applied in various industries, such as pharmaceutical, and chemical specialties to reduce energy and water consumption. The focus throughout my career has been in the renewable energy biofuels sector.
What do you hope to learn or achieve during your time in the MBA programme?
I’d like to learn to speak all the languages of business so I can increase my confidence in higher-level conversations. I’d like to know all the aspects that need to be aligned and managed to push innovative ideas into commercialisation.
What aspects of the programme are you most looking forward to?
I am interested in subjects that support business operations in addition to networking. The latter is an aspect I need the most help on and I’m looking to get out of my comfort zone.
We are excited to welcome this new cohort to Imperial College Business School and cannot wait to see what this class achieves! I If you are considering applying for our January 2025 start date, then don’t forget to register your interest and sign up to our newsletter below.
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