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In February, we welcomed our new students to our Executive MBA programme– they have now embarked on their 23-month journey at Imperial College Business School, with the aim of developing themselves as leaders and enhancing their global business perspective.
The Executive MBA's unique blend of on-campus learning, and online study tools will provide our new cohort with knowledge of essential business disciplines as well as opportunities to specialise in their areas of expertise. They will also enjoy international residencies to help grow their global perspective on business.
Learn more about this new class and hear from them directly about their motivations to study the Executive MBA at Imperial Colleges Business School.
What does the new class look like?
The diversity in the Executive MBA programme at the Business School has always been the foundation of creating rich class discussions and enabling students to build a global network. This class is no different - 28 students have joined us this year, 36% being female and the cohort represents 18 different nationalities.
The students also bring a wealth of experience, with the average of 14 years being spent in the workplace by these students, therefore the Executive MBA students will gain a lot of knowledge and learnings from each other in the classroom. The group also offers a variety of industry specific knowledge as they join us from a multitude of sectors, with banking/ finance, IT/tech, energy and consulting being the top sectors for this group.
21% of the class of 2023 have received some form of sponsorship from their employer as testament to their effort and achievement, with a number also receiving one of Imperial’s wide range of scholarships.
Meet the Executive MBA students
Elsie Twumasi-Mensah
Nationality: British
Job role: Innovation Manager, Connect Plus
What aspects of the programme are you most looking forward to?
The main aspects of the Executive MBA programme I am most looking forward to are:
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The global residencies to the US and Hong Kong. This will give me exposure to international business practices and operations in major economies and will create a further opportunity to get to know individuals from my cohort on a deeper level.
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Learning from my cohort of talented individuals and high achievers from diverse and wide-ranging backgrounds and sectors and making lifelong connections.
How did you come to the decision of studying an MBA, and why did you choose Imperial?
I came to the decision of studying an Executive MBA at Imperial College Business School as I believe that being a well-rounded leader in today’s complex and dynamic business world, requires expertise in leadership and business management. I have always been an advocate of continuous self-improvement hence my decision to pursue the Executive MBA programme.
Having extensive experience in the engineering and infrastructure sector, I recognise the need to bridge my knowledge gaps by developing skills that are outside the core engineering/technical, project and asset management experience I have gained thus far. Studying an Executive MBA will enable me to do this and broaden my horizons in business concepts such as strategy, finance, marketing, economics, and organisational behaviours. Gaining this broader business knowledge through taught modules, team projects and networking with leaders from diverse backgrounds and sectors, will enable that cross-knowledge transfer that will be required to take on bigger leadership roles in different sectors confidently in the future. Through coaching on the programme, I believe I will refine and develop new skills to strengthen my leadership and management style, expanding my lens to make better impacts and create a more positive influence in the working environment.
Choosing Imperial College was a no-brainer due to its world-class status and academic excellence with a global reputation in science, business, engineering and medicine. The world-class faculty, campus facilities and cutting-edge research will enable me to keep abreast of industry developments and continuous improvements. Another attraction to Imperial is the fact that it puts diversity, inclusion, and gender balance at the heart of its community. The cohort at the Business School represents professionals from diverse backgrounds, different industries, and job functions and will enhance learning and cross-knowledge sharing because of this.
One thing that sets Imperial College Business School apart from other business schools is the fact that an alumni can return to the school and study an elective of interest after they have graduated..
I am privileged to be studying at Imperial College Business School and to be the recipient of the very special Black Future Leaders Award, which was established to recognise exceptional MBA candidates from Black or mixed backgrounds from all regions who can demonstrate their leadership potential and want to make a positive contribution to the Imperial community.
Rasheed Abulola
Nationality: Saudi Arabian
Job role: Cloud Adoption Manager, Oracle
How did you come to the decision of studying an MBA, and why did you choose Imperial?
As technology continues to shape the ways we live, work, shop, and communicate, the expectation for businesses to integrate technologies with their customer journeys is higher than ever.
Since I joined Oracle Corporation, I put my long-term goal to be among the top 10 Cloud technology leaders globally by 2030. I believe studying the Executive MBA is the right booster for this goal since I need to improve my business skillset, leadership style, and the ability to combine business concepts with cutting-edge technologies to drive real impact in our world.
What aspects of the programme are you most looking forward to?
Persuing an Executive MBA programme in one of the top 10 universities is an excellent opportunity to meet with the world’s greatest minds in one class, sit alongside top organisations’ future leaders, and have broad exposure globally.
Imperial College London is not only among the top ten universities, but also known to be the best in science and technology.
Tom Zhiren
Nationality: Israeli/Polish
Job role: Vice President Operations, Cloudinary
What aspects of the programme are you most looking forward to?
There are several aspects I'm excited about as I start my Executive MBA programme. First, I'm looking forward to getting to know my cohort of like-minded professionals from diverse backgrounds. The programme offers a unique opportunity to build new relationships and learn from my fellow classmates and alumni.
Second, the programme's extensive range of electives, including collaborations with partner universities abroad, promises to provide an enriching learning experience. I'm eager to take advantage of these learning opportunities to broaden my horizons and develop new skills.
Finally, the programme's emphasis on personal and professional development is a key reason why I chose to pursue an MBA. I'm excited to be challenged, step out of my comfort zone, and expand my knowledge, skills, and abilities to prepare myself for the next challenges in my career.
What are your long-term career goals and how do you believe the MBA will support them?
My long-term career goal is to continue developing as an executive leader, with the ultimate aim of progressing to a COO or CEO position or exploring new entrepreneurial opportunities. In addition, I'm passionate about coaching, mentoring, and advising others, and I aspire to become a more effective leader in these areas.
I believe that the Executive MBA programme will be a critical part of my journey towards achieving these goals. The programme's comprehensive curriculum will allow me to gain a deeper understanding of various business functions and provide me with the skills and knowledge to make informed decisions and provide strategic direction. I'm also eager to leverage the programme's resources and network to gain exposure to new perspectives and build valuable relationships.
Overall, I'm excited about the opportunities that the Executive MBA programme will provide me, and I look forward to challenging myself, expanding my capabilities, and shaping my career direction in the months and years ahead.
Richard Boyd
Nationality: New Zealander
Job role: Head of Digital Claims, Lloyd’s of London
What has been your career journey so far?
I graduated in the aftermath of the global financial crisis in 2008 thinking I was going to save the world through writing good government policy. Thankfully, none of the government agencies were hiring. I stumbled into a short-term project support role for what we’d now call digital transformation, and I got the bug hard. As this thing called digital was evolving, I held a variety of broad roles which meant I was responsible for optimising websites for conversion and ensuring we spent our marketing budget for digital channels wisely. As these types of roles matured into defined specialties I pursued product management, as I was more interested in figuring out how technology could drive commercial outcomes than writing content for social media. Since I moved to London, I’ve had the pleasure to work for well-known brands such as British Airways and Lloyd’s Banking Group, and now I’m in a leadership position for Lloyd’s of London as we seek to digitise how London Market Insurance operates.
What are your long-term career goals and how do you believe the MBA will support them?
I’ve always loved business. As a kid growing up with parents who were small business owners, our conversations always came back to growing the business. It’s that passion for driving businesses to succeed that I want to continue to strive for. Ideally, I’d like to move into senior leadership positions with organisations who are really pushing the boundaries of innovation, ensuring they achieve commercial success before running out of funding. I’d also like to develop a career in the boardroom, bringing my knowledge of technology and passion for leadership to the table.
Mai Le
Nationality: Vietnamese
Job role: Management Consultant / Founder, HOFY
How did you come to the decision of studying an MBA, and why did you choose Imperial?
In the next 10 years, I plan to thrive in global tech eco-system as an entrepreneur, business consultant and leader of tech-driven corporation; I believe the programme will enable me to achieve my goal. The Business School’s strong tech-driven approach, tech entrepreneurship, and STEM leadership will enrich my industry knowledge. Through my entrepreneurial journey, I realised a need to further sharpen my finance and marketing expertise and enhance my strategic leadership skills and entrepreneurial mindset. Imperial College Business School’s EMBA will enhance these skills.
What are your long-term career goals?
After graduating, I will open a boutique consulting firm to help traditional IT outsourcing companies upgrade their business model and operational best practices. After 30 years development of the IT industry, engineers in emerging economies like Vietnam and Southeast Asia are now completely capable of building qualified software products, but they still need help to launch their products at a global scale, which my firm will support by connecting them to the right partners and leveraging resources for their projects.
I also want to help remote communities utilise the advantages of tech, as well as enhance collaboration to help tech talents in Vietnam and the rest of the world connect, and work together in a coherent, efficient way.
We are excited to welcome this new cohort to Imperial College Business School and cannot wait to see what this class achieves! If you want to join our 2024 class, don't forget to register your interest and sign up to our newsletter below.
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