What I’m most excited for on the Global Online MBA

Wen Ling Choong

Job title: Specialty Registrar in General Surgery

Organisation: NHS Tayside

Location: Aberdeen, Scotland

Nationality: Malaysia

From surgery to MBA, Wen Ling Choong is a surgical practitioner at NHS Tayside with an entrepreneurial flair and keen interest in innovation. As she studied three degrees in her six years at medical school, Wen Ling also became involved in the multiple enterprise competitions and challenges, leading teams through the stages of planning a business. Wen Ling was excited by the opportunity to meet, learn from, collaborate and exchange ideas with people of similar mindsets.

Using feedback from these challenges, Wen Ling has completed her first medical organiser prototype. With the help of the Global Online MBA, Wen Ling will gain the skills to make this idea a reality and a success. In terms of career progression, Wen Ling hopes to leverage her surgeon credentials and MBA qualifications to enter high-level healthcare management.

Which part of the programme are you most excited about?

The Capstone Business Game and the Global Experience Week. I believe these two parts of the programme will allow me to consolidate and apply all the knowledge that I have learnt in a practical and realistic manner. More importantly, I get to meet my cohort in person again!

Samuel Ho

Job title: Finance Business Planning Assistant Manager

Organisation: PepsiCo APAC

Location: Hong Kong

Nationality: Hong Kong

As the Finance Business Planning Assistant Manager at PepsiCo APAC, Samuel is a Certified Public Accountant with a strong background in finance and accounting. With an interest in the entrepreneurship, strategy and leadership modules, on the Global Online MBA programme he hopes to strengthen his managerial skills and looks forward to applying new business concepts on a practical level.

Which part of the programme are you most excited about?

The programme runs its flagship IB Glocal project every year in selected emerging countries. This includes an amazing programme of local firm visits, conferences and cultural exchange. I am very much looking forward to learning about the project this year and will definitely participate to have the experience.

Elli Lembessis

Job Title: Business Analysis Lead, ABS Advanced Solutions

Organisation: American Bureau of Shipping (ABS)

Location: Houston, United States

Nationality: United Kingdom

Having completed her undergraduate studies in engineering at Imperial College, Elli Lembessis is back at the Business School for her MBA. Elli works in the maritime industry leading Business Analysis for a new Advanced Solutions unit at the ABS. Working in an agile start-up environment within a large company, Elli’s role sees her analyse industry intelligence to reimagine and reconstruct business for the digital/industry 4.0 age.

Out of looking at 30 other business schools, Elli made Imperial College her top choice for the Global Online MBA because of our leading stance on innovation as well as being a rounded industry programme.

Which part of the programme are you most excited about?

I’m looking forward to the corporate innovation and digital business modules, but especially the final project in our second year – this is where we’ll bring together everything we’ve learnt. We’ll work on a major project for our company to make a real difference and deliver real results. 

Khan Ruey Lim

Job title: Legal Executive cum Advisor

Organisation: Rhizophora Ventures Sdn Bhd.

Location: Johor Bahru, Malaysia

Nationality: Malaysia

Trained in the UK, Khan Ruey Lim practised law in Kuala Lumpur and is now based in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, working as the principal legal advisor for a state-backed investment holding company in the creative media industry. He aspires to grow his company to be a regional industry leader and encourage private investments to build a sustainable ecosystem for both working professionals and the local community.

Which part of the programme are you most excited about?

The ‘Interview a Leader’ assignment as part of the Personal Leadership Journey module. I find it to be both a reflective and forward-looking assignment, as it allows you to take a moment and reflect on your achievements to date, as well as plan for the future on what kind of business leader you want to become. It is not easy to have an opportunity to meet with an industry captain. Fortunately, the strong brand name of Imperial opens doors.

Chris Nickerson

Job Title: Consultant, Technical Analyst

Organisation: Gevity Consulting Inc.

Location: Nova Scotia, Canada

Nationality: Canada

Working as a consultant in health informatics at Gevity Consulting Inc., Chris Nickerson is passionate about addressing the challenges facing healthcare systems everywhere. He works in technical roles, implementing large-scale healthcare information technology systems, but aspires to progress his career towards management and strategy focused consulting engagements.

With a background in Computer Science, the Global Online MBA will equip Chris to assume leadership roles, where he’d like to drive policy in healthcare with a particular focus on solving problems through the innovative use of technology. Imperial College’s emphasis on innovation, science and technology is a perfect match for his interest in how technology could better support population health and drive lower healthcare costs.

Which part of the programme are you most excited about?

I’m really looking forward to the elective modules in my second year. After building a strong foundation of essential business skills in the core modules, I think it will be really interesting to dig deeper in areas that are of particular interest to me. The breadth of options available is really impressive – from the online electives to the Global Experience Week and Glocal Electives (and even the opportunity to join on-campus classes for folks in London), there are lots of opportunities to expand your knowledge and skills while engaging more deeply with the Business School and other students. Of course, I’m also looking forward to returning to London and meeting up with my cohort again during the Capstone Business Game toward the end of the programme.