Dean Veloso in conversation with Imperial alumnus and Babson College President, Stephen Spinelli Jr.

Dean Veloso spoke to Imperial alumnus and Babson College President, Stephen Spinelli Jr. (PhD 1994) who shared his career highlights and experience during this fireside chat event. With a entrepreneurial background, Stephen had some great advice for entrepreneurs, as well as discussing why he is so driven to work in education.

Speaking about this time at Imperial he said: "It is a great honour to be part of the Imperial community. It was the most rigorous and intellectual experience of my life, in academia or outside of it. The intensity and focus, the setting, the people I studied with and the professors I studied with were worldclass."

My time at Imperial made me understand that it was possible to apply intellectual rigour to the entrepreneurship process. The idea that thought and action are intimate partners in this process was incredibly interesting to me. Intellectual maturity made me more creative and allowed me the degrees of freedom to explore.

Watch the full interview here.

Speaker biography

Stephen Spinelli Jr., PhD, MBA’92 is the 14th president of Babson College. A successful entrepreneur, academic leader, and scholar, Dr. Spinelli assumed the role of president in July 2019, guiding the College through its centennial year and into its second century. A lifelong entrepreneur, Dr. Spinelli has spent his career at the intersection of academia, business, and philanthropy. He co-founded Jiffy Lube International and was chairman and CEO of the American Oil Change Corporation, helping to pioneer the quick-lube industry nationwide and turning Jiffy Lube into the nation’s dominant competitor with more than 1,000 service centers.

As a long-standing member of the Babson community, Dr. Spinelli spent 14 years of his career as a member of the College’s faculty, vice provost for entrepreneurship and global management, and director of The Arthur M. Blank Center for Entrepreneurship. During his tenure at Babson, Dr. Spinelli played a number of critical and influential roles. He was an influential member of both the President’s Cabinet and the Academic Council, as well as chair of the entrepreneurship task force that contributed significantly to the College’s strategic plan. He led the charge to maintain Babson’s No. 1 ranking for entrepreneurship in U.S. News & World Report and to achieve, for the first time, the No. 1 ranking for entrepreneurship in Financial Times in 2006 (repeating in 2007).

In 2011, Dr. Spinelli was inducted into Babson’s Alumni Entrepreneur Hall of Fame. Dr. Spinelli earned his PhD in economics from Imperial College Business School, his MBA from Babson College, and his BA in economics from McDaniel College. In 2016, he received the honorary degree of Doctor of Letters from Ulster University in Northern Ireland.

Being Black at Business School

Ansumana Bai-Marrow, being Black at business school blog

At the beginning of 2021, I decided to go back to school to study for an MBA in order to aid my career and further develop my skills and network. Having done the hard work of researching business school rankings and their accreditations, the relative specialisms of different schools, the economics of doing an MBA, and the programme content and style of delivery, I discovered which school I like best. Interviews and applications over, and with multiple offers received, I was delighted to accept my offer from Imperial College Business School!

Incredibly, and having spoken to many other Black students I realised I wasn’t alone in this, I started looking around for people like me! It is remarkable that one of the first things we all seem to do is look up and around to find people with whom we have a shared identity – be it nationality, age, industry experience, race or ethnicity. For me, my postgraduate degree is about more than just the qualification. So soon after starting my MBA, my attention soon turned to student life, community and ‘experience’.

I remember being a young student trying to select which university to go to. I visited a number of Russell Group universities and one of my litmus tests was ‘how many Black faces did I see on campus?’.

The underlying premise of the thought – if there were a few other Black faces and they seem relatively happy, then I could probably be comfortable in this environment too. I looked for small clues about the institution I considered attending as tiny can shed insight into its culture and aspirations. The small things matter.

If you’re a Black student and you’re thinking of coming to the Business School, why should you apply and accept an offer if successful? Here’s my view.

1. The power of the social network

One of the reasons many of us go to business school is to network and meet interesting, smart and driven people. It’s great to be in an open university in such a multicultural melting pot like London, but it’s also reassuring to be around the comfortable and family, especially when far from home.

Imperial College London has a thriving African Caribbean Society and also the Africa Business Club at the Business School, which brings together people who have a nexus with the African continent, either by heritage or by interest. As part of a student-led initiative, the university is exploring establishing a Black students alumni network, again as a avenue through which those with a shared affinity can connect, while studying and once they have graduated.

There is a growing community of Black and mixed Black students at the School, both on campus and  via its pioneering online programmes, which draw people in from across the world. Knowing there are ‘others like you’ who if you find it easier to reach out to in time of need or discomfort, is a great psychological benefit on your academic journey.  

2. Funding and scholarships

Not all Black students will come from the same socio-economic background. Some will come from very well-off homes. However, on the balance of probabilities, many more of them will not, and the cost of coming to a top business school will be prohibitive.

At the business school level, while many postgraduate students have more work experience under their belt and may be able to contribute to their Master’s or MBA, there is still a question about funding and how to make sure that each individual can get the opportunity to receive support where required. I was fortunate to receive a partial scholarship from Imperial College Business School towards my programme.

Imperial acknowledges that students from Black and mixed Black backgrounds are underrepresented in the current student body and want to improve on this. As mentioned before, being around other Black students and witnessing their growth and development is inspiring so it’s important to make sure that there is more representation at the School.

The Black Future Leader Scholarship is one of the ways that the School wants to encourage more Black and mixed Black students to apply and showcase their potential. Open to all regions, the scholarship is available for all programmes and covers 50% of the recipient’s tuition. I’d encourage all Black students to apply. It’s also worth mentioning that there is a certain element of prestige and recognition that comes with securing a scholarship.

3. The importance of role models

Seeing ‘people like you’ is one thing. But seeing them in positions of influence and esteemed by others, brings the unattainable that bit closer. When I spoke to other Black students at the Business School, one point that was consistently made, was the importance of seeking Black academic staff.

This was beautifully captured by Full-Time MBA alumnus Teniola Essen, who is also the former head of the Africa Business Club, who noted the positive impact of Black academic staff on students. It sends a meaningful message to all students, black and white students alike, and every colour in between.

While the challenge of the lack of Black academic staff in academia is well known, there are other incremental steps that institutions can take to inspire and level-set. For example, I enjoyed the recent Dambisa Moyo book launch event, run by the Brevan Howard Centre, which is one of the Business School’s research centre. Dambisa is a renowned economist of Zambian heritage and is a member of the Barclays Bank Board. Hearing her speak about the purpose of the Board, and experiences on them was inspiring to many white and Black faces in the room alike.

Being a dual national myself, a British-Sierra Leoneon (born in the UK), I’m pretty chuffed to have also attended a talk by Yvette Stevens, MSc Electrical Power Systems and Machines 1974, who after graduating from Imperial, became Sierra Leone's first female engineer, and consequently an ambassador for her country (also the country of my heritage coincidentally). She was recently awarded this year’s Distinguished Alumni Award by Imperial. In her own words, “Being a student at Imperial is an advantage you need to make the most of. And there are other aspects to life at Imperial beyond your degree. Working with people from different cultures was really important for me. Of course, I had no idea I would end up working for the UN, but my time at Imperial prepared me for this. The education you get from Imperial is second to none.”

4. Representative programme content

Having case studies of successful Black businesses people and businesses or citing Black academics can inspire confidence and welcomed familiarity to black students. At Imperial, the School has introduced a compulsory ‘Working in Diverse Organisations’ module which teaches the foundations of unconscious bias and the benefits of diverse and inclusive workplaces. This is a great step in the right direction, and staff are being encouraged to identify and utilise case studies and people that represent their diverse student population.

In summary, all of these things and more convinced me to join Imperial College Business School, and have consequently reaffirmed my decision upon joining.  Is there more to do? Of course there is, but I am filled with sense of pride and hope when I see the steps that have been taken so far.

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Ansumana Bai-Marrow, Global Online MBA 2021-22, student at Imperial College Business School

About Ansumana Bai-Marrow

Global Online MBA

You can find the author's full profile, including publications, at their Read Ansumana's profile

Interested in applying for a programme at Imperial?

Learn about the Black Future Leaders scholarship

Alumni blog: Interviewing the inspirational Nicola Mendelsohn CBE

Profile image of Nicola Mendelsohn, VP at Meta

One of the reasons I decided to join Meta (Facebook’s new company brand) can be summed up in one word: opportunity. I have also always been impressed by the calibre of Meta’s people, as well as the exciting projects I get to work on.  

In 2019, I moved out of the world of management consulting to join Meta’s Legal Project Management Office. During my two years in that team, I had open conversations with my manager about where I wanted to take my career at Meta. For a while I’d had my eye on the role of Business Lead, known more commonly outside of Meta as a Chief of Staff. The role typically supports a Vice President in running their business, who is more often than not based in the US, so it’s a pretty rare role in London. Therefore I jumped at the opportunity to apply when a role came up earlier this year to support Nicola Mendelsohn, at the time, the Vice President for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Nicola has since been promoted to VP Global Business Group. 

Although I had never directly crossed paths with Nicola before the role, her reputation preceded her. She is known as empathetic and inspiring, and as someone who leads by example. Nicola started her career in the world of advertising. As she was rising up in the male-dominated industry, one of the first brave moves she took was to ask for a 4-day week, soon after having her first child aged 24. She felt like she wasn’t thriving at work or as a mother. No one had asked for that in her agency before. It took courage, but it worked. She was granted the 4-day week. 

Although I had never directly crossed paths with Nicola before the role, her reputation preceded her. She is known as empathetic and inspiring, and as someone who leads by example.

There were still challenges though. In the 90s, the advertising world was a macho culture that prized bravado over vulnerability. Nicola managed to thrive in this environment, but felt she wasn’t always her authentic self. Since then, Nicola has encouraged openness and empathy in her team. She believes these qualities lead to a strong culture and a closer working environment.  

This willingness to be vulnerable is best exemplified by her openness in sharing her blood cancer diagnosis of follicular lymphoma in 2016. When she was first diagnosed, she was overwhelmed and shocked. As a busy executive who felt perfectly well, she never expected to learn she had incurable cancer. While trying to understand her own condition she connected with the ‘Living with Follicular Lymphoma’ Facebook Group. This gave her the insight, advice and support from a close-knit online community going through a similar journey. 

Over time, Nicola became more involved in the stories and experiences of the individuals as well as her own treatment. This led her to develop relationships with leading clinicians and investigators in the field, who convinced her that by raising awareness and funds, so much more could be done to transform the lives of Follicular Lymphoma patients. As a result she set up the Follicular Lymphoma Foundation in 2019 to help find a cure. 

These examples demonstrate how Nicola directly lives by her values. There were instances in my time as a management consultant where I was exposed to what I would call poor leadership role models. There were interactions with leaders who helped me shape what I did not want to become when I reached their seniority. However, now working as Nicola’s Business Lead I am proud to support someone who I consider to be a positive role model. Despite the demands of the role, I am embracing every minute of it. I hope to learn as much as I can from this opportunity, and for it to help shape the type of leader I want to become in the future. 

#IBAlumniHeroes

Our alumni have varied and vast professional and personal networks, spanning all industries across the globe. In order to share this knowledge bank of experience and leadership, we asked our alumni to interview their ‘heroes’ and share their inspiring stories.

Heather Mack (Weekend Executive MBA 2017)

About Heather Mack

Heather Mack (Weekend Executive MBA 2017) is currently Chief of Staff to Nicola Mendelsohn, the regional leader of EMEA for the Meta Business Group organisation. Prior to that Heather was a Project Manager in Facebook's Legal team. She is also a member of our Alumni Advisory Board.

Connected Technology: Imperial Women's Network event

Connected technology, the possibilities and enhancements it can bring to society, business and healthcare, was the topic of a recent panel session organised by the Imperial Women's Network.

Technology is evolving and empowering businesses to re-imagine themselves in an increasingly digital world, shaping the future of industry and customer experience, creating faster, impactful and more tailored user experiences, with opportunities in all sectors. 

We heard from a panel of experts on how connected technology is changing the future of the construction, retail, and healthcare sectors:

  • Chris Hussey, Sales Side of the Puzzle, Gafon Digital, spoke about the use of digital twins to provide 100% accurate fully contented and fully sensored digital models of buildings and facilities. He demonstrated how the photo realist, interactive model allows you to ask live questions – for example how many hot desks are being used and where? The technology allows designers and planners a greater level of control over energy efficiency, planning, maintenance, design and costing, as well as a useful way-finding tool.
  • Gillian Simpson, Retail Customer Experience Lead, Deloitte Digital, discussed impact of the pandemic and how it hasn’t so much changed the face of retail, but accelerated the direction it was already taking in adopting connected technology. “The challenge now is which behaviours will stick, which were temporary and what is the new consumer interested in.” Gillian focused on: pre-purchase, such as digital advertising, virtual shopping experiences, use of augmented reality and loyalty programme; purchase using in store technology, customer apps, frictionless check out and in store analysis of consumer behaviour; post-purchase with subscription services, modern customer service and the metaverse.
  • Dr Anita Grigoriadis, Reader in the School of Cancer and Pharmaceutical Sciences, King’s College London, spoke about how connected technology is being used in the diagnosis of breast cancer using machine learning and AI-based approaches, research and software to provide more detailed images, leading to greater understanding of the disease and more accurate diagnosis.

The panel was be chaired by David Shrier, Professor of Practice, AI & Innovation, Imperial College London. He asked the audience to discuss the areas they felt were the key areas of opportunities for connected technology, and the majority felt communication and construction would benefit the most.

You can watch a video of the full recording here.

Imperial Women’s Network

The Imperial Women’s Network is focused on advancing women’s leadership in business. The supportive community aims to provide a space for peer-to-peer professional and personal networking and support for female alumni, and male ‘advocates of diversity’ who have studied at Imperial College London.

The Weekend MBA Global Experience Week to Iceland

In September, the Weekend MBA class of 2020-21 set off on a trip of a lifetime to the spectacular country of Iceland for their Global Experience Week. This hands-on, cultural immersion module exposes MBA candidates to a new culture and business market. In today’s global business environment, it’s important for students to adopt an international perspective, and the Global Experience Week is a chance to develop this important skill.

Iceland: a sustainable business hub

Every year our students head to a different country for the Global Experience Week: in 2021 the destination was Iceland. Renowned for being a leader in sustainability, Iceland was the perfect place to learn about the latest innovations in renewable energy and green business practices.

Meeting their classmates at the airport, along with some students from the Global Online MBA (this module is an option part of their programme), the group boarded the flight for a week-long adventure. Spending an entire week with their classmates is a great opportunity for the class to step away from the business of working while studying for their MBA part-time, and get to know one another better.

Throughout the week, students heard from some of the most inspiring minds in Iceland. From business leaders, industry experts and politicians, these presentations shared insight into the shape of the business landscape in the country. They then had the chance to see some of these innovations in practice:

"We started one of the days by looking into the future of sustainable fishing and it involved having fish grown on land in a controlled environment. Every step of the process was really detailed in terms of energy use, wastage and planning."
Phillip Phrakaysone
Weekend MBA 2020-21
Phillip Phrakaysone, Weekend MBA 2020-21, student at Imperial College Business School

Outside of talks and networking, the students experienced the stunning natural environment of Iceland. Walking through ice caves, climbing volcanoes and relaxing in the Blue Lagoon were all on the agenda.

The Global Experience Week isn’t just a trip to explore a new business market, but also a time to reflect and apply the knowledge learned over the course of the MBA:

"It’s been quite impressive to see how everything that I’ve learned in the past year and a half has contributed to a better understand of a business community."
Ioana David-Narby
Weekend MBA 2020-21
Ioana David Weekend MBA 2020-21

The Global Experience Week is part of the Weekend MBA programme and an optional module for the Global Online MBA. Modules may be converted to remote delivery subject to COVID-19 travel restrictions.

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The benefits of being awarded a scholarship on the Weekend MBA

Five Imperial College Business School students walking down a staircase

The Weekend MBA is a great opportunity to study an MBA without pausing your career. Combining work and part-time study means that you will continue to earn a salary, which can make funding the programme more viable. However, there are still opportunities for Weekend MBA students to also be awarded a scholarship that can make the decision to invest in an MBA simpler.

At Imperial, our scholarships are designed to recognise both academic and leadership potential, and all applicants can apply for a scholarship where they meet the criteria. This year there are five scholarships available for Weekend MBA candidates:

A scholarship is much more than just financial support and can provide a whole wealth of opportunities to recipients. We spoke to scholarship awardees from the Weekend MBA class of 2021-22 to discover what impact receiving a scholarship had on them.

Gain a confidence boost

It takes ambition to get to the point in your career where you’re ready to commit to an MBA. With some years of experience under your belt, there’s no doubt you have worked hard to get to where you are now, ready to take the next step to work towards your career goals. Scholarship recipients are recognised for this hard work, both for academic capability and leadership potential.

Weekend MBA student, Samer Zahr, felt proud to be awarded the Dean’s Excellence Award:

"It was an additional vote of confidence from the Business School, as the scholarship was awarded on the basis of exceptional academic and professional achievements and future potential."
Samer Zahr
Weekend MBA 2021-22
Samer Zahr WMBA 2021-22

Forté Fellow, Elena Bonezzi, was taken aback by receiving the award:

“I am absolutely honoured that Imperial believed in my potential; being awarded this scholarship was truly incredible. I felt extremely supported by the university and the fact that they wanted to invest in myself gave me some extra confidence in my abilities and potential.”

Receive financial support

There’s no denying that the tangible benefit of a scholarship, a contribution towards fees, is an important aspect of any award. Reducing the cost of an MBA can make the decision to commit to the programme more straightforward.

The combination of the Weekend MBA programme format and being awarded a scholarship made the decision to study at Imperial straightforward for Samer, “Receiving the scholarship paved the way for me to attend the programme, and alongside the format of the Weekend MBA, which served as the perfect career accelerator, allowing me to continue working and pursue the MBA."

For ROMBA (Reaching out MBA) Scholarship recipient, Matthew Foster, the scholarship has created more opportunities to get involved in extra-curricular activities:

"From a financial perspective, the Scholarship has allowed me to focus on my studies more and take advantage of extra-curricular activities that may not otherwise have been available to me as someone from a lower socio-economic background."
Matthew Foster
Weekend MBA 2021-22

Share your passion

Certain scholarships, like the LGBTQ+ Scholarship and Black Future Leader Award, provide opportunities to pave the way for underrepresented groups in business.

This was of great importance to Matthew “It was a particularly proud moment for me as my scholarship has a clear purpose – to broaden LGBTQ+ inclusion in business education and wider business – that is particularly important to me personally.”

Expand your network

Scholarships connect you to a network of fellow recipients at Imperial and expands to outstanding Business School students and alumni from around the world:

"By being awarded the scholarship I became a Forté Fellow and I am now part of an international group of MBA women studying across various top-tier business schools worldwide. I have had the chance to meet amazing people, join several career development events, talk to employers and maximise my MBA experience."
Elena Bonezzi
Weekend MBA 2021-22
Elena Bonezzi, Weekend MBA 2021-22, student at Imperial College Business School

Inspire future students

Scholarship recipients leave a legacy of exemplary academic ability and leadership potential, which paves the way for future Imperial students. By being a scholarship recipient, you can provide guidance and advice for future awardees and assist in their aspiration of receiving an award.

This aspect of the scholarship was particularly important to Elena, “I am grateful that thanks to this scholarship I had the chance to become a Student Ambassador and support and inspire other women.”

How to apply for a scholarship on a part-time MBA programme

The scholarships available for the next Weekend MBA intake  have varying deadlines. Candidates who submit their application by round 4, and receive an offer for the programme will be eligible to apply for a scholarship.

When applying, Matthew stresses the importance of demonstrating a holistic view of who you are and what you stand for “Take your time over your application to really present a clear narrative about who you are, what you stand for, and why you meet the relevant brief for the Scholarship. Ensure you are not only reflecting on your achievements to date, but also what you hope to achieve in the future, and the unique contribution you can make to the Imperial community. Most of all, allow your personality to shine through!”

To be eligible for a scholarship for the next Weekend MBA intake, visit the Scholarship page to find out more.

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About Sarah Hetherington

Content Marketing Coordinator
Content Marketing Coordinator working in the Programmes Marketing team at Imperial College Business School.

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Alumni blog: From Imperial to the Workplace - My Career Journey So Far

Batool Raza (BSc Biology with Management 2015)

In my last article, I gave you an overview of my time at Imperial, why I went to the Business School and how it helped me transition into the workplace. Here I’ll delve deeper into my decision to do more business-focused roles in science industries and how my time at Imperial influenced the choices I’ve made.

Exploring through internships

Whilst I was at Imperial, I was unsure what I wanted to do after graduating, so I experimented by doing several internships in very different areas. This included the charity sector, a social enterprise and a pharmaceutical company (GSK). I was pretty much taking a shot in the dark with each one to see what stuck! The first two were not science related at all, but gave me some experience in events and marketing. At GSK, I did a HR role, and was happy to work in a science-led organisation.

I also attended A LOT of careers fairs and talks, where I networked with many employers. Mostly, they were banks or consulting firms talking about science graduates going into these fields. But I also discovered some interesting potential paths that I had never heard about before. Some healthcare-based charities came and spoke about roles in Science Policy. A patent attorney gave a talk about intellectual property and patent law being an alternative career path for scientists. The more I spoke to people about these fields and did my own research, the more I discovered other fields like Science Communication, Science Education & Outreach, Life Sciences Consulting, Teaching, Clinical Operations, Regulatory Affairs, Business Operations….the list goes on.

Discovering all my options

Suddenly, there were almost too many choices for me as a Biology graduate! Luckily, I was able to extend my degree for a year to do Management at the Business School. I knew this was the right option because I was sure I wanted a business-focused role. I thought I would be more suited to work where business skills like project management or communication were needed. When I did those internships, I felt more fulfilled than doing research projects at university. A lot of this was because of the real world, practical application I was able to experience in the workplace.

I ended up landing a graduate job on GSK’s HR Future Leaders Programme. In the Pharmaceutical sector, I got exposure to an almost overwhelming number of roles you can do in the science industry. Working in HR in the Pharma industry was great because I built a foundation of business skills that I can now transfer to a wide range of roles across industries. It is also where my interest in supporting others with their development was ignited. I rotated around four different areas of the company before being promoted to a HR Manager role, so in total I did five roles there. Mostly, I ended up working with Research & Development departments, which meant I could work closely with scientists and others in science-related roles. It gave me a sense of fulfilment to keep a link to my science background and support the work of scientists, without having to directly do the research myself!

Luckily, I was able to extend my degree for a year to do Management at the Business School. I knew this was the right option because I was sure I wanted a business-focused role. I thought I would be more suited to work where business skills like project management or communication were needed.

Where I am now

I decided to leave GSK and explore different science-led industries through volunteering and networking. During this time I also started Outside the Lab to support others with their career development in non-academic roles. I volunteered at the Cultural Events team at the Science Museum Group and now work in Research Grants & Funding, supporting researchers to apply for funding for health-care related studies.

All the way, I’ve been able to keep my link to science and apply business skills at the same time, which is exactly what my degree in Biology with Management set me up to do. It’s been really fulfilling to know that both parts of my degree are relevant to my career.

If you interested in taking your career outside the lab and want to know how to start, you can watch Batool’s webinar on How Science Graduates Can Get a High Paying Job Outside the Lab Even if You Have Little to No Work Experience.

Alumni blog: How the Business School set me up for success in the workplace

Read more from Batool
Batool Raza (BSc Biology with Management 2015) headshot

About Batool Raza

BSc Biology with Management 2015
Batool Raza (BSc Biology with Management 2015) is the Research Activities Manager at World Cancer Research Fund International, as well as Founder of Outside the Lab, which helps science graduates find jobs and develop their careers outside academia.

Introducing our 2021-22 Forté Fellows

Forte

Through our partnership with Forté, we have the pleasure of welcoming our Forté Fellows on to our Full-Time MBA programme each year. Our Forté Fellows demonstrate an exemplary commitment to Forté’s mission of launching women into fulfilling, significant careers and helping women achieve their career potential. In this blog, some of our current Fellows talk about their involvement with Forté and why Forté's mission is important to them.

What is Forté? 

Forté is a non-profit organisation of leading companies and top business schools working together to launch women into fulfilling, significant careers through access to business education, professional development, and a community of successful women.

Shany Machlev - Forte Fellow
Shany Machlev - Forté Fellow

Shany Machlev, Full-Time MBA class of 2021-22 and Forté Fellow 

"Forté lives up to its purpose of shaking up the gender status quo in business, while creating a powerful community around it. Forté has provided me, prior to starting my MBA and throughout the program, access to personal and professional development contents and vast opportunities to build my network of colleagues. Specifically, in the MBA Women's Leadership Conference I got to learn from extremely inspiring women leaders around the globe; their candid conversations and relevant advice ignited the spark in me to re-imagine my goals, dream big and pave my own career path."

How are we involved?

At Imperial College Business School, we’re committed to encouraging talented women to consider MBA programmes and ultimately increase female leadership in business. Throughout the year, staff, students and alumni attend and speak at a range of Forté Forums and panels which enable candidates to meet us and find out more about studying an MBA at Imperial. We are also pleased to offer weekly virtual office hours to participants of the Forté MBALaunch programme as well as Forté Fellowships to students joining our Full-Time MBA programme.

In June 2021, we were very proud to see two of our Full-Time MBA students Alberta Asafo – Asamoah and Aoife Considine receive Forte's prestigious Edie Hunt Inspiration Award; an award that recognises women who have gone above and beyond to help advance other women into business leadership positions, through their business school or community.

Michelle Tang - Forte Fellow
Michelle Tang - Forté Fellow

Michelle Tang, Full-Time MBA class of 2021-22 and Forté Fellow 

"Forté accelerates women through advanced education so we can have a voice at the table. As a current MBA student, staying active in the online Forté community is beneficial as I get weekly updates to Virtual Career Fairs and access to leadership development webinars, where I gained many professional career tips. Forte’s MBA Women’s Leadership Conference allowed me to connect with like-minded talented women/previous Forté Fellows at influential companies and leading business schools. Their sharings encouraged me to act as role models to inspire the next generation of future women leaders to make a difference to the workplace and society."

The Forté Fellowship

We offer awards of 50% of the Full-Time MBA tuition fees, to candidates who demonstrate strong leadership skills through academic achievement, or in roles as team or community leaders, and show a commitment to helping women achieve their career potential through personal mentoring or community involvement.

In addition to the financial support provided, Fellows gain access to incredible resources from Forté including participation at the annual Forté MBA Women’s Leadership conference, access to exclusive networking groups of Forté Fellows and e-introductions to Forté sponsor companies.

Submit your application by 13 June 2022 if you'd like to be considered  for a  Forté Fellowship for September 2022 entry.

Cynthia Oshiro - Forte Fellow
Cynthia Oshiro - Forté Fellow

Cynthia Oshiro, Full-Time MBA class of 2021-22 and Forté Fellow 

"I wouldn’t be studying an MBA at Imperial, without the support of my mentors and colleagues, and the trust placed in me by Forté. I strongly believe Forté plays a key role in the economic and social development, from supporting women to boost their careers, to contributing to poverty reduction and the increase of the quality of human capital. I am happy and excited to be part of Forté’s community and sisterhood to continue building trust and alliances between women, and increase participation of women in leadership positions in Latin America and the world." 

Forté’s MBALaunch

This 10-month programme provides a structured road map for applying to business schools, including step-by-step application guidance and supportive peer groups. It offers live virtual events that will keep participants connected and engaged as they build their best MBA application, including tailored GMAT preparation and the support of MBA alumni advisors.

As a partner school, we offer weekly office hours, which enable participants of the programme to connect with university admissions and recruitment advisors, to help them put together a great MBA application.

Gillian Seow - Forte Fellow
Gillian Seow - Forté Fellow

Gillian Seow, Full-Time MBA class of 2021-22 and Forté Fellow 

"The goal of Forté Foundation is to challenge the status quo of women in leadership. Forté Foundation provides aspiring women such as myself much needed resources to drive this change and achieve an impactful career, in addition to the opportunities provided by an MBA programme with Imperial.

The leadership conferences organised by Forté Foundation proved to contain valuable networking opportunities, understanding industries from the view of women leaders and opportunities to work with leading organisations. As a student ambassador and Forté Fellow, I hope to contribute further to the goal of Imperial and Forté Foundation for women in leadership."

How can you get involved?

Becoming a Forté member is free and once registered, members gain access to a huge range of webinars, events and articles covering hundreds of topics. If you’d like to be considered for our Forté Fellowships, please submit your Full-Time MBA application by our final round deadline on 13 June 2022 and check our scholarships page for more information about the application process. We also run a number of events throughout the year, focused on women and leadership so please sign up to our newsletter to receive all of the latest updates.

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Alumni profile: From pharma to Fay&Mamie

Alumnus Sidsel Bockhahn-Tylecote (Full-Time MBA 2011)

After nearly 9 years in the world of pharma in both account management and marketing roles, Sidsel Bockhahn-Tylecote (Full-Time MBA 2011) decided it was time for a change. With a passion for arts and crafts, Sidsel took inspiration from childhood memories, her Scandinavian heritage, and drew on her marketing skills to release her inner creative entrepreneur!

Despite the challenges of lockdown, in January 2021 Fay&Mamie was launched selling sustainable table decoration kits, alongside creative blogs and videos on how to create your own beautiful lunch and dinner tables.

Where did the idea for your business come from?

My memories are full of wonderful festive family gatherings and dinner parties where my grandmothers would whiz around the house setting gorgeous dinner tables with things they found in nature or bits and bobs from around the house. When I started hosting myself, I quickly found that tableware and table decorations were missing something. Everything I saw was too pricey or too boring and trust me, I’ve been looking!

I decided to change that. Through Fay&Mamie I sell cool, affordable table linens which you don’t need to iron, and easy-to-assemble table decoration. Most Fay&Mamie products have a crafty element because I believe in the value of making something your own.

I also took inspiration for the company name from my childhood and family: Fay - or fairy, as my hope is to add a bit of magic to the everyday and make a meal more than just a meal! And Mamie - a nickname for grandmother, to honour my two grandmothers.

'Very Berry' Christmas table

Why did you decide the time was right to set up your own business?

My plan was to launch in 2020. I had the idea and I’d been working towards reducing the hours of my full time job for over a year. I’ve heard of lots of people taking the opportunity during lockdown to kick off their entrepreneurial dreams as they suddenly had all this time on their hands, for me however, 2020 was a big challenge professionally speaking. I had a small child, who wasn’t able to go to nursery for half the year, so there wasn’t really any time for a side gig. I officially launched in January 2021, but that was after a lot of behind-the-scenes work during evenings and my daughter’s nap time!

I also took inspiration for the company name from my childhood and family: Fay - or fairy, as my hope is to add a bit of magic to the everyday and make a meal more than just a meal! And Mamie - a nickname for grandmother, to honour my two grandmothers.

How did you feel leaving the corporate world to become self-employed?

I thoroughly enjoyed working for Johnson&Johnson; it’s an amazing company where you really get to see ‘best practice’ in action in a lot of areas of business. While there, I was in marketing, account management and sales and I was lucky enough to work in several different countries. Leaving the corporate world behind was not an easy decision, but I simply had to give my business idea a go. I must say, I love being self-employed! It comes with a lot of responsibility and uncertainty but I love the freedom that it also gives me.

What lessons have you learned so far?

I’ve learnt so much but let me stick to three points:

  1. Make sure to share your idea. Whenever I have a conversation with someone about Fay&Mamie, whether it’s someone who could be a potential customer or a fellow entrepreneur, I almost always leave having learnt something that influences how I go about building my business.
  2. Structure your week. It can be quite overwhelming the number of tasks you need to do when you run your own business and though you may work really long days it can still feel as if you get nowhere. A friend of mine, who is also self-employed, suggested planning the whole week keeping the tasks specific (e.g. find fabric for new placemat kit), instead of broad and vague (e.g. built 2022 strategy) and make sure to be realistic about time needed. This way of working has helped me feel a lot more satisfied as I can see exactly how much I’ve accomplished after a working day.
  3. Get into PR & SEO. No matter how great your product or service is, no customers will ‘automatically’ find you. You need to drive the traffic, and if your marketing budget is zero then you need to get into PR to generate it. Consider local papers, online magazines, blogs open to guest posts, influencers and more. There are a lot of options out there. If you’re an e-commerce business then SEO (search engine optimization) is equally important and online PR related mentions can help here; but SEO is much more than that of course.

As a startup, how do you go about sourcing products and suppliers and setting price points?

As Fay&Mamie is still at a ‘proof of concept’ stage, I’ve decided to invest in a broad range of products with limited stock to test as many options as possible, rather than build up a large warehouse of stock. I use local suppliers who are happy to sell very limited quantities at any given time; in several cases, I make the products myself. This is all intentionally done to keep cost low while ensuring a quality product. For startups that do not have such an opportunity, for example, because their product cannot be made by hand, I would start by visiting relevant trade shows for contacts and reach out to supply chain agents specializing in the category. 

Pricing is a really interesting area and something I love working on! I firstly started by taking a jumping off point in the consumer, rather than what made more sense from a profits point of view. The former is of course crucial but should come at a later stage, I believe. I asked myself: What would they be willing to pay? What commercial and non-commercial competitive solutions are available to them? And at what price points? I have intentionally priced my products rather affordably considering most are handmade, as this is where I see an opportunity. Example: In the UK, to set a table with quality fabric napkins and a tablecloth or a table runner, you can easily spend £100s! In other words, tableware becomes something you have very little of and typically not something you buy for yourself on a regular basis. It’s a classic wedding present and something most people only use for Christmas and similar major annual events. I’m hoping Fay&Mamie can make setting a gorgeous table a more everyday activity requiring a series of different linens and decorative items you can pick and choose from - and acquire yourself without breaking the bank. At the end of the day, food does taste better served at a gorgeous table and in lovely company!

Image of table setting kit from Fay&Mamie

What is next for the business?

This year I’ve dedicated to prove the concept, meaning I have a full website and social media channels up and running but my focus is on learning about my ideal customers, drivers of purchase and product specifications rather than sales as such. My priority right now is generating enough traffic to the website via PR and some paid advertising.

What has been the highlight so far?

Managing the development a whole portfolio of very cool products despite of the fact that I’m not a designer! My background as an innovation consultant and marketer certainly helped me structure the process but I’m still pretty proud of pulling it off!

Alumni profile: Alberta Asafo-Asamoah

Profile shot of alumnus Alberta Asafo-Asamoah (Full-Time MBA 2021

Alberta Asafo-Asamoah (Full-Time MBA 2021): inspiring entrepreneur, aspiring social impact investor and Women of the Future Awards MBA Star joint winner!

As an outgoing MBA student from the Business School, Alberta has already demonstrated outstanding leadership skills with her hard work earning her the Dean’s Impact Scholarship Award, as well as the Edie Hunt Inspiration Award, the best business pitch idea at Imperial’s Pitch ‘n’ Mix and also admission into the Black Valley accelerator programme.

We spoke to Alberta about her time at the Business School, her creative initiatives to tackling social problems and her commitment to helping SMEs achieve scale.

My time at Imperial

During my time at the Business School, I was an active volunteer, holding various leadership positions such as the Vice President of ImperialMBAWomen, a student-led club that seeks to bring together women across all Imperial’s MBA programmes and to celebrate their initiatives.

I was honoured to be the first European co-award recipient of the Edie Hunt Inspiration Award - a global award organised by the Forté Foundation celebrating the contribution that an individual has made to her school or community to advance women into business leadership positions.

I was also the Employer Relations’ Director for Africa Business Club and my goal was to help facilitate the club’s mission to connect Imperial talent to Africa-based opportunities, promote BAME talent within Imperial and beyond, and create industry specific content to bring BAME businesses and professionals into mainstream focus. I was able to form relationships with businesses and represent the Club on panels such as Imperial’s Employer forum to discuss how companies can build stronger relationships with Imperial student clubs.

By supporting emerging social impact enterprises and young entrepreneurs, I hope to open up opportunities for them and empower them to achieve their potential.

My current role and responsibility

I have spent a majority of my career in corporate banking, building relationships with businesses with turnover of ￡50m+ in the UK and providing debt finance to aid in their growth. After over four years in banking, I decided to combine my passion for social development and finance by pursuing a career in entrepreneurship and impact investing.

During this transitional phase, I founded AlgebraInTheCity (“AITC”) in 2018, an educational tuition and consulting business, to help bridge the educational attainment gap. I realised that there was a disparity in the curriculum used in selective schools, which encouraged problem-solving, in comparison to lower-income districts, which took a linear approach.

Since inception, I have developed my own method of teaching for young students between the ages of 9 and 16, many who have successfully secured entrance into competitive schools and obtained excellent results. 

My hope is to develop AITC by creating free educational content online, with free maths instructional videos for students aged between 11 and 16, which focus on the KS3 and KS4 GCSE curriculum in the United Kingdom, the WAEC syllabus across the West African countries and SAT/SSAT/ACT for schools that use the U.S curriculum. I also want to further explore my entrepreneurial goals by digitising AITC and making 11+ and selective exam resources available on the platform which I hope to launch shortly.

Through AITC’s community outreach programme, I have been involved in managing the operations of two charities called ‘Little Cherubs Kids Club’ and ‘Fantastic Learning’. It has been a privilege to support their tremendous growth, as well as develop the programme syllabi and lead on sourcing funding for the business. 

The future

My vision is to lead social impact projects in London and across Africa. To this end, I have successfully secured a role as a Senior Investment Analyst for a new gender equity fund managed by a global venture capital fund. I will be a consultant for the firm, working to support over 100 women-led enterprises in Africa on their mission to create social, environmental and economic impact by sourcing and evaluating investments for their business. 

Separately, over the past year, I have also been working on developing a tech-focused fashion e-commerce platform for the African market. After recognising the gaps in the fashion ecosystem, namely lack of access to variety and quality brands across the continent, the limited financial support for emerging brands to grow and other infrastructure problems, I saw a need for a fashion and beauty platform tailored to the needs of local consumers. 

My ultimate goal is to support local brands, promote sustainable shopping habits and in the long term, expand the business model to incorporate grant and microfinance products for designers. By supporting emerging social impact enterprises and young entrepreneurs, I hope to open up opportunities for them and empower them to achieve their potential.

About Celia Pearce

Alumni Communications Executive
Celia is responsible for all the communications to Business School alumni and this includes the monthly newsletter, alumni profiles and features, alumni blogs, event marketing, the website and social media. Please contact Celia if you have any queries regarding communications to alumni of the Business School.
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