Jade Fallen

About you

What was your background prior to studying the MBA?

My career story is not what I had envisaged, as ever since I was a child I had always planned to be a lawyer. However, on graduation I decided that this wasn’t the right move for me at that time and having studied at the LSE I was attracted the world of finance. So into finance I went and it was a great decision for me. After 18 months at Goldman Sachs I moved to Credit Suisse where I spent 13 years working in a number of client strategy and business management roles across fixed income and equities. I recently moved to a leading investment bank where I am a business manager.

Why did you choose to study Imperial's Executive MBA?

I was able to pivot away from law into banking through the transferable skills I had gained in my degree and internships. I spent 13 years in my last company and though I had grown and developed in my varied roles, I began to crave more structured personal and professional development. I had learned about strategy on the job; I wanted to complement that with learning about strategy from leaders drawing from their experience in consulting and other industries. I also wanted to study alongside people from different professional backgrounds and knew that the Imperial College Business School Executive MBA attracts diverse candidates, with backgrounds outside of finance. I was also particularly keen to study in an innovative and technologically driven environment.

"The Imperial College Business School Executive MBA attracts diverse candidates, with backgrounds outside of finance. I was also particularly keen to study in an innovative and technologically driven environment."

The programme

How would you describe your cohort?

The cohort is full of talented people, a real diverse mix of professional backgrounds, but mainly people who are doing very well at what they do. I love that we can approach a case and have the perspective of doctors, engineers, accountants, consultants and TV producers – we all have developed techniques in our professional lives and bring these together in class so that we can learn from each other. Everyone is very approachable and supportive of each other. There is never a “dumb” question in class and members of the cohort are always willing to help and support.  

Career

How are you planning to use your MBA for your future career? 

I use my programme learnings all the time. It’s also very easy to spot when a strategy or process has been implemented by someone who has an MBA. The Executive MBA changes your thought process – you are armed with frameworks that guide your approach to challenges and opportunities in the workplace. Also, because a lot of the teaching is case-based, you are able to apply your learnings to specific real-life scenarios. I have also been surprised by the extra detail that the Executive MBA goes into – so even with subjects that I thought I knew quite well, there was always a learning point to enhance my knowledge.

What are you future career goals?

The plan for doing my MBA was to strengthen my strategy skills and to gain a solid business acumen. I am choosing my electives so that they support my ambitions to grow my career in the strategy space, so that I am agile enough to be a positive force in this fast-changing world. I am hoping to continue my career development to achieve a  position of leadership.

Tips

What is your advice for prospective students?

1. Do it. You won’t regret it (as long as you do #2 and #3)

2. Research. Read about the programme, speak with people and understand what you want to gain from doing the Executive MBA as you need to be motivated.

3. Be prepared. The programme is challenging both in terms of content and time demands. Find a rhythm of studying that works for you and stick with it no matter what. It makes your life much easier in the long run. When you are prepared for the worst, you will be pleasantly surprised by how well you manage, and that you still manage to see your friends (occasionally).