Part-time MBA Success Stories
From high-powered directors to successful entrepreneurs, the success of our alumni is testament to the quality and international reputation of the Manchester Global Part-time MBA.
Where can we take you?
Senior Global Product Manager, Bentley Motors
What is your current role and did you change roles during or after studying the MBA?
“When I started the MBA, I was working for Bentley as a Senior Global Product Manager for a line that represented 85% of the company’s sales. After a brief stint in a different area, I realised my heart lay with product management and I’m now Senior Global Product Manager for a completely new line. I am responsible for taking it from a blank sheet to development and beyond. I’ve been working on this current project for three months and I’m excited to see what lies ahead.”
Did the MBA help you change roles?
“Since studying the MBA, my communication style has improved, I see the bigger picture more easily and I understand ‘high-level thinking’ in senior meetings better. I’m also more confident in areas such as accounting and finance. Despite having studied business at GCSE, A-level and undergraduate level, I’ve always struggled with this. Thanks to the way of teaching at AMBS, it finally makes sense. I’m pleased to say I passed this course and even got an A* in the project!
“I also think the MBA taught me to approach challenges differently. For example, I took the Innovation Management & Entrepreneurship elective course, which was really inspiring. In the commercial world, we are often taught to be cautious and reflect before making decisions. This course encourages you to give it a go and take risks, which is refreshing. It was very well delivered for those of us with no experience in this area.”
Why would you recommend the Manchester Global MBA?
“I have nothing but positive things to say about the Global MBA. All the courses had some benefit and were pitched at just the right level, we had some great guest speakers and the absolute highlight was the workshops. We covered a lot of ground over the two years and achieved so much. I don’t know anyone who didn’t enjoy it and the calibre of classmates was excellent. I considered schools across the country, even though I live close to Manchester, but I’m glad I chose AMBS. The course couldn’t be structured any better, it is well organised and the level of progression is just right. The team is also always open to feedback.
“Since finishing the MBA, I’ve taken on additional responsibilities that sit outside my official remit since I miss studying and want to keep my grey matter stimulated! I work as a Professional Family Lead, making sure colleagues get their needs met, and I sit on the CSR Committee and Company Car Committee. This has helped fill the void left by the MBA!
“The MBA is also great if you plan to work abroad. It makes you realise that business is the same all over the world, albeit with different legal infrastructures, etc. Every multinational company knows what an MBA is so it really opens up doors. The traffic to my LinkedIn profile has definitely increased since I listed the MBA on my page. Unfortunately I didn’t travel to any overseas centres as I was travelling so much already for work. With hindsight, I would have liked to study the Contemporary Chinese Business elective in Shanghai.”
What advice would you offer someone about to start their MBA journey?
“A lot of people were concerned about the work life balance, but in reality the workload flexes to be more or less depending on the time of year. If you are interested in the business world and commerce and have some experience under your belt – just do it.
“The Global MBA will really give you the high-level, strategic mindset that’s needed for leadership positions. However, I’d say it’s important to have a genuine interest in business and commerce and not just do it for career progression. You will still need to drive your own career forwards; having an MBA on your CV won’t change you as a person!”
Katey Neate, Vice President in Risk Management, BNY Mellon, UK
"I’ve worked for BNY Mellon since 2002 in a variety of different roles, in both London and Manchester. BNY Mellon offered a number of employees the chance to complete the MBA, and I leapt at the opportunity to enrol. I wanted to get into studying again and, in terms of my career, I wanted to have more roles available to me beyond the operations roles I’d held previously. It just felt like the right time."
"I changed jobs (and cities!) twice after starting the Global MBA, once halfway through the programme and again since graduating. My first move was from an operations role to a sales role, and from Manchester to London. The flexibility of study afforded by the programme definitely enabled me to make the move. The roles I’ve moved into have been very different than my role when I started the programme in terms of scope and exposure to different parts of the organisation.
"Completing the Global MBA has contributed both directly and indirectly to my career progression. Having the MBA on my CV helped with the selection process in the interview for my current role, and the core knowledge I’ve gained about finance, macroeconomics and global trends has given me both the confidence and the know-how to apply for different roles."
Glyn Powditch, CTO & Founder, Dream Agility
“Before joining the Global MBA, I was working as a gaming director at BSkyB, and looking to start a software business with my wife. With this in mind, I decided to study an MBA with the specific aim to improve my skills in presenting and communicating technical matters to a wider business audience.
“However, I found that the MBA gave me much more than expected. The coursework, group work, and the highly specific yet varied modules, all tied in with the start-up business I was planning. Each assignment nurtured my practical skills, but also taught me about the business venture I was pursuing.
“Up until I started the MBA, my career was based solely within the corporate world. It marked a change in my career and put me out of my comfort zone. I went from being an employee in large corporate entities to an entrepreneur, setting up my own company. I was able to receive a huge variety of ideas and opinion from classmates who came from a variety of different backgrounds and industries; it really was an “eco-system” of business minds within the course, which cultivated a strong and educated business sense.
“What I got out of the MBA isn’t what I expected. The MBA is a lot more flexible than I believed it would be. The connections I made – the support system of the lecturers, as well as my classmates – were invaluable for what I am doing now. The experience of working with a range of cultures was very beneficial and I learned important cultural differences, which will prove very useful when conducting business on a global scale.
“What I have subsequently done, having graduated from the MBA, is to return back to the business school with my business, Dream Agility. I employed five Full-time MBA students to explore how viable the business was through a consultancy project. We presented a lot of their insights to potential investors.
“Through the connections made at Alliance MBS and the subsequent networking I did, we are now working towards a Knowledge Transfer Partnership on machine learning with Alliance MBS and the computer science faculty at The University of Manchester.
"Having started with one client, Dream Agility now manages over 100 accounts with offices in Ramsbottom, Paris, Seoul, and Atlanta. The market-leading software platform company is one of the fastest growing Google Premier Partners in the UK and Australia, with eBay-certified application status and integrations with Facebook, Bing, Naver, and Amazon. Dream Agility has won numerous global awards including the EMEA Google Partners 2016 new business award in Berlin and the Bounce Busan Global Tech competition in South Korea in October 2017, receiving a winning prize of 10m Korean Won."
Fred Sharp, Operations Excellence & Business Strategy Consultant
"After graduating from college I worked in investment banking in NYC. I then took a consulting project in China and did some lecturing for a few years. I loved China, so I set up my own procurement consulting firm there in 2005. After twelve years, the market has changed a lot and Chinese companies are a lot savvier, so it’s a lot tougher for SMEs to be profitable. As such, I was looking for an MBA ‘to show me the way’ and give me added credibility. I had launched my business without formal management training and made some inefficient decisions and mistakes. I felt an MBA would help me analyse the market better and make more structured decisions and goals.
"I chose Alliance MBS (AMBS) because I wanted international experience, since I am a global businessman. The UK is a centre of European and global business, while AMBS in particular offered a focus on developing skilful business analysis and consulting, plus a global perspective and learning by doing. This was exactly what I wanted – not a purely academic degree but a focus on business analysis and global business management.
"I originally applied for the full-time programme but the admissions team suggested Global MBA Accelerated, given that I was a more senior applicant. I liked the structure and the fact I could continue to work, and it was truly international. Most of the cohort worked and lived in a country that wasn't their home country, so we ere all expats and global professionals.
"The Global Accelerated MBA was slightly different to the standard Global MBA. We completed the programme in 18 months, rather than two years, and we studied as a closed cohort of 28 students. We also travelled to different AMBS centres to attend our workshops in a set order.
"After the induction in Manchester, it was nice to come together again in other locations. The workshops were awesome; very intense but so rewarding. No one complained about the level of work and commitment, everyone dug in and gave it their all. It was a great chance to get together, learn and put into practice what we’d learned from the course materials. We could tailor what we were learning to our own professional experiences and hear how colleagues do things differently at their respective companies. Because of our diverse backgrounds, everyone brought a different perspective that was beneficial to us all. It was a very rich experience and this kind of learning goes beyond the course materials.
"While in Shanghai I arranged a Company Tour Delegation to VOITH Turbo Mobility Asia Pacific, which complemented what we had learned and practised in class. The VP gave us a presentation and we had a Q&A session with their Chief Engineer, Sales Manager, Operations Manager and others. We toured around their facilities and had a step-by-step walkthrough of their manufacturing operations.
"During the overseas workshops, I also organised “TheSTRETCH”, a ‘Student-Alumni Mixer’ to network and socialise with local AMBS students and alumni, and other local professionals.
"I'm now looking at the world through ‘new eyes’. I notice this when I’m reading business reports and news stories about companies. Now, I spot things that must be considered and I look at companies differently. I think about who their competitors are, how they fit into the global business environment and how their business ecosystem functions. It’s a whole new world of perspective.
"In my own business, where I focus on production, supply chain and quality management, I now see more clearly where I can make improvements to my manufacturing partners' production processes and operations, and the peripheral effects that would have. I’m also better able to serve my clients; I can work with factories and help them improve processes and their value chain.
"You can definitely put the MBA into practice from the start. Many schools claim this, but at Alliance MBS it’s really true. I’m glad I didn’t have to wait 18 months to get this value. Already, I’m starting to see how those amazing ‘superman’ feats that other businesspeople pull off are actually completely achievable."
Kiran Sispal, Associate Director (Enterprise risk – Group Internal Audit), National Bank of Abu Dhabi
"The Global MBA has had a positive impact on my career, allowing me to attain greater responsibilities at work and lead projects. It provided a good combination of business tools with an emphasis on finance-related concepts that I am applying to my current role. It is also helping me to think strategically about how I approach projects at work and manage change in a constantly-evolving environment.
"My current company hired me due to the specialist credit risk expertise and industry experience I had gained in the UK market. I travelled to the Singapore and Dubai centres for my MBA a number of times and expanded my professional network in the Middle East. This led to the opportunity to join the largest bank in the UAE, to help build a specialist credit risk audit function within Group Internal Audit.
"I would advise incoming students to take advantage of the international centres! The opportunity to travel and study at the international locations was hands down the highlight of the entire MBA journey for me. It is life-changing in that you get to meet so many interesting people along the way, who will inevitably shape how you adapt to different cultures and working environments. This is something I think every individual should focus on at the start of his or her MBA journey. The world of work is changing and interpersonal skills play a pivotal role in establishing good working relationships and friendships for life. It’s important to maintain a healthy balance between studies, work and personal life.
"The MBA has expanded my mindset considerably, both professionally and personally. The time and effort that goes into completing the MBA, whilst balancing a full-time career is an experience that shapes you as an individual. The self-belief that I have gained in going through that experience will put me in good stead for my future career endeavours. Nothing is impossible if you have a true desire to achieve success and the determination to back it up.
"During my MBA, I realised I have a lot more patience and resilience than I initially thought. I was able to relocate to another country alone mid-way through my MBA, as well as take up a new career opportunity and still maintain a strong commitment to completing my MBA. This experience has shaped how I approach challenging situations in my life and has taught me the value of thinking and acting strategically."
Au Yang Sian, Supply Chain Director, Ferrero, Singapore
“Before starting the Global MBA at Alliance Manchester Business School (Alliance MBS), I had been a supply chain professional for more than15 years, working across a wide range of industries. Upon graduating with my undergraduate degree, I worked my way up the ranks within the supply chain sector and reached the point where I felt I needed to expand my knowledge of certain business practices.
“I wanted to equip myself with a strong foundation across all parts of business I didn’t yet have expertise in. To do this, I wanted an in-depth education at a reputable school. I researched various business schools, including those more local to me in Singapore, but I realised that Alliance MBS was the most suited to my needs.
“On the MBA course, I wanted to be able to interact with my classmates and lecturers, to gain the widest variety of knowledge and insight possible. This was one of the major reasons I chose Alliance MBS; it had the best, and most diverse, network of students, who came from all over the world to study there. Alliance MBS’ global ranking was another factor in my selection, ranking highly and above the schools I was looking at in Singapore.
“As expected, my classmates all came from a wide array of industries, which made for an eye-opening and enriching experience. For me, the strategic management module was one of the highlights of the course which became an integral learning for my current role now; it taught me to look ahead and plan for all eventualities – a mindset which previously I did not utilise.
“The confidence I gained during the MBA was one thing I wasn’t expecting. It gave me the confidence I was lacking in my role to present to colleagues in top management positions. My overall approach to business has also improved; I now explore all perspectives, including financial and operational, when making decisions, which has given me much more of a professional edge.
“The MBA actually helped me secure the role I am in now. Ferrero was not just looking for someone with supply chain experience; it was keen to employ a business-minded supply chain professional to help grow the business. I would not have been confident in applying for this job without the MBA. Upon joining the company, I saw that my MBA set me apart from other candidates and it is something that will continue to help me develop within the company."
Peter Clitheroe, Account Director, Hewlett Packard Enterprise
“I work as an Account Director for Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), a multinational IT company. In this role, I am responsible for four large customers in retail and manufacturing globally. I also matrix manage teams based overseas in The USA and Asia.
“Before the MBA, I was working as an Account Manager for a different IT technology company and I moved to HPE after the first term of the MBA. I was then promoted a month after graduating. Studying the MBA definitely helped facilitate the move to a new company and role. While other candidates may have similar levels of knowledge and skills, I think having an MBA is a ‘rubber stamp’ that proves you have a certain level of intelligence and capability. I have no doubt that the MBA will continue to help as I look to progress further in this company.
“In my current role, I frequently draw on the courses I studied during the MBA. For example, once a month I sit down and review customers’ financial reports, which I can interpret using learnings from the Financial Management course. I regularly read up on customers’ markets and can apply knowledge from the Managerial Economics, Strategy Management and Advanced Strategic Management course. I also regularly refer back to other courses, for example, Operations Management and Supply Chain Management, which help me to manage customers’ expectations during client meetings. In fact, I’ve just finished a client call where I referenced what I learned during the Operations Management class!
“One of my favourite memories of the MBA is the amazing professors, who were extremely motivating and inspiring. I also met great people from different backgrounds and countries. I’m still in contact with many of them and now call some of them friends.
“My advice to anyone looking to study an MBA is to be clear what you want to get out of it. My personal goal was to study every course to the best of my ability and get the best possible grade. Some students had specific courses they wanted to excel at. It’s good to think about your end goal before you choose a school and begin your studies.”
Amanda Tucker, Director, EY, Perth, Australia
Pre-MBA position: Associate Director – Valuation, EY, Singapore
“I graduated from the Global Part-time MBA in 2017. While I was studying, I relocated from Singapore to London in 2015 and moved firms in 2016. I was recently offered the opportunity to rejoin EY as a Director and relocate to Perth, Australia.
“On the global MBA you meet people from all over the world and as part of that you meet many people living and working outside of their home countries. I think that helps broaden your horizons and gives you more confidence to make the most of the opportunities available to you, wherever they may be.
Studying for the MBA made me think much more about my long-term goals and career strategy. It gave me the courage to look at other opportunities and think beyond day-to-day tasks and deadlines. I definitely believe that the MBA helped differentiate me from other candidates when applying for jobs.
“Studying on top of a demanding full-time job and home life can be extremely challenging. Try to ensure you have the right support network in place to help you get through it. I also found it useful to store books, articles and assignments on my iPad, so I always had what I needed with me, without having to carry lots of heavy textbooks and files everywhere with me.
“Looking back on the Global MBA, I enjoyed the opportunity to attend classes in Singapore, Hong Kong, Dubai and Manchester; meeting people from around the world. I appreciate the international network that the MBA provided and I think that will provide me with support in my future career.”
Hadler Favarin Martines, Tax Director, PwC Brazil
"I had always dreamed of doing an MBA, so the Global MBA was a good opportunity to study while working. I chose AMBS because it was a global MBA from a leading business school in Europe, with the opportunity to attend workshops in different places around the world.
"The highlight was the workshops; I visited the Manchester, Dubai and Shanghai centres. I met people from all over the world, from different cultures and backgrounds, and took classes with excellent professors. The Manchester Method, where we learned by doing, was very different from what I was used to in Brazil.
"Doing the MBA while working was very challenging but it was a life-changing opportunity. The Global MBA is very flexible so when you need to work more, you can work more and when you need to study more, you can study more.
"Since graduating, I feel more prepared and confident to face the challenges of a fast-changing business environment. The programme has benefited me a lot in my day-to-day activities. I've now got better business acumen and I believe the MBA will help me continue to grow my career progression.
"I highly recommend doing the Global MBA as it will change the way you do business."
Sharon Du, HR Director, AstraZeneca China Operations
"I decided to do an MBA because after so many years in a management position, I wanted to refresh and recharge my management knowledge. I wanted to broaden my network to know more people from different industries, and I also wanted to set a good example of continuous improvement to my son.
I chose AMBS because it offers interactive workshops, impressive professors and a very diverse network, as well as overseas study. I leveraged this study opportunity and stayed in the UK for three months. Apart from studying, I went on several visits to Astra Zeneca facilities in Europe and did an exciting talent project in our Commercial International Region.
In the workshops, I had the opportunity to meet people from different industries and cultural backgrounds, so the group study was very exciting. We had different discussions and perspectives but still we collaborated well.
I definitely think the MBA study benefitted me at work. Although I did not change my job or company, I have a broader view and I think more strategically, so I can really formulate and drive the people strategy for the business.
I think AMBS is a very good choice because it has a comprehensive and established MBA programme strong academic capabilities and diverse alumni accumulated over the years. The study centres all over the world are also very attractive."
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