Executive MBA alumni profiles

Programme: Cambridge Executive MBA 2009
Country: South Africa
Company: Head of Transaction Management, Investec Asset Management
Education: University of Witwatersrand

“I believe the key to any meaningful learning experience is the calibre and diversity of the people you interact with and the opportunities you are presented with to learn from them.”

Broaden knowledge and skills
“I undertook the Cambridge Executive MBA in order to broaden my knowledge and skills beyond that of a business lawyer and to re-align my career path and become a more rounded, perceptive business executive.

“I believe the key to any meaningful learning experience is the calibre and diversity of the people you interact with and the opportunities you are presented with to learn from them. The format of the Cambridge Executive MBA allows it to literally attract executives working all over the globe. The monthly face-to-face interaction with talented faculty and colleagues from diverse industries, organisations and backgrounds was invaluable. In addition the emphasis placed on the programme being highly practical and collaborative was key to ensuring that this interaction was of the highest quality and was maintained across the globe between monthly sessions.”

Development of ‘soft’ skills“In addition to covering all the typical ‘hard’ MBA courses such as accounts, finance and management science with rigour, the Cambridge Executive MBA importantly also focuses on the development of ‘soft’ skills. I think this is a unique and powerful differentiator; for experienced executives who are often already technically competent, being more aware of their own behaviour and how they interact with others in a team can enhance their ability to persuade, influence, empathise and negotiate, and allow them to be more effective.”

Programme: Cambridge Executive MBA 2011
Country: Germany
Company: Chief Financial Officer, Hasso Plattner Capital, HPC Germany GmbH
Previous experience: World Bank Inspection Panel, Office of the Secretary General

“The programme has made me happy and confident in what I do.”

Learning about issues of relevance for the public sector
“I didn’t have a specific career move in mind but had a more public sector background and was interested in learning more about issues of relevance for the public sector. Since I was a lawyer I also wanted to understand business better… and thought it would be nice to understand every single article in the FT one day! The programme taught me a variety of subjects and helped me learn about subjects that I had previously thought very complicated, ie accounting and finance. Now I understand most of the fundamentals and even more of the issues that are relevant to business.”

The programme gave me the confidence
“While finishing the programme I got a new and great job as Managing Director of a company with about 120 employees. The programme also gave me the confidence to apply and accept such great responsibility. Last year I was also selected in my current role as being one of the top young German leaders in state and society.
“Most of all, the programme has made me happy and confident in what I do.”

Biography
A German and Swedish national, Anna Sophie is a lawyer, having studied in Germany, UK and France. Prior to undertaking the Cambridge Executive MBA she worked as Assistant Executive Secretary of the World Bank Inspection Panel in Washington DC and then as Principal Advisor at the Office of the Secretary General at EBRD in London.

Programme: Cambridge Executive MBA 2012
Country: Canada
Company: Project Leader, Hôpitaux Universitaires de Genève
Education: University of Montreal

“My most recent role is with the GAVI Alliance, a US$1.5 billion fund supporting national immunisation programmes for children in developing countries.”

“Born and raised in Canada, I took my first international assignment in External Relations for the United Nations’ HQ in Geneva, Switzerland during the global SARS outbreak in 2003. I was tasked, in the aftermath, to run the World Health Organization’s (WHO) public relations service and subsequently joined RBM in 2005, a public-private partnership engaged in the global fight against malaria, to coordinate advocacy projects with the private sector and the HIV/Aids community. In 2008, I coordinated a global health campaign for Bloomberg Philanthropies, inciting countries to implement tobacco control policies. I then participated in field missions to developing countries to assess their capacity in meeting international health standards and managing vaccines supplies and cold chain requirements.

“My most recent role is with the GAVI Alliance, a US$1.5 billion fund supporting national immunisation programmes for children in poor countries. I have been the lead on reputation management and crisis communications around GAVI’s grants to more than 70 countries. My work also consists of developing and implementing strategic communication plans to secure multi-year pledges from G20 governments. Another core aspect of this position is managing relationships with former Heads of State, royal family members, CEOs of S&P-listed companies, etc. to feature immunisation in fora such as the World Economic Forum.

“There is no single route to take you to the top of your next challenge but I have always favoured rigorous and integrated solutions that work experience alone can’t provide. The Cambridge Executive MBA was the obvious choice for me. I am confident that the programme will set me on a solid entrepreneurship path and senior management trajectory while providing me with a top-of-class approach to running a sustainable business. The programme is designed to help those with little finance or economics background to understand and leverage key business concepts essential to making the right investment decisions. The mutual learning in a group of highly motivated people who are willing, just like me, to change their outlook on life, combined with the experience of learning how to better lead, will undoubtedly help me bring my career to the next level.”

Programme: Cambridge Executive MBA 2011
Country: UK
Company: Global Head of Market Access Neuroscience & Opthalmology, Novartis
Education: Newcastle University

“In my new role I continually use both the leadership and team interaction skills I acquired.”

Broadening horizons
“I undertook the Cambridge Executive MBA to broaden my business horizons, develop stronger leadership qualities and open up future career options. My personal coach on the programme helped me plan and organise the transition from consulting to industry at a senior level.”

Applying skills acquired
“Having successfully completed the programme I was qualified to interview for a position at Novartis. The confidence I gained also spurred me on to apply for this senior role. The interview consisted of a broad skillset assessment that I would have failed prior to completing the programme as knowledge in finance and accounting was tested. In my new role I continually use both the leadership and team interaction skills I acquired. The format of the Cambridge EMBA programme – delivered during a Friday and Saturday – was also important as it fitted better with my busy consulting schedule.”

Biography
Fran holds a BSc from Newcastle University and had been working in pharmaceutical consulting at IMS Health for 10 years when she embarked upon the programme.

Programme: Cambridge Executive MBA 2012
Country: China
Company: Director, AwenID
Education: Beihang University and the University of Wales

“In parallel to running my own business I’ve been working for the Prince of Wales Innovation Scholarships project, at the University of Wales.”

“I come from a technical background, with a BEng, MSc and PhD degree in Engineering. Since 2005 I have been carrying out R&D projects to develop innovative technical solutions to address business challenges in various industry sectors. In 2010 I set up a company, AwenID, to commercialise a patent generated through one of my R&D projects. As Director, I manage the daily operation and technical development of the company.

“In parallel to running my own business, I have been working for the Prince of Wales Innovation Scholarships project, at the University of Wales. This is an industrial-based scholarship programme, designed to promote innovation and economic development in Wales. As Innovation Fellow, my key role was to facilitate and support collaborative R&D between academia and industry.

“I was keen to undertake a degree programme whose content primarily focuses on strategy, covering a wide range of disciplines and subjects, and which is designed specifically for senior executives and professionals. I am looking to develop a structured theoretical background in business and management and develop my strategic vision in order to lead my company. The Cambridge Executive MBA was particularly appealing because of its ‘hands on’ approach, in the form of the practical projects, which allow me to put theory into practice. The implication of this approach is the immediate impact on my personal transition from technician to successful business leader, and the growth of AwenID to a profitable business. Very importantly, the learning style and schedule of the programme is very flexible, which allows me to maintain my work commitments as Director of AwenID.”

Programme: Cambridge Executive MBA 2012
Country: Japan
Company: Executive General Manager, IT, Universal Music Group
Education: Bakersfield College, California

“My experience in supply chain manufacturing enabled me to become a SAP consultant at Diagonal Consulting in Malaysia, and led to a role in the London headquarters of EMI Music. On completion of the Executive MBA I was promoted to the role of General Manager IT, for Universal Music Group in Tokyo.”

“I began my career in the hotel industry, working in a number of sales roles, eventually becoming Associate Director of Sales for Concorde Hotels and Resorts Malaysia. In 2000 I switched to IT, as manager for a local system integration firm, working with logistics and manufacturing clients. My experience in supply chain manufacturing enabled me to become a SAP consultant at Diagonal Consulting in Malaysia, and later provided the opportunity to join EMI Music as a SAP Business Analyst in Tokyo. In 2009 I was promoted to the role of General Manager, IT, and then to a new role as Transformation Director, Supply Chain Lead, in the London HQ of EMI Music. On completion of the EMBA, I was promoted to the role of General Manager IT, for Universal Music Group in Tokyo.

“Although I have had plenty of business experience, I felt that I needed more academic training to become an effective manager in my new role. During the course of my career, I have acquired various practical industry qualifications, but felt I lacked high-level management knowledge, specifically in the areas of marketing and leadership. I realised that ‘street knowledge’ could only take me so far, and that both academic and industry knowledge are both critical drivers of success in my business. I therefore decided to dedicate 20 months to working towards the Cambridge Executive MBA and to broadening my knowledge and skills through collaborating with participants who come from very different industries and have quite different business approaches. I am already finding that I am better able to communicate with people in my office and am more conscious of how to avoid or confront potentially difficult situations, thus helping me become a more effective, and better, manager.”