MBA scholarship recipients

What led you to take the Cambridge MBA?

After working at venture-backed startups in Silicon Valley for three years and then going to law school, I saw tremendous potential for collaboration between business and legal teams. I realised that combining my legal skills with the ability to understand businesses holistically would be invaluable.

During law school, I worked at Loon, a company that put cell networks in high-altitude balloons, providing internet access to remote communities around the world. I also worked at Gunderson Dettmer, a leading Silicon Valley law firm specialising in global venture capital financings. Through these experiences, I learnt that the best lawyers understand both the law and business, which is why I decided to earn an MBA.

I chose Cambridge because I want to better understand entrepreneurship and business beyond Silicon Valley, learn from an impressively international cohort, and engage with peers across the collegiate system.

Describe the biggest accomplishment in your career so far?

The biggest accomplishment in my career so far, and by far the one I’m most proud of, is building a network of future leaders and watching them succeed. While working at Astro Technology, an enterprise software startup, I grew the Customer Success Team from scratch into an international, four-person team. I trained, supported, and mentored my team members and watched them thrive after Astro was then acquired by Slack.

How do you feel about being awarded your scholarship?

I’m excited to continue my work empowering young female leaders and furthering Forté’s mission to launch women into fulfilling and significant careers. Additionally, I am humbled that Cambridge embraces the unique perspective I bring to the community, and I hope to give back by being an active ambassador for the Cambridge MBA programme.

What do you want to get out of the MBA most of all in the next year?

I’m hoping to expand my business knowledge, implement what I learn through hands-on team projects, develop lasting connections with fellow students, and learn how to think boldly, without second-guessing myself.

Where do you see your MBA journey taking you in your future career?

A Cambridge MBA will help me become a trusted business advisor to founders of international start-ups. I’m eager to learn the business skills necessary to start companies, test product ideas, and make bet-the-company decisions.

What led you to take the Cambridge MBA?

I moved to Cambridge in 2019 to work with a startup. After almost four years in the impact space, it was time for a change – I wanted to explore new sectors, hone core skills in business and management, as well as build a truly global network, which made an MBA my programme of choice.

While working in Cambridge, I had the opportunity to interact with the Business School multiple times – the first time in 2020, while organising an event with high-ranking government officials from Bangladesh. I had also met students at various events, in addition to co-authoring a case study with an EMBA student. During each of these interactions, I was impressed by how collaborative and humble everyone was – and this made the Cambridge MBA the obvious choice for me!

Describe the biggest accomplishment in your career so far?

At my previous organisation, I was tasked with the responsibility of building out a Board of Directors. As an early-career professional just starting out and working alongside the CEO, this was my opportunity to prove myself. After a bit of initial research, I soon learnt that there wasn’t much literature on, or examples of, well-functioning non-profit boards. To kickstart my work, I created a framework, and started by examining our current needs and skill gaps. Once we had mapped out the skills matrix, I spoke to veteran board members across sectors to learn from their experience, as well as to bring in best practices to Simprints. Once I had defined the strategy for our board and I had got executive buy-in, I worked alongside the CEO to identify mentors in our network, engage with them, and recruit them to our board.

It makes me proud that today we have a fully functioning board of six leaders from across McKinsey, Google, and Salesforce. Over time, I managed to build strong relationships with each of the members, achieving a high turnout at all meetings, even if that meant our board members travelled across countries for an offsite! Finally, to share my learnings more widely, I authored a Board Best Practices White Paper for non-profits.

How do you feel about being awarded your scholarship?

I feel extremely elated and humbled to be one of the five women in my cohort to be awarded this scholarship. I grew up in a country where my gender often restricted my choices but was fortunate enough to have many women as role models along the way. I am hoping to utilise my prior experience as DEI co-chair at Simprints to further contribute to initiatives that champion women’s leadership and equality at the Business School, most notably those in collaboration with the Cambridge Judge Wo+Men’s Leadership Centre.

What do you want to get out of the MBA most of all in the next year?

Both the MBA programme as well as the larger University of Cambridge have so much to offer – from lessons in core business skills, to an exceptional network of peers from across the world. Coming from a social impact background, I am most excited about the enriching learning journey that lies ahead – learning from my teachers and peers in the classroom, learning from my clients in the various experiential learning projects, as well as learning from all the activities outside of the Business School. I look forward to being challenged, to unlearning, and being pushed out of my comfort zone in my time here.

Where do you see your MBA journey taking you in your future career?

In my career so far, I have thoroughly enjoyed projects that have enabled me to make a lasting impact, while solving challenging problems and working with diverse teams. After my MBA, I am looking to make a pivot into strategy consulting, or a strategy role in a high-growth startup. I feel confident that my Cambridge MBA will further hone my leadership, analytical, and teamwork skills to facilitate this transition.

What led you to take the Cambridge MBA?

I spoke to a huge amount of people in advance of applying to an MBA programme and the Cambridge MBA really stood out. That was first and foremost because of the people. It was clear it was a tight-knit diverse community of change-makers who were bright and ambitious but also collaborative and supportive of each other. That’s a community I wanted to be a part of.

I am really excited to challenge each other’s perspectives and learn as much as possible from each other. That opportunity is further strengthened by the Business School being connected to the wider University. I also found it attractive that Cambridge Judge offered not only world-class academic teaching but also the ability to put that learning into practice straight away through real-world projects.

Describe the biggest accomplishment in your career so far?

I’ve found working for the government really rewarding. I’ve worked on some of the most pressing issues of the day for the benefit of the public. It’s been fulfilling to help bring to life policies pledged in election manifestos, and to help Ministers bring forward new laws in Parliament. My roles have offered early autonomy, intellectual challenge and plenty of variety. No two days are the same. It’s also been exciting to see issues I’ve worked on end up in the next day’s papers. I think the proudest moment of my career so far was when I first represented the UK internationally as a delegate and, in the plenary, I propped the ‘United Kingdom’ sign up on the desk in front of me. It felt like a real privilege and accomplishment to represent my country.

What do you want to get out of the MBA most of all in the next year?

I am so excited to be in an environment where my main focus is to learn, engage and grow, with a group of other people on the same journey. I want to soak up all the goodness on offer and really challenge myself and put myself out of my comfort zone. I know I will come out of this MBA year with more insights about myself and my goals than I could have imagined. Coming from a legal background, I am particularly looking forward to expanding my core business skills as well as cultivating my management and leadership skills. I know the Cambridge MBA will be such a special year and I plan to cherish every element.

Where do you see your MBA journey taking you in your future career?

My aim is that the Cambridge MBA will aid my future career by helping me build a growth mindset, a collegiate network and a powerful toolkit of hard and soft skills. I look forward to taking those lessons forward in my future career to help me maximise my impact and become the best leader and role model I can be.

What led you to take the Cambridge MBA?

After working in the biotechnology industry for a few years with a life sciences degree under my belt, it became clear to me that an MBA would be a key step in reaching my future career goals. Aside from building core business skills, I knew that I wanted a holistic experience that would help me grow as a person and business leader. Throughout the application process, Cambridge quickly stood out as having a truly global programme that is highly integrated with the rest of the University.

Describe the biggest accomplishment in your career so far?

The biggest accomplishment in my career so far was leading the creation of a product discontinuation programme at my previous company. As a rapidly growing biotechnology company with thousands of products and more being launched every year, it became increasingly imperative to effectively manage the way in which we retire products. Leading the charge of this crucial project that involved a highly cross-functional team was a powerful learning experience for me. We were successful in implementing the programme and improving customer experiences and operational flow. It is extremely rewarding to know that the impacts of this project will remain well after my time there.

What do you want to get out of the MBA most of all in the next year?

My primary goal while at Cambridge is to build lasting relationships with my peers. From the short interactions I have had so far with my class, I know that each person has a unique story and a wealth of knowledge from past career experiences. I can’t think of a better way to improve as a person and discover my next steps than to learn from my remarkable classmates. I hope to look back in a year knowing each of their stories.

Where do you see your MBA journey taking you in your future career?

Following my MBA, I hope to pivot into the health technology industry. Throughout the pandemic there has been a major shift in the way we think about and implement health care globally. I am fascinated by the opportunities to use technology to solve some of the most current issues and change the trajectory of the industry. Down the line I aspire to a senior strategy role that will allow me to really have an impact on the future of health care and life science research.

What led you to take the Cambridge MBA?

Following the pandemic, I paused my MBA plans to explore other opportunities. That break led to a transition from middle to executive management, which helped me discover the gaps an MBA would help me fill in view of my long-term global business leadership goals. The right programme had to help me scale up my strategic business and leadership skills, give me the opportunities to develop new skills I can leverage in the tech world and facilitate a valuable community to build my network. In essence, the MBA had to have offerings that aligned with who I want to be, what I want to learn from and who I want to meet. Apart from the robust curriculum and Cambridge Cluster, the way the Cambridge Judge Business School facilitates connection to build the community really stood out to me. Before my final interview, I had made valuable connections with incredible existing and incoming members of the community; this showed me that CJBS was the environment that would get me closer to my goals. There are a lot of great things about the Cambridge MBA; this is a gem that can’t be replicated.

Describe the biggest accomplishment in your career so far?

Leading my company as a first-time CEO to our first year of profitability. It was fulfilling, affirming and made all the bumps along the way worthwhile. I am extremely proud of the hard work, sacrifices and smart work of the whole team.

How do you feel about being awarded your scholarship?

I feel honoured and blessed to have this unique opportunity to grow; I look forward to a different journey in contributing to a system that gives women across the world the opportunities to thrive.

What do you want to get out of the MBA most of all in the next year?

I see my MBA year as a step in my monomyth. I hope to learn, unlearn, test myself and emerge someone who has improved and contributed to the amazing Cambridge MBA Class of 2022/23 and the wider University of Cambridge community.

Where do you see your MBA journey taking you in your future career?

From Naija to the World.

What led you to take the Cambridge MBA?

My parents are my heroes, my biggest inspiration, and my greatest teachers. Growing up they encouraged me to make my own decisions, taught me to explore, and that I have the freedom to choose how I want to live my life.

For the past three years, I have been building my Company Straight A Education to help students with their educational goals and my team of girls learn independence. Now, I am on a new journey with my classmates in Cambridge. I know there will be numerous new experiences and incredible learning opportunities. I want to build up my capabilities to grow my company further and help more people. I am incredibly excited to be surrounded by all the brilliant people from Cambridge who will push me, show me new perspectives, and inspire me with new ideas.

Describe the biggest accomplishment in your career so far?

My biggest accomplishment has been leaving the company I co-founded to build my own education consulting company over the past three years. It was a new and daunting challenge. There was no longer anyone to tell me what my objectives were nor how to achieve them. I tried everything I could think of to market the business including posting flyers on telephone poles during the Canadian winter! As someone who’s always been more introverted, negotiating every sales partnership and signing every client for the business has helped me come out of my shell. I am extremely proud of my company as I dedicated all efforts to its growth. I developed new relationships, and a strong reputation eventually building a profitable business that has helped numerous clients.

What do you want to get out of the MBA most of all in the next year?

I want to learn as much as I can not only academically from my professors but also through my peers. I want to have as many new experiences as I can, meet people from many different walks of life, and build genuine relationships.

Where do you see your MBA journey taking you in your future career?

I see my MBA journey teaching me to grow my current company and build scalability. I am also coming into my MBA with an open mind and curiosity about where it will take me. I hope to meet amazing people that will inspire me, develop new business ideas and perhaps build new ventures with great partners I meet through the Cambridge MBA.

What led you to take the Cambridge MBA?

While operating my own successful business, I realised that I needed to fine tune my executive management skills in order to grow as a business leader. This led me to apply to the Cambridge MBA, which is a perfect match for me because of its strong entrepreneurial spirit and culture. Cambridge’s close proximity to ‘Silicon Fen’, Europe’s top science and technology hub, will also greatly benefit me – thousands of startup companies in biotech, fintech, and clean energy, which are my fields of interest, are located there. Additionally, I have family ties to both the University of Cambridge and the Cambridge area. With so many reasons pointing me in the direction of the Cambridge MBA, I knew that it was the right place for me to gain the business knowledge, inspirational network, and truly global perspective, I need to make a larger impact than ever as an entrepreneur.

Describe the biggest accomplishment in your career so far?

Founding Aires Medical, a medical device company, was my biggest accomplishment because of its positive impact on patients’ lives. My team and I were able to develop better homecare respiratory devices for chronic lung disease patients. Aires started from humble beginnings as a university research project, and I helped turn it into a commercial stage business that raised over $5 million in venture capital funding. Through this experience, I learned many lessons about business, creating real improvements in peoples’ lives through product innovation, and bringing people together to make it happen.

How do you feel about being awarded your scholarship?

I am incredibly grateful to be an Entrepreneurship scholarship recipient and would like to sincerely thank the Admissions Committee for this honour. I hope to give back to my soon-to-be peers at Cambridge, and in the future, to King’s College and Cambridge Judge scholarship programmes.

What do you want to get out of the MBA most of all in the next year?

I am super excited to meet my classmates in-person and get immersed in the Cambridge MBA community. There are so many amazing things at Cambridge to get involved in, such as student government, SIGs, the King’s College Entrepreneurship Lab, formals, and MBAT. I am looking forward to the very exciting times ahead!

What led you to take the Cambridge MBA?

After four years of running a startup business, I insistently believed that I had to improve myself comprehensively, making me a more well-rounded entrepreneur. Therefore, Cambridge Judge Business School, offering one of the best entrepreneurial programmes in Europe, is always my dream school to study in. In addition, I have a good friend who studied in Cambridge before, which gives me a genial and amiable connection to the University of Cambridge. Moreover, after pouring over the information online, I found out that the entrepreneurial ecosystem, which includes elaborately designed courses, the CJBS Entrepreneurship Centre, and the Cambridge Science Park nearby, is so attractive, reconfirming my decision to apply for the Cambridge MBA.

Describe the biggest accomplishment in your career so far?

My most significant achievement is that I have co-founded the Chengshi Robot startup company, which is focused on developing rescue robots. Four years ago, acquiring investments of more than 2 million GBP and then driving our company to a valuation of around 12 million GBP in 2022. Four years after its establishment, we now have two factories and one office located in Zhejiang, Jiangsu, and Shanghai. The two factories are responsible for two product lines and the Shanghai office is the Sales Center. In addition, we have also received financial awards from the local Chinese governments of around 1 million GBP.

In retrospect, we had never thought that we could lead a 2G (to government) business to this level. Maybe the achievement derives from our hardworking and serendipity. However, due to the limitation of the 2G market, our business needs to explore new paths to bulk up the revenue. This is one of my major reasons for joining the Cambridge MBA cohort – to explore more diverse opportunities for the business in the future.

How do you feel about being awarded your scholarship?

I’m so exhilarated, honoured, and grateful to be awarded the Cambridge MBA Scholarship for Technology Advancement. When we run our company, we bear in mind that we should use our technology to eliminate sacrifices in the rescue. Although we have not yet fulfilled our ultimate goal, at least we are on the path doing so. We, as a tiny startup company, only have finite power, to achieve the goal, we still need concerted efforts from the whole industry and society.

I’m also humbled to be awarded this scholarship among brilliant talents from across the globe. I still have a lot to learn from my pre-eminent peers who are innovative, energetic, collaborative, and encouraging, and we will continuously improve our technology and make our best efforts for a better world.

What do you want to get out of the MBA most of all in the next year?

As a world-leading university, Cambridge Judge would provide me with lots of core courses and electives to enhance my ability in finance, marketing, leadership, and entrepreneurship.

In the Entrepreneurship Concentration section, I will use the newly learnt knowledge and my previous experience to accomplish the project, as well as connecting to entrepreneurs in the Cambridge and London communities.

In addition, I will participate in programmes that the Entrepreneurship Centre provides, such as Ignite programme, Enterprise Tuesday, and Venture Creation Weekends. These opportunities will greatly enhance my ability and broaden my network with other talents.

Moreover, I will actively explore companies at the Cambridge Science Park, networking and swapping ideas with entrepreneurs there.

Where do you see your MBA journey taking you in your future career?

By immersing myself in the fabulous Cambridge entrepreneurial ecosystem, I will grow up into a more versatile and well-versed business leader, who will be able to drive my own business to the next level through a more mature and international lens.

I am also open to the opportunities that I will discover in Cambridge. Maybe I will meet new partners in Cambridge, who are creative and proactive and therefore come up with good business ideas, to startup another new company.

Another option is to tap into new opportunities and directions that I’m also interested in, including consulting, investment, and high-tech.

I am ready to be open-minded and voracious to embrace the brilliant Cambridge MBA journey.

What led you to take the Cambridge MBA?

I am fortunate to have spent the last decade of my career in various roles at some of Nigeria’s leading financial institutions. My professional development efforts over the years have accelerated my growth into senior management, but in the coming years I am eager to gain new skills, expand my network, and broaden my impact. There is no better place for me to do this than at Cambridge Judge. As I transition into a career in impact investment, I know that the Cambridge MBA will equip me with the specific skills and knowledge I require to achieve my career goals and become a leader in today’s world. I am so proud to be attending a business school with such a strong legacy and to be joining Cambridge Judge’s inspiring global community.

Describe the biggest accomplishment in your career so far?

In 2020, I was appointed as the Head of Risk Management at Sigma Pensions, one of the leading pension fund administrators in Nigeria. Following my appointment, I became the youngest member of senior management staff within the Nigerian pensions industry. In this role, I was responsible for the development and implementation of an Investment Risk Management Framework for the $1.2 billion assets under management of the company. The framework was successfully implemented and is still in use to date.

How do you feel about being awarded your scholarship?

I feel highly honoured and humbled to be one of the recipients of the Regional Diversity Scholarship. The scholarship has helped to further validate my ambition to contribute to the development of my country and other developing nations around the world. I feel empowered to be the positive change I would like to see happen in my country and to encourage others to do the same.

What do you want to get out of the MBA most of all in the next year?

I look forward to expanding my network and building meaningful, lifelong relationships with the faculty and my peers. I am also super excited to participate in the practical team projects and build the investment, communication and leadership skills I will need to thrive in my post-MBA career.

Where do you see your MBA journey taking you in your future career?

Following my MBA, I plan to transition to a role in social impact or development finance where I can lead impactful investment projects in developing nations. I hope to dedicate my career to contributing towards the development of emerging economies like Nigeria, through sustainable investments. I am confident that the Cambridge MBA will equip me with the skills required to thrive in the social impact and development space.

What led you to take the Cambridge MBA?

I spent over 6 years starting and scaling a business. Nothing is as fulfilling as forming teams to build new products and services and solve problems. The joy I felt in seeing results after hard work and persistence was incomparable. I am now determined to launch a business again.

I need to develop my knowledge and skills, unlearn and learn, grow my network and finally plant the seed of a new business. The Cambridge MBA was the best platform to obtain a result.

Describe the biggest accomplishment in your career so far?

Launching and scaling an e-commerce company in Iran was a significant accomplishment for me. Starting the business with a team of three people and reaching the scale of fifty colleagues in a short period, having customers from the whole country, and maintaining a high monthly growth rate for three years was an outstanding achievement for the entire team. Observing the team member’s growth and the whole team’s prosperity is a satisfying experience that is not interchangeable.

What do you want to get out of the MBA most of all in the next year?

For me, exploration comes first this year; I would like to explore the exciting world of people around me. They come with fascinating stories and diverse insights. The year ahead is a great time to exchange ideas, share experiences and learn from each other.

Where do you see your MBA journey taking you in your future career?

I aim to continue my entrepreneurial journey in the international ecosystem and build a startup. I believe the Cambridge MBA will accelerate both my soft and hard skills to a new level so I can add more value to startups.

I am also determined to create wealth in Iran as an untapped market full of opportunities and high potential human capital to achieve economic growth. The Iranian startup ecosystem encouraged, nurtured, and taught me many valuable lessons. I owe my existing knowledge and credibility to the people in this ecosystem, especially those who supported me with their time and capital. I am sure with lessons from my Cambridge MBA, I can enrich the startups of Iran and give back to my country’s ecosystem.

What led you to take the Cambridge MBA?

Coming from an entrepreneurial background in the healthcare and agriculture field in my home country Myanmar, I had sustained my businesses through a turbulent period of COVID-19 pandemic and political crisis. Having gone through these experiences, I realised that it was time to equip myself with further skills and build a greater network to bring my businesses to a higher level and expand internationally.

Cambridge Judge was my first choice because of its strong entrepreneurial ecosystem, its position within the wider University of Cambridge community, its focus on diversity, and the experiential nature of the MBA programme.

Describe the biggest accomplishment in your career so far.

My most memorable accomplishment to date, was successfully managing a merger deal with an established clinic, during the early stage of our healthcare startup, which significantly helped with our group’s growth. My role involved negotiating with the owner, liaising with my partners, analysing the deal, and leading the post-merger integration.

The merger and the integration went smoothly, with the clinic becoming our best-performing centre and helping many patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.

What do you want to get out of the MBA most of all in the next year?

I am excited to further improve my business acumen and broaden my perspectives in life, as well as building great memories and friendships with people across the globe.

In addition, I want to improve my skills in sustainably growing a startup and internationalising my businesses through the Cambridge MBA hands-on approach and comprehensive curriculum.

Where do you see your MBA journey taking you in your future career?

My current plan is to improve my management skills and broaden my perspective and network so that I can grow my impact and contribution to my community through entrepreneurial efforts. I also hope that I will be able to internationalise some of my business ventures to hedge my risks and grow my businesses sustainably. However, I am also keeping an open mind to see how this journey may pivot my career. Regardless of how, I believe that I am on the path to creating a meaningful impact.

What led you to take the Cambridge MBA?

With a group of around 200 students from 46 nationalities, I can see myself bonding meaningfully with this diverse and competent group. Everyone’s unique backgrounds and experiences will complement my own and I am confident that I can add value to theirs as well.

Together the University and the City are a melting pot of tradition and technology. Cambridge is one of the biggest tech hubs in Europe, being the birthplace of many startups and having one of the highest tech firm intensity. I hope that it will facilitate my dream of starting a fintech firm on my own. Considering all these, paired with the prestigious alumni body, world class faculty members and host of university resources, choosing Cambridge was a no-brainer.

What do you want to get out of the MBA most of all in the next year?

The MBA is going to help me meet new people, new ideas, new perspectives, and most importantly new opportunities. We can cross-pollinate each other’s knowledge and experiences. I want to hone my skills in people leadership practices and improve myself in communication and negotiation. The vast network I will be getting access to will be the cherry on top.

Where do you see your MBA journey taking you in your future career?

My immediate goal is to assume a senior financial planner role in a big tech company. Down the line, I also aspire to become a fintech entrepreneur, to serve the rural community in Bangladesh who are deprived of much of modern-day financing assistance. I want to help them to accomplish their true potential and add value to the economy in a more capable manner.

What led you to take the Cambridge MBA?

Cambridge has always been my aspiration, but I thought it was impossible. As I was looking for the best cohort and compared the different ones available, I saw Cambridge’s and something inside me told me, “This is the place”.

One of the main reasons is the wide and diverse cohort that Cambridge Judge Business School brings and how practical the programme is. It is just the experience I need to live to develop both my career and the best version of me.

Describe the biggest accomplishment in your career so far?

Being a young woman in a male-dominant environment is challenging, especially in business. It can be difficult to get the chance to perform a decision-taking role.

One of my biggest accomplishments in my career so far has been that I successfully lead a very important negotiation with one of the major suppliers for the company I was working at. However, it was not easy because that was happening at a very traditional conservative company.

After weeks of tough negotiation, the result was the completion of an agreement under which both companies benefited. I think I proved the point that skills and knowledge are more important than gender.

What do you want to get out of the MBA most of all in the next year?

An integral experience of self-development: not only intellectual, but personal, social and emotional development. I would like an intense and unforgettable experience in which I will acquire knowledge and expand my networks and be able to apply these benefits back home.

Where do you see your MBA journey taking you in your future career?

To become a more human and better prepared woman in business, an entrepreneur who can find solutions for problems by creating resilient enterprises, which in turn foster the development of communities.

What led you to take the Cambridge MBA?

I worked in the mineral exploration industry for about 7 years, mostly in start-up companies, giving me the opportunity to be exposed to a variety of roles, from purely technical to managerial ones. At this stage of my career, I have realised that I enjoy creating new projects to implement new technologies that improve the performance of existing processes. That’s the reason why I want to equip myself with a solid set of skills and knowledge to clearly progress my career to that direction.

After thorough research of schools, I realised the Cambridge MBA was the perfect fit. Cambridge Judge is one of the most important business schools in Europe with a strong focus in innovation and technology and it is embedded in a technological setting, with several technological companies established in Cambridge’s Silicon Fen.

Describe the biggest accomplishment in your career so far?

I was part of a team to create a valuable mineral projects’ portfolio for a company in less than a year. To do that, as the company’s geologist, I needed to scan for opportunities in a variety of sources and to go to the field to try to generate new projects by data acquisition in new areas.

In 2021, after an exhaustive geological and economic assessment, the team and myself succeeded in bringing a valuable projects’ portfolio to the company and finally a listed company acquired us, securing exploration funds for a couple of seasons.

How do you feel about being awarded your scholarship?

I feel really honoured to be awarded the Professional Diversity Scholarship, and I think it is great that CJBS has chosen a geoscientist, with professional experience in the mining industry, as one of the scholars for this significant award. I believe it displays the commitment of the Cambridge MBA with bringing to the programme people that can positively impact our future, in all different fields.

What do you want to get out of the MBA most of all in the next year?

As well as bringing my family to Cambridge and studying in one of the oldest and more prestigious universities in the world, I am looking forward to expanding my knowledge in the implementation of technologies in different industries. In particular, I see the hands-on experience of the Cambridge MBA projects – Cambridge Venture Project, Global Consulting Project and Concentration Project, as the essential opportunities that will enable me to learn how innovation should be implemented in different industries.

Where do you see your MBA journey taking you in your future career?

In the long run, I would like to start my own company in the technology field. I think the great networking opportunity that CJBS offers will put me in contact with the right people that will enable me to create a project that will positively impact the world’s sustainable development.

What led you to take the Cambridge MBA?

As a linguistics graduate, I spent over 8 years in the teaching profession. Recently I tried my hand in building communications and marketing processes from scratch at a new investment enterprise. This blend of different professional experiences brought me to the Cambridge MBA to finalise a career transition from the academic world to the business one.

The Business School itself and Cambridge’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, with its professional network and exposure to successful Silicon Fen enterprises, met my inner demand for taking business skills up a notch and developing the entrepreneurial mindset.

What do you want to get out of the MBA most of all in the next year?

I strongly believe that the coming year will be decisive for me in many respects. Apart from advancing key skills in management and seeking entrepreneurial opportunities, I am setting myself the goal for personal growth – cultivating cultural fluency, learning agility and tolerance for risk. I hope that the new connections and original insights the MBA provides will determine my professional and personal trajectory for the decade to come.

Where do you see your MBA journey taking you in your future career?

Though I consider it necessary to envision a career future, I wish I would not limit myself to a particular sphere or sector in the foreseeable future. As for my professional interests, I am passionate about education, upskilling, language acquisition, and the edtech market in general. Since the Cambridge MBA is also renowned for its exciting opportunities in entrepreneurship, I expect to build on the experience, knowledge and network to bring my entrepreneurial ambitions to life and at the end of the day make learning opportunities accessible to everyone.

What led me to take the Cambridge MBA

I have a weird epigenetic American internal clock that whispers “time for an MBA.” I have always been eyeing this degree, and seen it as a finishing process I would undertake at some point in my career. My English family and Scottish husband tease me for this. I have looked at other MBAs and many fellow aspiring peers have directed me towards Cambridge Judge, because of my healthcare and regenerative medicine background. One strength of the Cambridge MBA over other programmes, is its technology and healthcare focus. In a very immediate way, my neighbourhood, Accordia, in Cambridge is filled with clinicians and scientists who have startups or who have also spent time at the Business School. As I have spent many long and beloved days and nights at Cambridge’s Addenbrooke’s Hospital, it’s only fitting I will pursue this degree at the original Addenbrooke’s hospital site – I can’t escape!

How do you feel about being awarded your scholarship

It was a total surprise and a huge bonus: It created an immediacy for me about wanting to do the MBA now, and an affirmation of purpose. I’m honoured and immensely grateful.

What is your biggest accomplishment in your career to date

This isn’t too stunning or spectacular, but for my internal gage, persevering in my career in surgery after and between having two children has required the greatest growth and the most profound inner accomplishment. Having babies is the fast track to humility, and also a fast track to efficiency. I’ve had to learn to drop everything and be fully present at work when I’m there, as well as to drop everything for my kids once I’m with them. My ego has long since been utterly destroyed, so I’m actually much more able to take myself out of the equation and take action when a decisions needs to be made. I have so much admiration for women and men raising families everywhere now, and I have no idea how everyone is paying for childcare. Kudos to you all.

What do you want to get out of the MBA most of all in the next year?

I’m really looking forward to the entrepreneurship aspect of the programme. A few of my friends work for Bitbio, a regenerative medicine company based in Cambridge and my husband works for Fundment, a fintech startup in London. I would love to initiate projects with either of these companies on the programme, or even just to elevate the calibre of my text chat and conversation on walks and runs through Cambridge. My daughter, Arabella, is super looking forward to swimming lessons in the Clare Hall pool, and I like the idea of the College’s scheme of loaning out your children to other graduate students!

Where do you see your MBA journey taking you in your future career?

I like a quote I read recently from John G Hibben, a former president of Princeton University, “Education is the ability to meet life’s situations.” I recently had my MRCS graduation at the Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh, and one of the senior Fellows was talking about the innovation awards he is in charge of, and how hard it is to give awards to surgeons, as they rarely understand how closely they are managed, and find it hard to drive systemic change. Certainly, in recent months, I’ve seen many days when extremely skilled surgeons sat on their hands until 14:00 when we finally got permission to go ahead with our case (because of a lack of surgical ‘beds’, aka beds nurses and attendant teams) and the three other waiting teams don’t get to do anything! Or I’ve seen many, many days where the planned four cases turn into two, because of overrun in other theatres or staff shortages, or again the perpetual bed issues. A lot of our limitations are operational, not in the sense of the actual operations but in managerial terms of the organisation of teams and resources. As much as we live in (and I love) the blissful utopia of not having to touch cash for transactions in the NHS, financial forces still drive our powers and limitations. I think investing in this MBA degree now may not be super high yield for me in the immediate term, but will be extremely high yield from year five onward. Almost every senior surgeon I speak to about this degree says to me “I want to do one, can you please help me find funding?”.