About
Name: Bryden Smallwood
Nationality: Canadian
Programme: MBA 2022
Education: University of Toronto, master’s in mechanical engineering
Pre-MBA role: EV Strategy Lead, Element Fleet Management, Toronto Canada
Post-MBA role: Senior Manager, New Nuclear Growth; Ontario Power Generation, Canada
Alongside the academics you meet so many different people from all over the world. The MBA has given me more confidence to see where I can take my career. It has been an experience you can't really get anywhere else.
What were you looking for during your Cambridge MBA?
My background was in engineering, and I was working in a finance environment, so I was looking at different opportunities and where I wanted to go next. I wanted more options about where I could take my career, I felt like an MBA was a good opportunity to build those business fundamentals that I didn’t get in engineering and that I wasn’t fully learning on the job.
Learn why Bryden choose to do his MBA at Cambridge
Why Cambridge and the focus on sustainability?
I was looking at the clean energy sustainability space and I was looking at the UK, because the energy transition is a lot further along in Europe than it is in North America. I also knew that Cambridge had a significant focus on energy across the whole University ecosystem, as well as at the Business School.
What extra-curricular activities did you take part in?
I got involved with and ended up leading the annual Energy Conference as part of the Cambridge University Energy Network (CUEN). I had spoken to an alumnus working in the energy sector and asked him about his career choices. He mentioned the conference as a fantastic opportunity to meet lots of industry professionals and learn more about the opportunities and kinds of roles that are out there, in the energy sector.