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23 Apr 2021, 03:00
| FROM LBS Admissions Blog: Classroom to industry. London to the world. The role of Experiential Learning in the MBA. |
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By Giri Kesavan, MBA2021 Giri is the Co-President of The Tech & Media Club at London Business School. An MBA2021 student, he also chairs the degree & careers wide Technology Sector Steering Committee, working with the school, faculty, industry, alumni and Careers Centre on Technology education & careers. Over his time at LBS he has been interested in experiential learning at the school, including coordinating student-led physical and virtual treks to connect students to industry, from London to the world. As I come to the final few weeks of the MBA at LBS – reflecting back, one key phrase really stands out for me when I look back on my journey over the past 18 months in the MBA: Experiential Learning. When researching the school, a huge part of what I found unique about LBS was the key focus on experiential opportunities. This degree is all about transforming knowledge into different contexts, in a global basis – not simply just about transmission of knowledge from faculty to students. Thriving in ambiguity. Driving decision making. Contextualising knowledge. These themes have been key skills that I’ve picked up during the MBA programme – and that’s thanks to how we embed industry into the classroom, and truly connect students with industry on a global basis. Experiential Learning at LBS within the MBA is about so much more than just our Global Business Experiences and LondonCAP. Yes, those programmes are amazing (check out my previous blogs…including the recent Tokyo GBE!) but for me, the real highlight has been how experiential learning has been embedded throughout all our core, tailored core and elective courses. Our classroom sessions in the MBA are dynamic, adaptive and steeped in industry. The best element of the MBA and the key learnings come from discussing real-world cases with your peers, learning from each other given the incredibly diverse background of the class, and then talking directly with the case ‘protagonist’ to understand the decision-making processes at the time. Coupled with numerous simulations, group exercises and global consulting opportunities – the classroom experience is truly experiential. It’s not just about the academics. Student impact is at the heart of the MBA, and this year I’ve been part of the Leadership Incubator. This was a fantastic experience bringing together a collection of student leaders, all learning from each other, with masterclass sessions from faculty and industry. Complemented by continuous 1:1 leadership coaching, the incubator gave me a platform to discuss my leadership style, test ideas, implement what I learned in the classroom and truly drive change. As such, the key element of the MBA from a personal and professional level was taking the opportunity to learn with a global and practical mindset, and truly bring what I learnt from the classroom to industry, from London to the world. If you’re interested in learning more about our MBA programme please visit our website. The post Classroom to industry. London to the world. The role of Experiential Learning in the MBA. appeared first on Student and Admissions Blog - London Business School. |
23 Apr 2021, 09:00
| FROM LBS Admissions Blog: Travel and Hospitality Club Virtual Trek |
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By Coral Kratenstein (MBA2021), Co-President Travel & Hospitality Society The Travel and Hospitality club is excited to bring to you our very first Travel and Hospitality club virtual trek! We have two featured themes around Future of Travel: Innovation in Travel and Sustainability in Travel. Our trek will entail a series of insightful and diversified online fireside chats with industry experts and presentations from Amadeus, Cloudbeds, Hilton, SkySquad, Yanolja, and Lemon tree hotels. Open Q&A will be facilitated! Register herefor Day 1 Register here for Day 2 You can look forward to: Day 1: Thursday, April 29 3:00 – 3:45pm: The Numbers behind Hotels Firesidechat with Daniel Groenendijk, VP, Feasibility & Investment Analysis at Hilton 4:00 – 4:45pm: Entrepreneurship and Careers in Travel Fireside chat with Chris Tomseth, Founder of SkySquad 5:00pm – 5:45pm: Innovation in Travel Technology Fireside chat with Sebastian Leitner, VP Strategic Partnerships at Cloudbeds Day 2: Friday, April 30 10:00am – 10:45am: Driving Innovation in Travel Fireside chat with Suzanna Chiu, Head of Amadeus Ventures 11:00am – 11:45am: Reinventing the Travel & Stay Experience with Technology Fireside chat with Andrew Kim, Head of Global Hotel Solutions at Yanolja 12:00pm – 12:45pm: Diversity and Inclusion in Travel Fireside chat with Aradhna Lal, VP Sustainbility at Lemon Tree Hotels Limited We hope you enjoy these sessions and look forward to seeing your registration! The deadline for registration is Monday 26 April 2021. LBS Travel and Hospitality Club ExCo – Trek Team The post Travel and Hospitality Club Virtual Trek appeared first on Student and Admissions Blog - London Business School. |
28 Apr 2021, 09:00
| FROM LBS Admissions Blog: EMBA-GLOBAL: THOUGHT LEADERSHIP HIGHLIGHTS APRIL 2021 |
World-class thought leadership faculty and research from London Business School and Columbia Business School      The post EMBA-GLOBAL: THOUGHT LEADERSHIP HIGHLIGHTS APRIL 2021 appeared first on Student and Admissions Blog - London Business School. |
04 May 2021, 02:00
04 May 2021, 04:00
| FROM LBS Admissions Blog: Out in Business, EUROUT, and Being Gay |
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[img]https://admissionsblog.london.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/image-1.png[/img] By Aaron Cho, MBA2022, Incoming Co-President of OiB My name is Aaron Cho, I’m a current MBA candidate at LBS and I’m set to graduate in May 2022. I identify as a cis-gendered, gay Asian male. Whilst my sexuality doesn’t define me, it’s an important part of who I am. It’s very important to me that the environment around me is welcoming and inclusive – and the Out in Business (OiB) Club has been an important part of that for me at LBS – and so much more. How I first heard about the OiB Club I first heard about the Out in Business Club several years ago, before coming to LBS. A German friend in Canada told me about a conference he had attended called EUROUT. He had raved about how great a time he had had at the conference and said that he’d not only learned a lot from the high calibre speakers, but also had the chance to meet a lot of like-minded students. It wasn’t until a little later that I learned EUROUT was organised by the Out in Business Club at LBS. This was definitely a major selling point for me in thinking about which MBA programme to attend. I knew if I were to attend LBS, I would want to get involved with the Out in Business Club. What’s the history of the club? LBS was one of the first business schools internationally to form an LGBTQ+ network. In 1996, a group of students, staff, faculty, and alumni (including current Senior Admissions Manager, Peter Johnson), met in the Yard Bar in Soho to launch PinkLBS. Soon after this, PinkLBS was recognised by the Student Association as an official Student Club. Initially, the group was predominantly social, but steadily widened its mission to create links with other groups, especially with LGBTQ+ groups at companies like Citi and BCG, to assist students looking for opportunities at LGBTQ+ friendly organisations. Rebranded in the 1990s as The Gay and Lesbian Network, and most recently as Out in Business, the group has become one of the largest and most active clubs on Campus. The club today The club today has grown a lot since it was founded. Over the years, it has had over 1,000 active members. Its mission today is to “build an empowering community of LGBTQ+ and Allies within and beyond LBS & create leaders of consequence” and activities are based around a three part mandate of professional development, community involvement, and social events. We are one of the most active and visible clubs on (virtual) campus. While EUROUT is our flagship event, which I will get into a little bit later, OiB hosts monthly events. One of the big highlights for me this year was “Coming Out Week”. It was a week-long event at the start of the school year where each class had a LGBTQ+ classmate share their coming out story to everyone during class time. The LGBTQ+ classmate was supported by an ally from the LBS Rugby Team. This year, everyone had also updated their Zoom backgrounds to a rainbow flag in support of Coming Out Week. It was really moving for me seeing virtually every single person in my 80-person class change their Zoom backgrounds in support of the LGBTQ+ community. A few other notable events we have planned this year are EUROUT, the Allyship Event, Valentines Day Mixer, and the Tech Alumni Panel. EUROUT As mentioned above, EUROUT is OiB’s flagship event. It’s the largest LGBTQ+ student conference in Europe. I’d like to highlight this three-day conference is student-led and not for profit. It’s fueled completely by LGBTQ+ students and alumni at LBS who are passionate about their community and wanting to make a difference. The conference has seen many high-profile speakers in the past, including the President of Luxembourg, who is one of the only openly gay world leaders. Although we have had to host the conference virtually this year because of the pandemic, it has also meant geography was no longer a barrier for students and companies across the globe that wanted to attend the conference. As a result, this year we had the furthest reaching EUROUT conference ever! We had over 50 schools, 40 companies, 1,000 student delegates, and 27 corporate sponsors attend. This year was my first time at EUROUT – it wasn’t until after the conference that it became clear to me why my German friend was raving about it several years back. EUROUT was a phenomenal opportunity to not only meet other LGBTQ+ students, but to learn from prominent LGBTQ+ leaders in the industry. Not to mention, virtually all of the “top” firms were present at the conference, from Banking to Consulting to Tech. This year, we had some phenomenal speakers including Vivienne Ming (CEO of Soccos Labs), Joey Gonalez (CEO of Barry’s), and Andrew Wilson (CDO of Microsoft). I believe events like EUROUT are very important in bringing together, supporting, and advocating for members of the LGBTQ+ community. Given how global LBS’ student population is, many come from countries where being LGBTQ+ is not only illegal, but also dangerous. To this day, there are still over 70 countries across the world where it is punishable by law to be gay. My personal experience being gay I came out when I was 17 years old – and to be honest, the years leading up to my coming out were anything but smooth. Growing up gay, I thought that being normal meant being attracted to females. After all, this is all that was depicted in popular media. There were no gay people on the TV, except for maybe an occasional “gay best friend” playing a comedic role in a rom-com. It didn’t help that a lot of my guy friends would talk about girls they found attractive on a regular basis. I would sometimes join in although knowing what I was saying wasn’t authentic. Other times, I would stand by silently and just listen. This caused a lot of emotional turmoil. I wasn’t attracted to who I thought I was supposed to be attracted to – and in fear of being “outed”, I had to lie to my friends and family. This in turn created feelings of deep rooted shame that led me to believe there was something fundamentally wrong with who I was as a person – that because I was not like everyone else, I was not worthy of love and belonging. This trauma has taken several years to untangle and to some extent, I am still dealing with it. However, there is a silver lining to this. The older I get, the more I realise the struggles I had with my sexuality growing up are actually an asset in helping me form deep and meaningful relationships with others. The one thing every person in this world has in common is that at some point, we have felt like an outsider or not good enough. I can relate to this because I too know that feeling of shame. My struggles have shaped me into the person I am today – someone who deeply values inclusivity and authenticity. I carry these values over into my professional life, where my philosophy as an emerging business leader is to create an open and inclusive culture where everyone can bring their full selves to work. My aspiration is to make sure everyone who works with me is not only intellectually empowered, but also emotionally empowered to perform their best. To learn more about the Out in Business Club, and the EUROUT conference, please visit the club’s website. The post Out in Business, EUROUT, and Being Gay appeared first on Student and Admissions Blog - London Business School. |
05 May 2021, 09:00
| FROM LBS Admissions Blog: A week in the life of the MAM student |
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[img]https://admissionsblog.london.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/image-4.png[/img] [b]Michael Gritzbac[/b] [b](MAM2021) holds a Bachelors in Management, Philosophy & Economics from Frankfurt School of Finance and Management. He is now studying the Masters in Analytics and Management at London Business School and is a Yenching Scholar in Economics and International Relations at Peking University. [/b][b]At LBS, [/b] [b]he serves as president of the Music Club, Executive Committee member of the Entrepreneurship Club, and as a Communications Officer at the Student Association.[/b] [b]Before joining LBS, Michael spent parts of his studies at Columbia University, Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the Higher School of Economics in St. Petersburg. [/b] [b]He has been part of the board of the NGO “Ueber den Tellerrand kochen” supporting the integration of refugees in Germany and is actively involved with the NGOs “Hauz Hayag” and “Plan International” focusing on education for girls in East and South East Asia. Currently, he is part of a micro think tank in Germany, working with leading science communicators like Dr. Mai Thi Nguyen Kim to improve the future of science.[/b] Recently, junior bankers at a famous investment bank made headlines by demanding an 80-hour work-week instead of the 120 hours they often had to work at that point. I remember that I smiled when I read this, thinking back to the second quarter of the MAM, when my study time was fluctuating around 100-110 hours per week as well. For those who shockingly reconsider their interest at this point, I should probably mention that I was neither the best example nor that my weeks looked like this for the whole programme. But what does a normal week look like? Well, let’s start from the beginning! The workload for MAM students normally starts high, increases until the Winter break, and gradually decreases after Christmas, until it becomes almost non-existing in spring. This has a lot to do with the structure of the programme and recruiting circles. While international and UK applications for banking and consulting often happen between September and December, many unstructured, tech, and startup recruiting processes start in January and can take until summer. This can be further influenced by the country you want to work in (Germany for example, does not take consulting applications more than 6 months before entry). At the same time, students are expected to learn coding and machine learning until they start tech recruiting in spring, so they are able to survive and excel in code-related assessments. For an average MAM student, who wants to write more As than Bs and who is not an experienced coder or fluent in R, the four quarters (not the same as the 4 terms) could look like this: [img]https://admissionsblog.london.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/image-2-1024x320.png[/img] The graphic above can be used as a very basic orientation, although the choice of elective courses can change the work distribution. It is, for example, possible to have practically no work besides the LondonLab project in Quarter 4. Also, if you have coding and STEM experience, these numbers might decrease by up to 40%. So how come in my case up to 110 hours per week were possible? Partly, this was related to two external factors such as work with a think tank, writing my graduate thesis for a first master’s programme, and to one very important internal factor; The LBS social environment. Although LBS has a high standing as a research university, the two points that set it apart from its competitors are normally its community and, often overlapping, its career network. Over the year at LBS, networking and activities were a major part of our week. Over the first weeks at LBS, you normally decide which clubs to join and if you want to apply for their leadership board (ExCo). Over the next months, these clubs, together with the Career Centre and the school itself, organise a wide range of social and career events with speakers, social dinners, international trips, or night outs in London. At some point, this might even get overwhelming when there are three or more events on the same day and all are interesting. It becomes a hard choice where to go. On the other hand, if you decided to join the ExCo of a club, you will work with your team to plan and moderate all these events. This can account for 3 to 6 hours per week of additional work. Altogether, although there are only 3 to 4 days of class per week in the first two quarters and sometimes less than two days of class in the third and fourth quarter, a normal week of a MAM student can be very full and demanding. But how does it normally look? As mentioned before, not every weekday does have classes. Between one and four days a week, we join lectures learning to code, understand market principles, machine learning, and how to present analytics results effectively. Unfortunately for the night owls among the MAMs, these classes often start at 8:15 in the morning and are structured in 3-hour blocks. The last ones normally end around 7. In the evening, you either work on projects or meet for drinks in one of London’s parks, pubs, or at your classmates’ apartments. So, with all the social activities, the career events, classes, projects, and assignments. How to survive and master the path to become a data scientist? The magic key for most of us is teamwork. The diversity of backgrounds in the MAM programme leads to extremely different levels of knowledge in various fields. This, on the other hand, leads to the opportunity to learn from classmates as much as from professors. Looking at my own year, most of my classmates would probably agree that our academic success was strongly affected by our class representatives (especially Marco Laube and Selin Beijersbergen). Also, our study groups and exchange between them has proven to be an extremely valuable help. The two most important things we learned are that it is important to ask for help (if you work on a line of code and cannot solve it for 15 minutes, start asking friends or the Professor) and that an early understanding of R will save you from panic attacks, frustrating all-nighters, and the tempting wish to throw your computer out of the window once a week. At least until they switch the programme to Python. One bright and happy day in the future. [b]Interested in applying for the MAM?[url=https://www.london.edu/submit-cv?itemId=4529b4e4-f683-4a87-abd8-444dd9a4c8d7&servicepagereferer=4529b4e4-f683-4a87-abd8-444dd9a4c8d7] Send us your CV[/url] for a chat about your eligibility.[/b] The post [url=https://admissionsblog.london.edu/a-week-in-the-life-of-the-mam-student/]A week in the life of the MAM student[/url] appeared first on [url=https://admissionsblog.london.edu]Student and Admissions Blog - London Business School[/url]. |
06 May 2021, 07:00
| FROM LBS Admissions Blog: Being at Club President at LBS |
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By Sunita Chambore, Student-led Learning Manager The Student-led Learning team invited students considering leading a club to hear from our virtual panel of current Club Presidents: Gaby Wu (China Club), Mustafa Buxamusa (Healthcare Club) and Parsha Hobbs (Women in Business Club). This virtual session created space for current student leaders to share an honest, insider perspective on leading at LBS, including the challenges and opportunities available for experiential learning. Students got the lowdown on what to expect when leading clubs: the good, the bad and the ugly! The Good
The Bad
The Ugly
We hope the good, the bad, and the ugly of leading a club at LBS has you thinking about what you can gain as well as what your legacy might be at LBS. Leading a club involves many challenges and difficulties that are ripe for learning and practice. This panel was delivered as part of the CLAN or Club Leaders Action Network, a network where student leaders connect, solve shared challenges and develop as leaders. If you’d like to know more about the CLAN or the Student Leadership Incubator, please contact student-led@london.edu. The post Being at Club President at LBS appeared first on Student and Admissions Blog - London Business School. |
06 May 2021, 08:00
| FROM LBS Admissions Blog: Masters in Finance Full-time Late Application Process |
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By Peter Johnson, Senior Recruitment and Admissions Manager – MiF The preferred final deadline for applications for the August 2021 MiF full-time intake has now passed. If you wish to be considered for a late application, you must email your request to mif@london.edu titled Late Application Request, with the below information:
We will then contact you to approve or decline your request to submit a late application. Late applications are not automatically permitted. If you wish to submit a late application, and are approved to do so by the Recruitment & Admissions Team, you should satisfy all of the following criteria:
Please note that you will need to have your funding in place very quickly and that scholarships are not available to late applicants. It is imperative that you act quickly if you wish to submit a late application. You need to be ready and committed to start this year; we are not allowing deferrals for late applicants. Applications for the August 2022 intake will open in August 2021. We expect the application deadlines to be similar to the 20/21 year and the essays to be unchanged. The first application deadline will be on 28 September 2021 (at 13.00) with the final deadline in late April 2022. The post Masters in Finance Full-time Late Application Process appeared first on Student and Admissions Blog - London Business School. |
10 May 2021, 05:00
| FROM LBS Admissions Blog: Meet the LBS winners of the 2021 Southeastern Hedge Fund Competition |
After taking the top spot in the annual global finance and investing competition, Deepwater Partners’ Valeria Fedyk (PhD in Finance), Darcy Pu (PhD in Finance) and Hogan Tong (MBA2022) share their perspectives on the process and how they came up with the winning strategy. Valeria Fedyk, PhD in Finance Before we’d ever even heard about the Southeastern Hedge Fund Competition, I remember Darcy asking me one day: “What’s your best trading strategy idea?” As two Finance PhD students, it’s a question we’d both contemplated many times during our time at LBS. The competition gave us the chance to find our very own answer to the question. Hosted annually by Georgia State University and the Southeastern Alternative Funds Association (SEAFA), it brings together students from around the world who have a passion for finance and investing. Darcy learnt about it from Hogan Tong – an MBA2022 student and member of the LBS Investment Management Club – and he invited me to form a team with them. I knew the challenge – to find a viable trading strategy in today’s competitive world – wouldn’t be easy, but would certainly be exciting and rewarding, so I was in. Over the next few weeks, we brainstormed ideas for the competition submission, which featured an initial round to select the representative school team, a written strategy report to select the top five finalists, and a final presentation to determine the winner, who would take home both the first prize accolade and a $10,000 prize. We had lots of ideas, but it wasn’t an easy task settling on one that held up in practice – and we poured over theories relating to our research on the asset management industry, information economics, ESG, and behavioural biases. We landed on a strategy that identified co-integrated commodity futures and entered trade positions whenever the deviation from our computed fair value for the combination exceeded a predetermined level. It was also fully automated, from the thresholds that determined open and close positions to the robust, cross-validated process that determined the co-integrated commodities. As we developed it, interesting questions – such as how to best handle a structural shift in the market, how to allocate portfolio capital among commodity combinations, or at what level to impose stop loss provisions and position limits – came up. Dealing with these challenges allowed us to continuously innovate, which kept the project fun. Every question led to a new way to improve. Once we submitted our trading strategy for the school round, it was time to wait. I still remember celebrating the Lunar New Year at Darcy’s place when Hogan’s voice triumphantly rang through the room – “Guys, we’ve been selected”. Over the following weeks, we worked under the guidance of our faculty advisor, Professor Narayan Naik. A distinguished professor and a leading expert on hedge fund investing, Narayan both coached us on how to improve our strategy and provided invaluable encouragement, faith and support for our team throughout the process. After working on coding, addressing key portfolio construction and rebalancing questions, and summarising our results, we submitted a 10-page report – complete with economic rationale description and back-tests based on our code. We were met with great news in March; we’d been selected as one of the top five team finalists! Over the next month, we turned to the next step of the competition: preparing an eight-minute presentation. We practised it with our faculty advisor, family, friends and fellow students; this allowed us to see it from an outsider’s perspective and helped us to hone in on what we could improve. On 22 April, it was the final round of the competition. The timer went off, Darcy launched into explaining the economic rationale behind our strategy, I discussed the implementation and technical details, and Hogan followed up with the back-test performance. As we answered the judges’ questions, the ‘what-ifs’ and ‘what-abouts’ we’d discussed in the preceding weeks suddenly materialised into real-time benefits: for every question that came up, we had an appendix slide with supporting analysis. Once we’d finished I knew that win or lose, we’d given the competition our best effort. When they began announcing the winners, we exchanged hopeful glances as the other team names were called out, indicating we had progressed further. When they announced that Deepwater Partners from LBS were the winners, we were overjoyed, incredibly proud to have represented LBS and to have had the chance to make everyone who had supported us along the way proud too. As we continue with our educations at LBS and our careers beyond the School, I can’t wait to take this project forward, learn from the experience, and cherish the valuable connections I made along the way. And to anyone reading this, the competition will be coming up again next year, so I’d like to leave you with a simple question: what’s your best trading strategy idea? Darcy Pu, PhD in Finance Much like Valeria, since accepting LBS’s Finance PhD offer in 2018, I always asked myself how I could write a research paper that was both academically interesting and profitable. I raised the same question with my family, professors, and friends, and found that everyone had a different answer. In the end, I was left with so many ideas – so many that I knew I could never fully devote myself to implementing any of them, which led to this being a question that remained in my head, unanswered, for almost three years. When Hogan invited me to join him in the Southeastern Hedge Fund Competition, it presented a rare chance to work on answering that very question that I’d never had the time to focus on previously. I knew it was an opportunity I couldn’t turn down. We read and replicated all of the recently published academic papers that contained profitable trading strategies. But despite being an interesting and eye-opening process, it didn’t really give us the pragmatic starting point we needed. We soon realised that we had to create something brand new, which is when we started brainstorming and formulating our very own trading strategy. Myself, Hogan and Valeria would get together every day, staying at my home until midnight, sharing ideas and pushing each other to be as innovative as possible. After endless failures and dead ends, we finally arrived at a strategy that worked! “Ah, stay a while, this is so beautiful”, I exclaimed. Being involved in the creation of an award-winning strategy was amazing, but the personal experiences I gained from participating in the competition with my brilliant teammates were equally rewarding. I’m extremely happy to have worked closely with Hogan and Valeria – two people who I hope to keep as lifelong friends and work with on many different projects in the future. I owe infinite thanks to Professor Narayan Naik for his constant encouragement and practical feedback throughout the process. I’m also incredibly grateful to LBS faculty including Professors Suleyman Basak, Svetlana Bryzgalova, James Dow, Alex Edmans, and Julian Franks. Their support and encouragement, both academically and personally, gave me the confidence I needed to take on the challenges throughout my PhD life. Hogan Tong, MBA2022 I come from quantitative research background, so have always felt like an outlier in the MBA programme. I speak the language of statisticians, and see myself as more of a scholar than a businessman. During my time at LBS, this led to me getting asked why I was pursuing an MBA over a PhD. For the past six months, it was something I’d been asking myself over and over again – and now, after participating in Southeastern Hedge Fund Competition, I think I finally have the answer. Although we won the competition with a quantitative trading strategy, my most valuable takeaway wasn’t the mathematical models, but the implementation of the business knowledge I’d learnt from my MBA classes. In my previous role, I’d worked in solidarity with others, but having the chance to work closely with two distinguished teammates during the competition was an absolute pleasure. It allowed me to reflect on the knowledge I’d developed through the MBA. Over the past two months, I began to understand the leadership perspectives I’d learnt in the Global Leadership Assessment of Managers class, and tried out the team motivating and influencing techniques I’d learnt in Science of People in Organisations. When we envisioned setting up our own fund to run our strategy, I started to think about how to manage a fund as a business leader, questioning how we should position ourselves differently from the incumbents in the industry, what our competitive advantage was, who to target in fundraising, how to govern algorithms and how to establish the ideal team dynamics. Suddenly, everything I’d learnt through my MBA began to make sense. Participating in the competition was amazing. I feel blessed to have worked with two brilliant teammates, and owe my sincere gratitude to Darcy, Valeria and our advisor Professor Naik. For the first time, I learnt to think with a business mindset, which confirmed to me that pursing an MBA was definitely the right path for me after all. Learn more about our Masters and PhD programmes. The post Meet the LBS winners of the 2021 Southeastern Hedge Fund Competition appeared first on Student and Admissions Blog - London Business School. |
11 May 2021, 09:00
| FROM LBS Admissions Blog: Meet the Co-President of the Out in Business Club |
By Sunita Chambore, Student-led Learning Manager Experiential Learning is key to the student experience at London Business School. LBS is the place to develop leadership competencies by applying learning from the classroom into a real-world context. We caught up with Charul Pant MBA2021, Co-President of the Out in Business Club, before she leaves LBS to start her dream job with Amazon. What were you doing before you started your MBA? Before my MBA, I was working with Microsoft in India as a Project Manager. I worked with Microsoft for over four years as a Technical Consultant and Project Manager, solving clients’ business problems through my vantage point in technology. Why did you decide to come to LBS?
 Why did you apply to lead the Out in Business club? I have always been an ally of the LGBTQIA+ community, and I wanted to use my time at LBS to turn my allyship into more actionable and output-driven work. I believed leading the OiB Club would push me to do that. Coming from India, where acceptance for the LGBTQIA+ community is still on a growth journey, I felt that my visibility and leadership in OiB would bring more awareness to the South Asian community and enable more South Asian allies to support the club. I found wonderful friends and mentors in the club and wanted to take this opportunity to spend more time with them. How did the pandemic affect your club plans? The club’s mission is to build an empowering community of LGBTQ+ and Allies, thereby creating leaders of consequence. Due to the pandemic, we had to make up for the lack of physical interactions and social meet-ups with 1-1 walks and Zoom parties. These were nowhere close to ideal, to be honest. EUROUT had to be re-planned multiple times. This was the 10th anniversary of EUROUT, and we were hoping to make it a grand, in-person conference. We eventually managed to make it the biggest EUROUT ever (in terms of attendees and sponsors). Still, the multiple planning efforts and lack of social interaction did hurt quite a bit. What has been the highlight of your time at LBS? Leading the EUROUT 2020 conference amidst the highly challenging COVID-19 scenario was the highlight. I remember how we had to exhibit extreme dexterity in adapting our planning regarding elements such as sponsorship value proposition, finalising speakers, and content format, as pandemic restrictions kept changing throughout the year. From planning an in-person conference, updating it to hybrid, and finally moving to a complete virtual format was challenging. However, more challenging was ensuring that the participation and engagement remained high even in a virtual form. In the end, we had over 900 attendees (the highest ever in the history of EUROUT). So I can proudly say we managed it pretty well. I remember opening EUROUT on the final day and feeling both emotional and overwhelmed. I have always been a strong proponent of inclusion and diversity. But, at that moment – speaking to all the attendees of EUROUT, I felt so powerful. I felt that I had initiated a ripple of change by bringing together allies to turn these ripples into waves of change. I feel so incredibly hopeful about the inclusive world that lies ahead of us. Do you have any advice for the incoming Club Presidents?  Leading an active club (and it’s up to you how dynamic you want to make it) is a lot of work. Only take up the President role if you are genuinely passionate about the club; otherwise, there is no way you can keep yourself motivated. And sometimes, it feels so overwhelming. There are times you wonder why you’re trying to manage these 30 odd volunteers, organise a huge conference and talk to all these sponsors when you’ve been rejected by the fourth job interview and don’t even know what the future holds for you. There are moments when you might find leading the club a waste of your time. Still, those moments melt away compared to the moments you feel incredibly proud of all the impact you’ve had on your club members and LBS at large. You look back at all the toil with so much fulfilment and feel that you made the right choice. What are five words that describe your LBS journey.
You were selected to join the Leadership Incubator. What did you learn about yourself? I learnt that I am good at mobilising and building driven, passionate teams. When you can get people to be intrinsically motivated, it is easier to get them to work together to create a meaningful impact. I particularly liked the session on having courageous conversations. I tend to struggle with being assertive and was looking for advice on this. The session focussed on approaching difficult conversations with empathy and having a balance of advocacy and inquiry. This slight shift in my conversation style helped me a lot in my team building. Which faculty has made the biggest impression? Aneeta Rattan, Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour, made the biggest impression on me. I love her research and work on Inclusion, Diversity and Belonging. She has been one of the biggest advocates of the OiB club and been there at every step to support our club with thought-provoking workshops, content suggestions and stepped up to moderate some of our events as well. I also thoroughly enjoyed her Negotiations and Bargaining classes and learnt how an excellent negotiation is about understanding what is important to the other person. I love her communication style of being kind yet assertive – something that is rare and something I aspire to develop in myself. What are you fascinated by at the moment? I am fascinated by how, despite everything that may be wrong with the world, there are so many incredibly kind, hopeful and driven people who are doing their best to make this world a more equitable and wonderful place for everyone. What’s the last book you read? I read the book A Woman in Your Own Right: Assertiveness and You by Annie Dickson. It’s an interesting take on understanding and developing your assertive personality, managing your emotions and accepting your unique self. Final thoughts. I remember coming to London on a trip in 2019 and was completely in awe of LBS and London and wondered how incredible it would be to study here and settle in this amazing city. Today, as I prepare to start my dream job in London this July, I feel like I made it! I’m joining Amazon on their Launch programme as a Senior Vendor Manager. I’ll be leading their Retail business, specifically the Books department. I am thrilled to be joining one of the fastest-growing tech companies in the world and driving ground-breaking innovation forward. This was the dream. I occasionally blog and share reflections and musings on my blog – charulpant.blogspot.com. Some people find it relatable, and it often makes them smile! The Student-led Learning team offers student leaders:
If you’d like to learn more about the CLAN or the Student Leadership Incubator, please contact student-led@london.edu. The post Meet the Co-President of the Out in Business Club appeared first on Student and Admissions Blog - London Business School. |
11 May 2021, 09:00
| FROM LBS Admissions Blog: How the MAM programme prepared me for my career |
By Renata Mariani Zanella, MAM2021  As society shifts towards putting Data Analytics at the centre of many roles, I decided the best decision for me was to join the Masters in Analytics and Management (MAM) programme at LBS. Given my background in Engineering, I wanted to repurpose my strong numerical skillset by completing an Analytics and Management Master’s to pivot into a Data Analytics career in Consulting in London. This was only possible through the programme curriculum along with all the support provided by LBS. As the programme is intrinsically practical, it delivers the right balance between theory and practice by solving real-world problems. Throughout the course, I transitioned from Excel to R and Python, which is extremely important since these languages are increasing in popularity and widely used by companies, also preparing us for pre-interview screenings. Along with a strong statistical foundation, I also developed a practical understanding of Big Data and Machine Learning, by completing a portfolio of projects used to showcase in interviews. These concepts will be extremely useful for my future career. However, numbers by themselves are not enough, we also need to analyse and understand data according to context. Here is where the management courses come in handy, providing a basic fundamental toolkit for problem solving. Modules such as Strategy helped me understand how to scientifically develop an opinion about a problem whilst grounding it in data – very much a consulting mindset! Moreover, I was also able to learn from top professors in marketing, economics, and operations management. Currently, I’m completing my London LAB experience. The project revolves around solving a practical and analytical problem for a company. Given that consulting is all about solving complex problems, I believe that this opportunity is preparing me for my future endeavours. Not only due to the task itself, but also in means of coordination and contact with clients. In addition, group work has been constant at LBS since the first day, promoting a collaborative spirit and cultural understanding. This skill is essential to work in the cosmopolitan and inclusive city that is London. Lastly, I’ve had the great opportunity to connect with alumni, mentors, and the Career Centre, who were all prepared to support me every step of the way. The LBS community is extremely engaged in assisting current students by connecting as appropriate. I’ve practiced several assessments with current MBAs, peers and employed ex-LBS consultants. While the course was extremely demanding, it helped me achieve my post-graduation aspirations and goals. If you’re interested in learning more about the MAM programme, then please visit our website. The post How the MAM programme prepared me for my career appeared first on Student and Admissions Blog - London Business School. |
13 May 2021, 05:00
| FROM LBS Admissions Blog: Why Mental Health Awareness Week matters |
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Mental Health Awareness Week at London Business School is about raising awareness of the key mental health issues facing our School community and beyond. Natalia Fomichenko MBA2021 and Jonathon Buck MBA2021, Co-Presidents of this initiative, discuss what they’re planning and why the week is so important to them personally. Mental Health Awareness Week at LBS incorporates a variety of events, workshops, speaker events and panels – all designed to spotlight specific mental health and wellbeing issues, start crucial conversations, and raise money for local charities. Why is this week so important? We believe that mental health challenges are some of the most pressing yet least discussed issues facing young people today. According to Mentalhealth.org, one in six people report experiencing anxiety and / or depression in any given week in England. Closer to home, 75% of the 150 LBS students we surveyed in 2019 have experienced a personal struggle with their mental health and wellbeing in the last five years, including stress, burnout, anxiety, and eating disorders. It’s likely that this is only the tip of the iceberg. Compounding these issues is the silence and stigma that frequently accompany them. We believe that such issues are drastically underreported due to a fear of speaking out, as well as a distinct lack of institutional support offered to young people in the UK, especially students. This tends to exacerbate the sense of isolation and stigma, meaning that even those individuals who are brave enough to seek treatment are rarely able to access it. Now more than ever, after a torrid year of isolation and uncertainty, it’s vital that we help our community in the best way we can – by getting people talking. So how are you, really? That’s why we’re encouraging people to ask both themselves and others, “How are you, really?” Then listen to the answer with curiosity, compassion and kindness. You might be surprised by what you hear. And that’s okay. We believe it should always be okay to share how you really feel. This allows us to not only get the support we need, but also realise that we’re not alone. There is no reason why a mental illness should be treated any differently to a physical one; we should all be able to access support just as quickly, and without fear of judgement. This is why we’re thrilled to introduce our 2021 campaign – How are you, really? To get involved, it’s very simple. Start by asking yourself how you’re really feeling. Then ask your friends, “How are you, really?” Listen to their answers with curiosity, compassion and kindness – especially for those who might be sharing their thoughts for the first time.  By having these conversations, we hope to break the stigma surrounding mental health and get ourselves and others the support we need. What does Mental Health Awareness Week mean for us personally? Jonathon: I’m someone who has suffered from depression, anxiety and eating disorders my entire life. For more than 20 years, I’ve suffered in silence, unable to find support in a broken family, too ashamed and scared to speak to friends or peers. Institutional support at a traditional British boarding school was nonexistent, while my overworked GP simply didn’t have the time to listen to me and was content with prescribing a high dose of SSRIs and sending me on my way. Fast forward 10 years, and my life has improved incomparably. Although there was no magic bullet, by finally putting in place a consistent support structure of talking, therapy, exercise, and other routines, I’ve reached a level of happiness I never thought possible. Having accidentally stumbled upon this answer, I now feel a responsibility to try and help others, whether by lending a compassionate ear or pointing them in the direction of great therapy organisations. I believe that Mental Health Awareness Week offers a chance to share similar messages on a much grander scale and help others I otherwise couldn’t. Even if I can encourage just one new conversation, I’ll be happy with that.  Natalia: My interest in mental health and wellbeing was fueled by my experience of the high-stress environment of a consulting job. I’ve observed many bright and capable people suffer from stress while not being able to admit they have a problem. Permanently under pressure to exceed expectations and never make mistakes, they develop low self-esteem and a negative outlook on life. This has serious implications for those who already tend to be perfectionists. Many have developed anxiety disorders, and one person even committed suicide, whereas I left the job with an eating disorder. For a logical person like me, it was strange to be doing something that I knew wasn’t good for me. However, time and time again I relapsed into vicious circles of eating and self-condemnation. It was hard to go through – sessions with a psychologist only helped for a short while, I was embarrassed to tell others about it, and those I shared my problems with either couldn’t understand how serious they were or didn’t know how to help. This experience has made me who I am now – resilient and compassionate. And it’s why I take joy in organising Mental Health Awareness Week – a forum for people coping with their challenges, letting them know they aren’t alone and giving them a safe space to talk. It’s also an opportunity for others to learn about what it means to deal with mental health challenges so that they can better support their loved ones. I’m hopeful that everyone can take away techniques to build their resilience in life. When that happens, it means my journey was worth it. Our Mental Health Awareness Week events 
Follow us on Instagram @lbs.mhw to keep up to date on Mental Health Awareness Week events! The post Why Mental Health Awareness Week matters appeared first on Student and Admissions Blog - London Business School. |
19 May 2021, 07:00
| FROM LBS Admissions Blog: Masters in Finance Part-time student perspective: Why the MiF? |
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By Charlotte Tait, MiF Student Recruitment Associate We are now nearing the end of the academic year for our Masters in Finance Part-time programme. We thought it would be useful for you as a prospective MiF candidate to hear from some of our current students about their Masters in Finance journey. Why did you choose the MiF Part-time programme?  Sandra Ragues Fernandes, Head of Business Intelligence at PEI, MiFPT 2021 “I have a leadership position and I manage a fantastic team. I didn’t want to give that away. Also, I can immediately implement what I learn at work, not only within my department but I’m also able to share my knowledge and ideas with other teams and the CFO/CEO.”  Ana Hidalgo Manzano, AVP at Barclays, MiFPT 2022 “I chose the MIF instead of the MBA because I was looking to get specialist knowledge in Finance. My background as a consultant has given me the strategic thinking and project management skills. Also, during my years of experience, I got good exposure to the financial sector, especially banks. Now is the time for me to sharpen my finance skills and transition into a more specialised role in the industry, which is why the Masters in Finance was the right choice for me. I opted for the Part-time version as it would allow me to keep developing my career and apply the lessons to my job day-to-day.”  Vartan Indjeian, Senior Manager at KPMG, MiFPT 2021 “I initially submitted my application to the MiF Full-time programme but after discussing with my boss that I was also considering doing the Part-time programme, he was extremely supportive of adding flexibility into my client responsibilities and committed to helping me manage my school and work responsibilities effectively. This added support from him was the key factor that encouraged me to join the Part-time programme.” What has been your favourite class so far? Ana Hidalgo Manzano, MiFPT 2022 “The class I’ve enjoyed the most so far is the Investments core course with Professor Roberto Gomez-Cram. Despite having a background in business administration myself, I never managed to learn about pricing of financial instruments (options in particular) in such depth and I found it really interesting.” Vartan Indjeian, MiFPT 2021 “My favourite class so far has been the week-long Strategy for MiFs elective that I did in the block week format. The strategy class was an amazing way to take a step back and think about what makes a business successful from a perspective that is far away from just ‘the numbers’ which is what I spent most of my job focusing on. Through the projects and reading assignments we had to actively think through difficult strategic decisions that managers and business owners have to make. Spending a full week immersed in this environment was an incredible learning experience which gave me a very different perspective in how I view businesses and the decisions their owners have to make every day.”  Samuel Weissen, Associate Director at LGT Capital Partners, MiFPT 2021 “My favourite class so far was the Managing Corporate Turnaround elective as it heavily relied on case studies and class participation and set high expectations for students to prepare for each class and to engage in the classroom. Furthermore, very relevant guest speakers that were involved in the case studies we discussed in class rounded off this experience.” How have you been able to apply your learning from the programme in your current role? Ana Hidalgo Manzano, MiFPT 2022 “So far, I’ve been able to make an internal move in the bank I am working for. I’ve transitioned from a strategic transformation role in Risk to a role in finance. Now I am part of the Private Equity Finance team, taking care of the valuations of the investments in natural resources. The key skills needed for the role are accounting and corporate finance, which corresponds to two of the core courses of the MiF programme. In addition, I am taking some electives to complement my knowledge such as Advanced Financial Statements Analysis and Emerging Markets.” Vartan Indjeian, MiFPT2021 “I’ve found two key advantages that have directly benefited me on my job. First, the technical knowledge gained in many of my classes has been directly beneficial in my day-to-day job as an auditor of private equity firms. Having an advanced technical knowledge base allows me to add much more value to the audits I perform, as well as to better understand the more complex aspects of my client’s operations. The second advantage is that being a student at LBS has allowed me to increase my visibility in the firm, and has been a key advantage in how I’m viewed by my peers and leadership in my company. There is a clear recognition of the prestige and value of attending LBS, which has differentiated me from my peers.” If you’d like to speak to any of our Student Ambassadors about their experience of the programme and their application tips, they would be more than happy to answer your questions. Click here to connect with our Student Ambassadors. Interested in applying to the MiF Part-time programme? Submit your profile for an informal review of your fit for the programme, and to start a conversation with us. Submit your profile here. The post Masters in Finance Part-time student perspective: Why the MiF? appeared first on Student and Admissions Blog - London Business School. |
19 May 2021, 07:00
| FROM LBS Admissions Blog: How To Stand Out In the Hiring Process |
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By Lucy Palin, MiF Admissions Manager If you’re thinking about moving into a new area of finance, going to business school sets you up for that move in several ways. It gives you the depth of financial knowledge you need for any sector, the practical experience, the network and, at LBS, a fantastic Careers Centre. Many of our MiF Students who want to enter into a new field of finance, do so by securing a Summer Internship. This allows them to gain experience in the new industry and potentially convert the internship into a full-time role. I spoke to three MiF Students, Megan, Owen and Kelly, who have secured Summer Internships, to find out about the hiring process and what they did to stand out. First off, I asked them about their background in Finance and why they wanted to do the MiF...  Megan Andrews (MIF FT2021) Has accepted a Summer Associate role with Goldman Sachs in their Investment Banking division in London. “Prior to the MiF, I worked for a Financial and Economic litigation consulting firm, spending two years in the firm’s Washington, DC office and then two years in the London office. The firm provides economic and financial analysis to attorneys whose end clients are involved in commercial litigation and regulatory investigations. My work varied a lot and could involve anything from financial statement analysis to processing and running statistical analyses on proprietary financial data. I wanted to do the MiF because I studied economics during undergrad and learned most of what I knew about finance “on the job”. After realising that my interests more closely aligned with a career in finance, rather than economics, I decided to apply for the MiF so that I could supplement my “on the job” training with a more formal education in finance, and pivot into a career in financial services.”  Owen Li (MIF FT2021) Has accepted a Summer Associate role at Citi’s Financial Management Associate(FMA) programme. “Prior to the MiF, I worked as a hospitality investment consultant based out of Prague, Czech Republic. While working full-time I realised that my true passion lies with finance. Therefore, with the aim to transition my career to the financial service sector and the location to London, I came to London Business School for the Masters in Finance programme.”  Kelly Xu (MiF FT2021) Has accepted a place on JP Morgan Private Bank Summer Programme. “Before I came to LBS, I worked as an investment advisor at United Nations International Trade Centre in Geneva. I advised companies from the Asia Pacific region to expand in Africa, helping them with financial planning as well as localisation strategies. I came to LBS for the MiF programme to build connections within finance and to gain a more global perspective.” How did you find the internship you have secured, was it through LBS careers? Megan: “I went through the formal LBS recruiting process for Summer Associate IB roles in London. I also helped organise and participated in the virtual US IB trek this year and recruited for a few banks in the US as well as banks in London.” Owen: “During the Autumn Term, the Career Centre hosted a string of company presentations from day 1, providing us plenty of opportunities to discover and gain further insights into each company and the job opportunities available. Amongst the company presentations I attended, Citi’s FMA presentation definitely piqued my interests. After the LBS – Citi FMA networking event and having talked with LBS alumni who are currently working at Citi, I was even more convinced that this was the programme for me.” What strategy did you take when applying for internships and did you leverage LBS resources/network and the Careers Centre? Owen: “The Citi FMA networking session hosted by the Career Centre definitely gave me a lot of information regarding the programme. After the session, I also leveraged the LBS network and reached out to a number of LBS alumni who are currently or were part of the FMA programme, whether through emails or through Linkedin. They have been extremely helpful in terms of helping me with interview tips, and providing me with their personal experiences of the FMA programme.“ Kelly: “I found the LBS Career Centre quite helpful. I received links for career events even before I officially started my academic courses! After the self -exploration workshops organised by the Career Centre at LBS , I realised that the job search is not only about interviews and applications, it is also a deep, self -reflective journey. I started to talk to people in the private banking space in July and August by speaking to a few LBS alumni. The alumni that I have reached out to turned out to be very helpful and they have shared very valuable insights about the industry. I found private banking is a great fit for me and I used the sector guides on Canvas to navigate through the recruitment process.” Why do you think you stood out to the hiring manager? Was it your technical skills, a good application or perhaps a strong interview? Megan: “Overall, I felt prepared in terms of my ability to answer both technical and behavioural questions. For technical questions, I knew that a lot of the questions would draw from the material we were learning in the Corporate Finance and Valuation core course, so I made sure I fully understood and grasped the material. Our MiF Careers Lead, and I also did a couple of behavioural mock interviews, which were incredibly helpful in helping me to prepare for those questions.” Owen: “Coming from a non-finance background, I knew that entering the recruitment process, I may fall short in terms of relevant professional experience. Therefore, I focused on presenting what differentiates me from other candidates, and what I can bring to the programme, that other candidates can’t. I think in the end, what impressed the hiring manager is firstly, my strong motivation of joining the programme. While preparing for the interview, I studied the programme inside-out, and my passion to join definitely shined through from my answers during the interview. Secondly, my international background definitely helped leave a memorable impression in the interviewer’s mind as well.” Kelly: “I think preparation is the key. And it is never too early to start the preparation. I started my career search in June and attended online briefing sessions organised by the Career Centre. The CV service from the Career Centre is great. I booked a 1-1 session with a mentor and she proof- read my CV word-for-word! I also wrote down my answers to the behaviour questions so that I wouldn’t panic during the interview. The Career Centre provided a guide on how to prepare for the behaviour questions which I found very handy and there was also a list of sample questions that I used a lot for the preparation. I also practiced with my classmates for mock interviews and they turned out to be very helpful.” What were some of the challenges of applying for internships and how did you overcome them and stay motivated? Megan: “The IB hiring process is very much a marathon and not a sprint. Throughout that time, you’re expected to manage your time wisely in terms of reaching out to alums to schedule networking coffee chats, prepping for interviews, and attending the official banking presentations that LBS helps coordinate. I also had a great study group that I formed with another MiF and an MBA 2022 – the three of us had a Zoom meeting about once a week starting in late October to run through technical/behavioural interview questions together, and we all really helped keep each other motivated throughout the process. Our https://gmatclub.com/chat group was always very active with encouraging messages, and in the end all three of us were lucky enough to accept Summer Associate IB offers.” Kelly: “The challenge for me is that the process is very long. I sent my application in October and got interview invitations in January 2021 and got the final offer in February 2021. I have been through up and downs emotionally in the process and it eventually worked out. I think it is always good to be organised and make a plan. The academic workload for the first semester is also heavy so it would be good to have a plan and follow it religiously!” What advice would you give to future MiFs to stand out in the hiring process? Megan: “I would make sure you really understand what your “story” is – why are you applying for this role, why now, and what do you have to offer that other candidates might not? This was pretty much the first question I was asked in every interview and having a good grasp of your story will help you start off the interview strong.” Owen: “I think being part of the MiF programme, at times, it could be a little intimidating when we are surrounded by extremely hard working and talented people, whom I thought I would never measure up to in the recruitment process. It is so crucial to believe in yourself, and believe that you are there for a reason. The hiring process and job hunting season can definitely be daunting. But I would suggest you stay extremely focused, and only let the competition make you stronger. Last but not the least, don’t let a small setback ruin the journey, after all, there is just so much more than job hunting at LBS…” Kelly: “I think first of all it’s very important to know yourself well before the recruitment process. Know your strengths and weakness and know what you want to do in the long term. The second is to stay focused! Different jobs require different skill sets and the preparation processes are different. Banking recruitment is very different from consulting and technology and it is hard for people to focus on 2 sectors at the same time. Focus on one sector and do it well! The third one is to stay confident and optimistic. The MiF at LBS ranks number 1 in the world and we all deserve a great job and it is just a matter of time!” If you’re considering the Masters in Finance programme at LBS, why not submit your CV or LinkedIn profile for an informal chat with our team? We’ll be able to answer any questions you might have and discuss your fit for the programme. The post How To Stand Out In the Hiring Process appeared first on Student and Admissions Blog - London Business School. |
20 May 2021, 02:00
| FROM LBS Admissions Blog: MiF Part-time Student Perspective: How I Secured Company Support and Sponsorship |
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[b]By [url=https://www.linkedin.com/in/annakapengut/]Asha Kapengut[/url], MiFPT2021[/b] [img]https://media-exp1.licdn.com/dms/image/C5603AQGL2LWTiYBK3w/profile-displayphoto-shrink_800_800/0/1572084430955?e=1626307200&v=beta&t=CiVcbWE-cocQFQI9-HpifeJjC-WgLaTxcbbwgVhf6ao[/img] [b]A bit about me! [/b] I grew up in New Jersey and went to Rutgers University where I studied Economics and Mathematics. Like many students going through university, I was unsure of what I wanted to do for my career, but I knew I wanted to live abroad at some point. After graduating, I started working for PGIM Fixed Income in Newark, New Jersey in the Portfolio Analysis Group; a team that works alongside traders and portfolio managers across different strategies assisting with model portfolios, trade flows, monitoring risk levels, analysing indices and benchmarks, and assisting with data analytics. I moved to the London office for my second-year rotation in 2017 and after a few years here, I realised I wanted stay in London permanently. I am now officially employed by the London Office working on the European CLO Analyst team where I help structure new and ongoing CLO transactions. Outside of work, I enjoy travelling, hiking, playing football/soccer, climbing, and I’m an avid foodie enthusiast (always happy to give suggestions for restaurants/bars!) which London has been amazing for. [b]Why the Masters in Finance Part-time programme at LBS? [/b] Joining the [b][url=https://www.london.edu/masters-degrees/masters-in-finance-part-time]MiF PT programme[/url][/b] was a big decision for me. I was expecting to go back to America as my expat role in London was coming to an end, so I had to decide what I wanted to do going forward. I enjoyed my job and the company I worked for, but I wanted to further myself and learn about topics outside of my day-to-day responsibilities. After doing a bit of research about the LBS MiF PT programme and speaking with LBS alumni that work in my company, I went to LBS’ Open Day. I spoke with the Admissions team and current students and it became clear after a few conversations that the programme offered what I was looking for and more. Furthermore, as I went through the application process, I became more aware of the programme and what it had to offer. [b]How I made a business case to my employer to secure their sponsorship and support[/b] I had a good relationship with my managers and senior leaders that I’ve worked with in the past, therefore I was honest with my employer and I started the conversation months before I even knew I was accepted. I indicated why I was applying and the opportunities it would present to me, as well as to the company, that came from me pursuing a MiF degree. When the day came to have the sponsorship discussion, I came prepared and presented the curriculum and the electives that LBS offered that would prepare me for further career advancement within the company. My company had a strong commitment to promoting and supporting talent so I hoped they would assist me with this. In the end, we found a solution that worked for everyone. [b]My advice to prospective students seeking company support and sponsorship[/b] I would say it’s important to tie together not only why your company should help you, but how the programme will advance you so you can further contribute to your company. There are lot of aspects that LBS can offer – not just a degree. It’s up to you to do the research and create a path for yourself and present that to your employer to show why LBS is the right choice over an option that your company could be providing you, or a different type of certification/career advancement path. [b]My MiF PT experience[/b] I have found the programme extremely rewarding. It’s challenged me more than I thought it would and has helped me better understand the finance industry than I did previously. Covid and the lockdowns were a big challenge as classes and group work all turned virtual, but the professors and School were responsive and innovative in their approach to online learning, which kept the classes engaging. My highlights have been the people that I have met at the school. Not only are people from all over the world but it’s been refreshing to be surrounded by people that are like you, who are pushing themselves and are interested in learning through discussions and group work. [b]How I balance work and study [/b] It’s a marathon, not a sprint so planning beforehand is key. The first six months were tough. People warn you but you don’t realise until you’re in it and balancing work, classes, studying, family, meeting new people, friends, and finding time for yourself. Then Covid happened which came with its own mental, physical, and emotional toil. I found that adding in some time for solitude and calm – away from the endless tasks, meetings, social media, and never-ending news cycles – has helped me day-to-day. Even if it’s for 20-30 minutes before I start my day, it helps create some mental space and peace ahead of my busy day. [b]How the MiF has helped my professional and personal development[/b] The MiF helped me in more ways than I could have imagined. I’ve gained a lot of confidence in myself, my capabilities and in understanding the fundamentals of finance. I have been able to use the skills and knowledge I have learnt at LBS to progress my career forward by transitioning to a new role within the company. I am very sceptical about whether I would have been able to do this if it had not been for the programme. [b]My advice to people considering applying for the MiF[/b] Reach out to someone from LBS and speak to them about the programme. Whether that be current students, alumni, staff – having conversations with people will help you better understand what embodies LBS and its community and if it’s the right fit for you. Most importantly, you won’t get if you don’t ask! If you’re considering asking your employer for sponsorship, make a business case for yourself, find people within the company who will advocate on your behalf, and prove to your company why helping you pursue the MiF degree will be a win-win outcome for everyone. Feel free to reach out anytime, I am happy to have a virtual coffee and to talk about LBS, living in London, sponsorship, and of course, restaurant recommendations! [b]You can connect with Asha [/b][url=https://www.linkedin.com/in/annakapengut/][b]here.[/b][/url][b][/b] [img]https://admissionsblog.london.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Greg-002.jpg[/img] [b]Greg Moore, Senior Business Development Manager shares his advice on gaining company sponsorship: [/b] “Many companies when approached for sponsorship will be asking “why should we make this investment?” and “what’s in it for us?”. It is crucial that you articulate the expected return on investment to the decision-makers in your organisation. You should view this both in terms of your increased professional contribution through the knowledge and skills you will acquire on the programme but also the wider benefits of establishing links with London Business School. As an ambassador on campus, you can be the bridge that links your organisation with world-class faculty, a global alumni network, and a pool of highly talented students to recruit from. Remember, the Masters in Finance at LBS is consistently ranked the number one specialist finance programme for finance professionals worldwide. It is a brand that carries pedigree and confidence both for you as an individual but also for the organisation that employs you.” [b]For support on building a business case for sponsorship, connect with Greg [/b][url=https://gmoore@london.edu][b]here.[/b][/url][b] [/b] [b]Submit your profile for an informal review of your fit for the programme [/b][url=https://www.london.edu/submit-cv?itemId=557e20b2-4bd4-4140-9270-3831b8753123&servicepagereferer=557e20b2-4bd4-4140-9270-3831b8753123][b]here. [/b][/url][b] [/b] The post [url=https://admissionsblog.london.edu/mif-part-time-company-sponsorship/]MiF Part-time Student Perspective: How I Secured Company Support and Sponsorship[/url] appeared first on [url=https://admissionsblog.london.edu]Student and Admissions Blog - London Business School[/url]. |
20 May 2021, 06:00
| FROM LBS Admissions Blog: Exploring the Purpose of Finance |
 By Yumi Tsuda, MiF FT2021 On the Masters in Finance (MiF), there is a course called ‘Purpose of finance’. This is designed a bit differently from other courses, with two classes at the very beginning and the very end of the programme. From my point of view, this class was the most important class for us as it explored why the MiF programme exists in the first place. Before doing the class, some people were skeptical. They thought it might be too abstract and vague compared to the practical learning we get from other classes. And I admit, I may have had those doubts too when I first attended the class. However, now I recognise that we learnt really essential meaning and reasoning of “finance” in this course. What is the finance industry for? What does it mean to be a finance professional? In other words, why does finance exist in the world? What should finance professionals foresee? In the class, you are asked these very simple questions:
This is really it. However, these are such important questions. Finance may be regarded as a somewhat greedy industry from the world. Indeed, it can seek efficiency for the sake of interests to specific people. However, looking back, financial innovations have enabled a lot of things to happen in the world. Inventions of bills and loans allowed us to grow economies efficiently, the invention of credit cards allowed us to enjoy a variety of things in life, and the invention of microfinance provided access to finance for billions of people. And today, we are witnessing a lot of Fintech innovations with our own eyes. So, as the leaders of the financial industry, what should we have in our minds? What good can we do in the world? This is such a simple, but truly essential and important question. The purpose of finance course is designed to help you find your answer to it. After the course, you’ll keep in mind the essence of what you learnt and you will know the true value of MiF programme. To speak to our MiF Recruitment and Admissions team about the programme, please contact mif@london.edu. The post Exploring the Purpose of Finance appeared first on Student and Admissions Blog - London Business School. |
24 May 2021, 05:00
| FROM LBS Admissions Blog: Student Clubs and Group at LBS |
A big part of the LBS experience is joining one of our student clubs, and with over 75 clubs and groups to join, there is something for everyone in our community. We spoke with three MBA students to hear how joining the Student Club community has enriched their LBS experience. Shajia Meraj, MBA2021 “The clubs are the life and blood of the LBS experience. I knew from Day one that I wanted to be a part of the Women in Business (WiB) Club, being very passionate about gender equality and keen to find amazing role models and mentors. Co-chairing WiB’s flagship EQUALL conference, one of the biggest forums in Europe whose reach extends far beyond the LBS community, has been the highlight of my LBS experience. Over the past few months, I have led a team of seven to bring in world-class speakers from across the world and found true support in my co-chair and partner in crime – an extraordinary male ally (or manbasador as we call them at LBS). I have found inspiration every single day seeing the team’s passion and vigour in bringing the conference together (amidst multiple priorities and COVID-induced roadblocks) and I have learnt so much about myself through the process. Currently I have also teamed up with some very driven and motivated students across LBS programmes to address socio-economic diversity and to ensure that students from marginalised socioeconomic backgrounds are well-represented and find a sense of belonging at LBS. Through the whole experience of setting up this initiative, we have revisited our roots and realised how far each of us has come from our humble beginnings. If there is anything I have learnt from these very diverse experiences, it’s that no matter where you are from and what your passions are, you will find a true home at LBS. (And to think that these phenomenal experiences have taken shape despite COVID shows that we have truly learned to make lemonade out of the lemons!)”  Miles Jones, MBA2021 “While I have benefited from engaging with many of the student-led clubs during my time at LBS, there are a couple in particular that have really shaped my experience. The first is the Rugby Club. In my experience, there is nothing like practicing rucking together during the London winter, as Regent’s Park gradually turns to mud, or running onto the pitch against a club team to develop strong bonds with a group of your classmates. As a relatively uncoordinated individual with a background of distance running, I was nonetheless warmly welcomed into a team that included people who had never held a rugby ball before through to former national representatives and professional club players. The life of the club extends well off the pitch as second year members organise mentorship, careers and recruitment support, mental health fundraisers, overseas treks and a range of social events to build community and have fun—often in collaboration with other student-led clubs. I also found a strong network in the Australia New Zealand (ANZ) Club. As an Antipodean in London, sometimes you just want to speak to other people who get the importance of finding a good Flat White coffee and also mix up all of their English vowels. A highlight of the first year was our club performance of a hybrid cultural dance in front of the crowd at Tattoo—this had to be seen to be believed. Additionally, as a second year, a friend and I act as co-chiefs of Sundowners. Outside of a pandemic, Sundowners is the largest regular student-run event on campus and a great way to unwind with classmates on a Thursday night, sampling the cultures of different club sponsors from the comfort of the Nash student lounge. Like all of the clubs, we have had to think of creative ways to fulfil our role this year, with recent activities including virtual challenges, icebreaker games and a tailored performance for LBS by two professional comedians.”  Jiabo Wan, MBA2021 “I joined several student-led clubs at LBS and they no doubt added much bright colour to my MBA experience. I worked on a pro-bono consulting project organized by the Impact Consulting Club, helping a social enterprise in Tanzania which produces fair trade tea products enter the European market. The project included brand positioning, channel strategy, and was also with a theme on women empowerment and local economic development. It is a rewarding experience for me in terms of expanding my industry knowledge while creating a meaningful impact on society. As a member of the organising team of our flagship TEDxLondonBusinessSchool event, one of the premier innovation and thought-leadership events in London, I have worked with various London-based thought leaders in different fields such as medicine, counter-terrorism and education. This experience let me get out of my comfort zone and greatly expanded my horizon. I sourced speakers with “ideas worth spreading”, curated talks with our speakers and advisors, and served as one of the MCs of the event. It is this experience that demonstrates how resilient and creative our LBS community is. Due to the evolving pandemic situation, we had to postpone and pivot the event to a virtual format. Instead of simply accepting the “default option” – another Zoom event, which would potentially compromise the event quality, our team quickly decided to pre-record all the talks in various locations. From hospital to theatre, thanks to our smart choices of filming locations, we made those talks even more contextual and engaging, successfully turning a daunting crisis into an amazing opportunity.” If you’re interested in learning more about our student activities, clubs and groups, then please visit our website. The post Student Clubs and Group at LBS appeared first on Student and Admissions Blog - London Business School. |
24 May 2021, 10:00
| FROM LBS Admissions Blog: In conversation with our MBA Student Ambassadors’: Student Clubs and Group at LBS |
|
A big part of the LBS experience is joining one of our student clubs, and with over 75 clubs and groups to join, there is something for everyone in our community. We spoke with three MBA students to hear how joining the Student Club community has enriched their LBS experience. Shajia Meraj, MBA2021 “The clubs are the life and blood of the LBS experience. I knew from Day one that I wanted to be a part of the Women in Business (WiB) Club, being very passionate about gender equality and keen to find amazing role models and mentors. Co-chairing WiB’s flagship EQUALL conference, one of the biggest forums in Europe whose reach extends far beyond the LBS community, has been the highlight of my LBS experience. Over the past few months, I have led a team of seven to bring in world-class speakers from across the world and found true support in my co-chair and partner in crime – an extraordinary male ally (or manbasador as we call them at LBS). I have found inspiration every single day seeing the team’s passion and vigour in bringing the conference together (amidst multiple priorities and COVID-induced roadblocks) and I have learnt so much about myself through the process. Currently I have also teamed up with some very driven and motivated students across LBS programmes to address socio-economic diversity and to ensure that students from marginalised socioeconomic backgrounds are well-represented and find a sense of belonging at LBS. Through the whole experience of setting up this initiative, we have revisited our roots and realised how far each of us has come from our humble beginnings. If there is anything I have learnt from these very diverse experiences, it’s that no matter where you are from and what your passions are, you will find a true home at LBS. (And to think that these phenomenal experiences have taken shape despite COVID shows that we have truly learned to make lemonade out of the lemons!)” Miles Jones, MBA2021 “While I have benefited from engaging with many of the student-led clubs during my time at LBS, there are a couple in particular that have really shaped my experience. The first is the Rugby Club. In my experience, there is nothing like practicing rucking together during the London winter, as Regent’s Park gradually turns to mud, or running onto the pitch against a club team to develop strong bonds with a group of your classmates. As a relatively uncoordinated individual with a background of distance running, I was nonetheless warmly welcomed into a team that included people who had never held a rugby ball before through to former national representatives and professional club players. The life of the club extends well off the pitch as second year members organise mentorship, careers and recruitment support, mental health fundraisers, overseas treks and a range of social events to build community and have fun—often in collaboration with other student-led clubs. I also found a strong network in the Australia New Zealand (ANZ) Club. As an Antipodean in London, sometimes you just want to speak to other people who get the importance of finding a good Flat White coffee and also mix up all of their English vowels. A highlight of the first year was our club performance of a hybrid cultural dance in front of the crowd at Tattoo—this had to be seen to be believed. Additionally, as a second year, a friend and I act as co-chiefs of Sundowners. Outside of a pandemic, Sundowners is the largest regular student-run event on campus and a great way to unwind with classmates on a Thursday night, sampling the cultures of different club sponsors from the comfort of the Nash student lounge. Like all of the clubs, we have had to think of creative ways to fulfil our role this year, with recent activities including virtual challenges, icebreaker games and a tailored performance for LBS by two professional comedians.” Jiabo Wan, MBA2021 “I joined several student-led clubs at LBS and they no doubt added much bright colour to my MBA experience. I worked on a pro-bono consulting project organized by the Impact Consulting Club, helping a social enterprise in Tanzania which produces fair trade tea products enter the European market. The project included brand positioning, channel strategy, and was also with a theme on women empowerment and local economic development. It is a rewarding experience for me in terms of expanding my industry knowledge while creating a meaningful impact on society. As a member of the organising team of our flagship TEDxLondonBusinessSchool event, one of the premier innovation and thought-leadership events in London, I have worked with various London-based thought leaders in different fields such as medicine, counter-terrorism and education. This experience let me get out of my comfort zone and greatly expanded my horizon. I sourced speakers with “ideas worth spreading”, curated talks with our speakers and advisors, and served as one of the MCs of the event. It is this experience that demonstrates how resilient and creative our LBS community is. Due to the evolving pandemic situation, we had to postpone and pivot the event to a virtual format. Instead of simply accepting the “default option” – another Zoom event, which would potentially compromise the event quality, our team quickly decided to pre-record all the talks in various locations. From hospital to theatre, thanks to our smart choices of filming locations, we made those talks even more contextual and engaging, successfully turning a daunting crisis into an amazing opportunity.” If you’re interested in learning more about our student activities, clubs and groups, then please visit our website. The post In conversation with our MBA Student Ambassadors’: Student Clubs and Group at LBS appeared first on Student and Admissions Blog - London Business School. |
25 May 2021, 02:00
| FROM LBS Admissions Blog: In conversation with our MBA Student Ambassadors’: Student Clubs and Groups at LBS |
|
A big part of the LBS experience is joining one of our student clubs, and with over 75 clubs and groups to join, there is something for everyone in our community. We spoke with three MBA students to hear how joining the Student Club community has enriched their LBS experience. Shajia Meraj, MBA2021 “The clubs are the life and blood of the LBS experience. I knew from Day one that I wanted to be a part of the Women in Business (WiB) Club, being very passionate about gender equality and keen to find amazing role models and mentors. Co-chairing WiB’s flagship EQUALL conference, one of the biggest forums in Europe whose reach extends far beyond the LBS community, has been the highlight of my LBS experience. Over the past few months, I have led a team of seven to bring in world-class speakers from across the world and found true support in my co-chair and partner in crime – an extraordinary male ally (or manbasador as we call them at LBS). I have found inspiration every single day seeing the team’s passion and vigour in bringing the conference together (amidst multiple priorities and COVID-induced roadblocks) and I have learnt so much about myself through the process. Currently I have also teamed up with some very driven and motivated students across LBS programmes to address socio-economic diversity and to ensure that students from marginalised socioeconomic backgrounds are well-represented and find a sense of belonging at LBS. Through the whole experience of setting up this initiative, we have revisited our roots and realised how far each of us has come from our humble beginnings. If there is anything I have learnt from these very diverse experiences, it’s that no matter where you are from and what your passions are, you will find a true home at LBS. (And to think that these phenomenal experiences have taken shape despite COVID shows that we have truly learned to make lemonade out of the lemons!)” Miles Jones, MBA2021 “While I have benefited from engaging with many of the student-led clubs during my time at LBS, there are a couple in particular that have really shaped my experience. The first is the Rugby Club. In my experience, there is nothing like practicing rucking together during the London winter, as Regent’s Park gradually turns to mud, or running onto the pitch against a club team to develop strong bonds with a group of your classmates. As a relatively uncoordinated individual with a background of distance running, I was nonetheless warmly welcomed into a team that included people who had never held a rugby ball before through to former national representatives and professional club players. The life of the club extends well off the pitch as second year members organise mentorship, careers and recruitment support, mental health fundraisers, overseas treks and a range of social events to build community and have fun—often in collaboration with other student-led clubs. I also found a strong network in the Australia New Zealand (ANZ) Club. As an Antipodean in London, sometimes you just want to speak to other people who get the importance of finding a good Flat White coffee and also mix up all of their English vowels. A highlight of the first year was our club performance of a hybrid cultural dance in front of the crowd at Tattoo—this had to be seen to be believed. Additionally, as a second year, a friend and I act as co-chiefs of Sundowners. Outside of a pandemic, Sundowners is the largest regular student-run event on campus and a great way to unwind with classmates on a Thursday night, sampling the cultures of different club sponsors from the comfort of the Nash student lounge. Like all of the clubs, we have had to think of creative ways to fulfil our role this year, with recent activities including virtual challenges, icebreaker games and a tailored performance for LBS by two professional comedians.” Jiabo Wan, MBA2021 “I joined several student-led clubs at LBS and they no doubt added much bright colour to my MBA experience. I worked on a pro-bono consulting project organized by the Impact Consulting Club, helping a social enterprise in Tanzania which produces fair trade tea products enter the European market. The project included brand positioning, channel strategy, and was also with a theme on women empowerment and local economic development. It is a rewarding experience for me in terms of expanding my industry knowledge while creating a meaningful impact on society. As a member of the organising team of our flagship TEDxLondonBusinessSchool event, one of the premier innovation and thought-leadership events in London, I have worked with various London-based thought leaders in different fields such as medicine, counter-terrorism and education. This experience let me get out of my comfort zone and greatly expanded my horizon. I sourced speakers with “ideas worth spreading”, curated talks with our speakers and advisors, and served as one of the MCs of the event. It is this experience that demonstrates how resilient and creative our LBS community is. Due to the evolving pandemic situation, we had to postpone and pivot the event to a virtual format. Instead of simply accepting the “default option” – another Zoom event, which would potentially compromise the event quality, our team quickly decided to pre-record all the talks in various locations. From hospital to theatre, thanks to our smart choices of filming locations, we made those talks even more contextual and engaging, successfully turning a daunting crisis into an amazing opportunity.” If you’re interested in learning more about our student activities, clubs and groups, then please visit our website. The post In conversation with our MBA Student Ambassadors’: Student Clubs and Groups at LBS appeared first on Student and Admissions Blog - London Business School. |
26 May 2021, 01:00
| FROM LBS Admissions Blog: My Executive MBA Experience: Joanna Richardson |
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By [url=https://www.linkedin.com/in/joannarichardson/]Joanna Richardson[/url], EMBALS2019 [b]Role whilst on EMBA: [/b]International Brand Director – Premium Gin, Quintessential Brands [b]Current role: [/b]Head of Marketing, Brands & Communication, Shepherd Neame. Board Director – Visit Kent [img]https://admissionsblog.london.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Joanna-Richardson1-658x1024.jpg[/img] [b]Why did you choose the EMBA at London Business School?[/b] As a marketer in the drinks and hospitality industry, I had spent 13 years progressing my career from international assignments in multinationals to global brand roles and wanted to further accelerate my career into senior leadership. I knew this would require a more extensive understanding of the wider business context outside of my function than I would be able to achieve in my role alone and so was looking at accelerated business courses that would supplement and support this next stage of my career. I attended an introductory briefing at LBS hosted by the admissions team and hearing the passion and professionalism of the alumni who were speaking about their experience made me want to be part of such a high-achieving community. In addition to the world-class reputation and credibility, I specifically chose LBS over more marketing-focused EMBA programmes because I wanted to challenge myself outside of my function, specifically choosing modules and leadership-oriented initiatives that I hadn’t encountered in any depth in my career to date so that I could accelerate the learning further and maximise the time I put into the course. [b]How useful was the LBS network for you during your EMBA journey and after you became an alumni?[/b] I felt part of the LBS network from my very first encounter when I sat in on a statistics class as part of my research into whether I wanted to apply. The students I met at that time were so welcoming, passionate about their LBS experience and it was one of the deciding factors for me that I wanted to be part of this inspiring and driven community. Throughout my studies, my cohort of around 70 was a huge source of support, fun and the strong bond we built from going through such an accelerated learning experience together is still something that is very much alive several years after graduation. I met a large number of students from other programmes through my active role in both the Women In Business and Marketing clubs, attending LBS-hosted events and specifically in the second year elective classes where we mixed with other students outside our cohort. Being part of such a multinational, diverse community was one of the real highlights for me of my LBS experience as it opened my eyes to new possibilities. 8 months after graduating, the pandemic hit and I can really say that after more than 12 months spent in various degrees of lockdown I feel just as connected to the LBS community as I did when I was studying. I’ve really appreciated the thought leadership webinars by the LBS professors and have used a number of the insights in the new strategy I’ve developed in my role to help the business survive the crisis. As for our cohort, we have hosted online discussions together, taken part in virtual sports events to raise money for charity and our https://gmatclub.com/chat group has been a continual source of support as we have all navigated through the changing world. LBS continues to help me think bigger. [b]If you could relive one LBS memory what would it be?[/b] The Global Business Assignment in China was an incredible experience, more so with a pandemic lens when you realise how lucky we were to have had that time. I joined a group of around 60 students from multiple programmes, led by expert faculty, for a week-long visit to a number of different tech companies, financial institutions, start-ups and universities in Beijing with the aim of understanding more about the growth trajectory of such a fascinating country through various group assignments. The level of insight we got from the high-profile connections that we met on the visit was second to none and it was an excellent example of the outstanding connections that LBS has, the relevance of the programme to business leaders today and the impeccable standards of professionalism of a world-class business school. [b]What part did the EMBA play in making you the leader you want to become?[/b] I think of this in two parts: For me, the EMBA has already [b]accelerated the upward trajectory of my career.[/b] Very soon after I started the course I was headhunted for my current role where I lead the marketing and communications strategy for Britain’s oldest independent brewer and pub company. Reporting directly into the CEO and part of the Senior Management Team, my role has accelerated in significance throughout the pandemic as I have led our crisis communications strategy and the pivot to a digital first agenda for our consumers via a new hospitality tech focus. As we emerge from the crisis, it will be even more critical to remain agile and open-minded to recruit consumers, lead teams and develop new strategies to capitalise on emerging opportunities. The learnings from the EMBA have been so key in enabling me to perform at this level. I have also been appointed to two Non-Executive Director positions since graduating from LBS with the Board of Visit Kent, which supports and drives the visitor economy in Kent, and the Board of Canterbury Business Improvement District, whose mission is to continue to build a vibrant, well-connected business community in Canterbury. A huge part of success is about [b]having a growth mind-set[/b] and the EMBA made me think so much bigger than I had done previously. Spending extensive time over 2 years with such inspirational classmates from a huge range of backgrounds, industries and countries infused me with such enthusiasm and passion to believe that anything is possible. Balancing the EMBA alongside a demanding full-time job can feel like an endurance marathon at times. You have to balance a huge range of priorities, ruthlessly structure your time and work out how you are going to fit your full-time role plus personal and family commitments around an intense two-year learning experience. But being able to manage challenging situations and be agile in your approach to changing demands on your time are absolutely critical leadership characteristics and throughout the two years I learned so many more ways to reframe situations to focus on what was really important. This was epitomised by the Dean’s closing speech about success where he asked us to think of everything we would like to achieve in our lives – and then square it. What would success squared look like to you? For me, the EMBA is just the beginning of an accelerated growth mind-set of what is possible. The post [url=https://admissionsblog.london.edu/my-emba-experience-joanna-richardson/]My Executive MBA Experience: Joanna Richardson[/url] appeared first on [url=https://admissionsblog.london.edu]Student and Admissions Blog - London Business School[/url]. |
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ANNOUNCEMENTS Tuesday, May 30, 11:30am NY; 3:30pm London; 9pm Mumbai ✅ In this inspiring YouTube interview with Navneet, a GMAT 760 scorer, we uncover his GMAT journey, strategies, and insights on how he overcame the challenges he faced in the GMAT verbal section. ✅ Subscribe to us on YouTube AND Get FREE Access to Premium GMAT Question Bank for 7 Days
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