Celebrating the women on our MBA: Meet Adenike Macaulay

Highly motivated and ambitious are distinguishing characteristics of our MBA candidates. Throughout March we're finding out more about the women on our MBA to discover what makes them tick. Our first blog of the 2020 series celebrates the achievements of Adenike Macaulay, a high-flying and inspiring leader.

What makes Adenike a stand-out MBA candidate?

As the first female general manager of sales at Lufthansa Group for Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea, and the first Nigerian in the role, Adenike is forging the way for change. Identified last year as one of Leading Ladies Africa’s annual 100 most inspiring women, and selected as Woman of the Week by The Guardian, Nigeria, Adenike continues to be recognised for excellence. Since graduating from the University of Lagos in Systems Engineering, Adenike has become an airline sales expert, amassing over 10 years’ experience in the industry, primarily managing aviation sales and marketing. Alongside her current role leading all sales, marketing, servicing and commercial activities for Germany’s largest airline, Lagos-based Adenike embarked on the Distance Learning MBA, all while raising three young daughters. One year later and she’s still soaring; we spoke to Adenike to find out more.

What led you to pursue the Distance Learning MBA at WBS?

I applied for the Warwick Distance Learning MBA in 2018 while I was in my previous role as Head of Sales, Products and Programmes, with the objective of broadening my knowledge base and skillset largely limited to marketing and product development. With a BSc in Systems Engineering from the University of Lagos, a professional diploma in Digital Marketing from the Digital Marketing Institute in Ireland, and other certifications, coupled with my management experience, I felt the MBA would be a good complement for my skillset and also serve as the much-needed booster for my career progression plans. I was only going for the best; with WBS ranked number one by the Financial Times for online MBAs in 2018, my decision was clear.

What is your proudest achievement?

In January 2019, exactly 6 months into my MBA studies, I was announced as the first female and first Nigerian to be appointed as General Manager, Sales, for Lufthansa Group Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea.

How have you found studying at WBS so far?

Enriching! In addition to the outstanding and sometimes challenging academic work, the distance learning structure of the programme provides for extensive networking amongst the very diverse cohort of individuals from all over the world.

How have you found the balance between working and studying?

It was initially a struggle balancing work, studying and also raising three young daughters, as well as keeping the home front. However, I have now fully integrated studying into my daily work schedule. Ultimately, the days are longer and the nights are shorter, but the sacrifice has definitely been worth it so far.

What aspects of the course have you enjoyed so far?

I found the Economics of the Business Environment and Accounting and Finance Management modules to be the most enlightening so far. Perhaps because they were the modules I was most unfamiliar with based on my experience. The most outstanding module for me, however, is the Entrepreneurial Finance face-to-face module in Silicon Valley, and I would recommend it to anyone who has some interest in financing start-ups or existing businesses.

What advice would you give to students embarking on the MBA?

Go for it! Don’t overthink it.

Find out more about the Distance Learning MBA.