I am an experienced finance professional and was employed as the Group Corporate Finance Manager for Mpact Limited, a South African recycling and packaging company, when I started my Executive MBA journey in September 2022. I decided to pursue an Executive MBA at Warwick Business School (WBS) because I wanted to broaden my skill set from being mainly finance focused to becoming a stronger general manager.

After starting the course, I was promoted to the Commercial Manager & Director of Mpact Recycling from January 2022. This a general management role which oversees all administrative and commercial aspects of the business. I have been using the Executive MBA modules to perform deep dives into the various parts of the business which I am now managing. By way of example, when a division which falls within my domain required a strategic update, I was able to use the frameworks and learnings from the Strategic Advantage module to implement and drive a revised strategy.

I chose the WBS Executive MBA because I wanted to study at a world-renowned university which offers a solid core programme, as well as some flexibility around electives for exploring other subject matters of interest. The fact that we are able to also study electives at other international universities is an added bonus, which I am very much looking forward to. The other consideration for me was the pandemic and the impact it could have on my ability to attend modules in person. Given that the WBS Distance Learning MBA was rated No.1 in the world, it gave me the confidence that the school has the ability to cater for online students in case I was unable to travel, which was actually the case for the first 3 modules.

My cohort consists of interesting people from various industries and nationalities. This diversity provides a richness to the classroom discussions and group work exercises, as everyone has a unique perspective and a wealth of professional experience from their respective fields.

The EMBA covers all the core topics which a manager needs to understand and deal with on a daily basis. This is particularly useful for subject specialists looking to manage broader parts of an organisation. It does require some sacrifice, but the course is structured in such a way that you don’t feel overwhelmed. Also, WBS does offer flexibility if you have to attend to a family or work emergency. For me it has been a great experience and the benefits derived are well worth the time and effort.