The Executive MBA is giving me the opportunity to develop my leadership style and fill the skill gaps. I firmly believe in doing things even when they scare me but those decisions should be underpinned by logic and expertise. Mixing with a diverse group of people who embrace learning and change is already helping me succeed as COO. Companies treating employees like numbers and undermining their mental health and wellbeing is too prevalent. I want to change that unproductive, destructive mentality and the MBA is helping me further develop the requisite tools and resilience. I want to be the type of leader who creates a culture where people feel valued; where everyone can act with honesty and integrity, and where curiosity is a key part of potential.

I currently work 3 days a week and will be going up to 4 days a week from October, my non-working day(s) are spent looking after my now 10 month old baby. It has been really hard and it remains really hard trying to balance baby, demanding job, and challenging MBA. Without the flexibility from my company to flex both in terms of location and hours, and the support from my husband, my family (even though they’re all 100+ miles away) and my friends I would not have been able to do this. I have definitely had to compromise and be as organised as possible in order to maintain any sort of balance but I firmly believe the MBA is the right choice for me and my family in the long-run.

During my MBA experience have been lucky enough to be a member of 2 cohorts – my starting cohort and my adoptive cohort – as I paused the MBA for a year during my pregnancy and the pandemic, returning when my baby was 6 months old. Both my cohorts are awesome; it’s great that we have such a diverse mix of skills and expertise and it’s very much a supportive and safe place. Whilst the people between the cohorts differ, the culture is very similar, and I can genuinely say I have made friends in both.