How the Bayes Executive MBA is a life-changing development opportunity that expands your professional network
Explore how the Bayes Executive MBA shapes careers and fosters professional growth through the experiences of our diverse and accomplished cohort. Gain insights into the programme’s impact on leadership development, cross-industry collaboration, and the creation of lifelong professional networks, as shared by our alumni from various fields.
The Bayes Executive MBA offers students the invaluable opportunity to join a diverse, accomplished cohort, where they can learn from peers across various industries and cultural backgrounds.
In this blog, Phil Johnson, CEO of a corporate insurance broker; Seun Bakare, clinical lead physician in urgent care centres; Lauren Pilgreen, Head of Startup Innovation at a VC fund; and Harry Young, finance director at a scale-up design agency, share how the programme has propelled their development and enriched their professional networks.
Phil’s story: Leadership growth and global networking
Phil, who was promoted to CEO of APAC for a global insurance broker and relocated to Singapore while finalising his Executive MBA, says:
“The Bayes MBA is networking on steroids. The Bayes Executive Modular MBA 2024 class was gender-balanced and consisted of eight nationalities including American, British, French, Greek, Indian, Italian, Nigerian and Pakistani.
Within the diverse range of industries represented, we had seasoned project managers, directors, COOs, CFOs, a climate finance specialist and a former army major. The cohort included an international humanitarian working with NGOs and development consultancies, a London-focused property developer who worked on The Shard project, a post-doctoral scientist with a PhD in Biological Sciences, alongside several musicians, sports enthusiasts, and linguists.”
Phil credits the diverse backgrounds and professional experiences of his classmates for creating a rich learning environment:
“Each student has worked for over a decade in their respective fields, which ensured business topics were analysed from a broad range of perspectives. This greatly enhanced our problem-solving in the interactive team working exercises, a core theme across our MBA.
I look forward to staying in touch with all the friends I made on the MBA and have no doubt that it significantly enhanced and expanded my professional network, which will continue to benefit all of us in the decades ahead.”
Seun’s story: Advancing healthcare leadership and strategy
Seun also reflects on the opportunities the MBA has brought him and how it has expanded his professional network, saying:
“My commitment to advancing healthcare leadership was recognised with the prestigious Darzi Fellowship, which led to my attainment of a Postgraduate Certificate in Clinical Leadership. Completing my MBA was a transformative experience, significantly enhancing my leadership and strategic thinking abilities.
This course provided me with a global perspective crucial for navigating the complex challenges of today's healthcare landscape.”
The programme also opened doors for new collaborations and opportunities:
“It expanded my professional network, connecting me with diverse leaders and experts across various industries, thereby fostering opportunities for collaboration and innovation.
Gaining insights into new industries through this programme has enriched my understanding and approach to healthcare, ensuring I remain at the forefront of industry innovation and best practices. This educational journey has been instrumental in aligning my career and personal goals, establishing a solid foundation for my future endeavours in healthcare”.
Lauren’s story: Cross-industry collaboration and innovation
Lauren’s career has followed a non-linear trajectory as she moved from studying design as an undergraduate to launching her career in business development and fundraising for start-ups in the climate sector. Lauren says:
“Our Bayes Executive MBA cohort was enthusiastic, highly skilled, and personally and professionally supportive. Because we came from such diverse sectors, we had the opportunity to learn different ways of thinking.
Even the smallest of details, like how our resident medical doctor structured his notes given his experience synthesising huge volumes of knowledge ahead of medical exams, or how our communications expert prepped teams for last-minute presentations given her experience handling PR crises, were instrumental to the experience we shared.”
Lauren particularly valued the collaborative elements of the MBA:
“Working in innovation, I took great value from our team working in quick-turnaround environments, in which we had the chance to create entirely new solutions, from different points of view”.
Harry’s story: Accelerated career progression
Harry joined Bayes as a senior leader in a scale-up design agency, with over 10 years of experience as a qualified accountant. Since starting the MBA, his career has accelerated:
“Since starting the MBA I have had three promotions and am now well positioned to continue my growth and learning”.
Harry explains how the MBA equipped him with the skills to succeed in his new roles:
“I found that I was increasingly having conversations about strategy, talent, and other areas of business management for which I was not well equipped. The Bayes Executive MBA has therefore been a perfect fit for me, enabling me to bring fresh ideas to the table and help our business scale.
Working in a diverse cohort has given me the opportunity to collaborate with professionals from different walks of life who are in similar positions to me. Hearing their business challenges and solutions has been enlightening.”
These four selected stories represent just a handful of the many successes the Bayes Executive MBA brought our diverse cohort, who all embarked upon and completed a transformational professional journey together, instilling in all of us a commitment to continual ongoing learning and professional development. We would all highly recommend this course to anyone.