I embarked on my Modular Executive MBA journey believing it would primarily enhance my finance knowledge and connect me with like-minded professionals.

While both of these expectations were met, the programme also provided me with insights and experiences I never anticipated.

A career rooted in pharma

My entire professional career has been in or for the pharmaceutical industry. After earning my master's degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences, I started working at a small consultancy firm providing regulatory affairs services to pharmaceutical companies.

Regulatory affairs is a demanding profession. It requires wearing many hats, working under constant pressure due to tight deadlines, and adapting quickly to ever-changing regulations.

The work ranges from operational tasks to strategic roles that demand clinical and technical expertise, negotiation skills, and the ability to interpret complex guidelines and laws.

Over time, I transitioned to working directly for pharmaceutical companies and later joined a leading Contract Research Organisation.

This new role exposed me to large-scale project management, cross-functional team leadership, and the sales and client engagement processes.

It was here that my focus shifted towards project management, management consulting, and strategic business practices.

The leap into entrepreneurship

When COVID-19 hit, like many others, my life took an unexpected turn. I felt stagnant in my previous role and decided to start my own company—without fully understanding the challenges ahead.

My initial plan was to build a full-scale consultancy firm serving the pharmaceutical industry. However, I quickly encountered the struggles of running a small business, made even more difficult by the effects of COVID-19 and Brexit.

I had to learn on the go—how to operate a company, source and fight for clients, negotiate contracts and rates, and market myself effectively. It was a steep learning curve, and one that ultimately led me to pursue an MBA at Bayes.

Taking on an MBA while running a business

At first glance, enrolling in an MBA while running a business might seem ill-timed. The programme demands a significant investment of time and effort—resources that solo business owners often lack. However, the broad range of subjects covered in the MBA proved to be invaluable, particularly one area I had little prior experience in: marketing.

Motivated by a desire to deepen my understanding of marketing, I chose to focus my Business Mastery Project (BMP) on entrepreneurial marketing.

At the time, it was an unfamiliar concept to me, yet it presented a compelling intersection between my academic curiosity and my real-world experience as a small business owner.

A surprising passion for marketing

To my surprise, writing my BMP was not an onerous task—in fact, I enjoyed it. It gave me the opportunity to explore a new field, connect with fellow small business owners, and gain valuable insights into the resources available for small enterprises in the UK.

Most importantly, it reinforced the importance of choosing the right BMP topic and confirmed that I had made the right choice.

Looking ahead

Will my future after the MBA involve marketing or another discipline introduced during the programme? I am confident it will, though in what capacity remains uncertain.

What I do know is that, much like my MBA journey, my career path will continue to take unexpected turns—each one shaping my professional growth in ways I could never have predicted.