“An award-winning theatre producer passionate about exploring how media can be used to promote social change.”
hometown: London, England
Fun facts about yourself: I once vaccinated 250 pigeons a day for an outdoor theater show.
Undergraduate schools and majors:
Durham University – History (BA)
Mountview Academy of Dramatic Arts, Creative Production (MA)
Recent employers and positions: Producer, Paines Plough
What makes London a great place to get an MBA? London is a vibrant business hub with endless opportunities for work, study and leisure. As someone who is looking for a career change, having so many different industries on my doorstep is invaluable. I also love the greenness of the city. Immerse yourself in the hustle and bustle of city life and find yourself in the tranquillity of one of the city’s many beautiful parks on a ten-minute walk.
London Business School is one of the most culturally and professionally diverse MBA programmes in the world. How do you see these global perspectives enhancing the value of your business education over the next two years? London is already a cosmopolitan city and LBS has clearly embraced the city’s ethos of welcoming diverse people from all walks of life in order to build a better community. Without this diversity, LBS would not be the school it is today, and I think it should be at the forefront of my studies and career.
In addition to your classmates and location, What was a key part of the LBS MBA programme that made you choose this business school and why is it so important to you? I Attracted by the flexibility of the course. The option to quit at 15, 18 or 21 months means you can truly tailor the MBA to your personal journey. This means you can take part in term placements, global experiences and bespoke courses without worrying about how this might affect your time at LBS.
What course, club or activity excites you most at LBS? “Global Experience” gives us the opportunity to experience different business cultures firsthand. This is definitely unique to LBS and one that I’m looking forward to very much. I am also excited about the language courses offered by LBS. As someone who has been studying Spanish for the past two years, I am eager to further develop my language skills and improve them for a business environment.
Describe your biggest career achievement so far: My greatest achievement was a 7-week tour during a pandemic for a new award-winning musical. Creating a live theater and involving a lot of risk management (and expertise with COVID protocols in a very short period of time!) is a tricky and volatile time. I handled everything including hiring creatives, negotiating with venues and raising over £160,000. As such, the show has been nominated for a Visionary Honorable Mention in the 2022 Best Drama/Music category for its social impact in culture, media and entertainment.
What’s one thing you’ve read, watched, or heard recently that you would highly recommend to a future MBA? Why? I recommend that you take the time to read non-MBA related media to make sure you don’t burn out! Applying to business school can be overwhelming, so I think it’s important to make sure you take the time to free yourself from this stress.My preference is to rerun office (Although I don’t recommend getting any business advice from Michael Scott!).
What motivated you to pursue an MBA at this point and what do you hope to do after graduation? Having worked in theatre for the past few years, I am eager to take a step back to develop new skills and explore how I want my career to develop. My goal is to continue working in the entertainment industry but focus on a streaming service with one of the leading content creation companies. I have seen firsthand the career-changing benefits of an MBA at LBS as my dad is also an alumna (grade 98) and was able to transition from chemical engineering to investment banking.
What advice do you have for helping potential applicants get into the LBS MBA programme? My advice is to be yourself in your application rather than stressing about fitting in with what you might consider the “perfect” MBA candidate. As a theater producer, I was apprehensive about applying to business school because I wasn’t sure if my non-traditional background would translate to my application. Instead, I have found that LBS not only welcomes people from different backgrounds, but actively encourages them to apply.